Two years without our photojournalist Dmytrii Fortunatov

Two years has passed since we lost our friend and co-founder of the Active Citizens News Agency, photojournalist Dmytrii Fortunatov. Of course, it is impossible to convey how much our team lacks this great motivator who has raised more than one person to fight for their rights, the rights of neighbours and colleagues. We miss his friendly warmth, jokes, edifications and the phrase “We’ll get through this!” which Dmytrii always said in any seemingly deadlock situation.

On the night of February 19, 2014

We have left the memory and photo archive of Dmytrii. Of course, it was not fully implemented, because even the complete archive of his photographs from the 2013-2014 Revolution of Dignity was difficult to preserve.

On the night of November 30, 2013

Dmitry got through EuroMaidan from the first protest on Bankova Street, filming the confrontation between the street and the police from that grader, from the beating of students by Berkut officers, when he was also attacked and was the victim in this case, to the burning of the Trade Unions Building and the shooting of the Heavenly Hundred.

Two days after the fire in the Trade Unions Building – protest headquarters and press center, 2014

And before that, the confrontation between titushky and people was being filmed who tried to protect their squares, parks, coastal zones and yards from another construction.

Then there were filming during self-defence raids in different districts of Kyiv, trials of the Berkut officers, participation in the work of community councils and probably hundreds of protests, where he often got between the security officials (siloviks) and demonstrators, who had received an order to disperse.

January 2014, protesters blocked the Kyiv-Svyatoshinsky District Court

Dmytrii did not wait for the verdict of those who, on the night of November 30, 2013, beat the students and struck several blows on Dmytrii’s head with a rubber truncheon. Although, he was one of the first who submitted an application to the authorities. His statement was found exactly after three years, before that the police were in no hurry to investigate. “On December 1, 2016, I got a callback and said that my statement about the beating of people from November 29 to 30 had been found, which I wrote on the Maidan Nezalezhnosti. However, I was not summoned to the police. I wrote an application to the SBU (The Security Service of Ukraine) lieutenant colonel from the central office…Three years later, my application was found and turned over to the investigation… Investigative actions are underway… I’ m asking everyone to help as much as possible to collect photos and videos from that night. There is a lot of information, but there were more witnesses who were filming this Massacre… I’m asking you to help. Photos and videos can be submitted to the group Beating Students #Punish the guilty”, – Dmytrii wrote on his Facebook page.

St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in the morning of November 30, 2013

At that time, Dmytrii did not have an assignment from any editorial staff to be on Independence Square and film what was happening during the protests. But he could not help going there, when at about 4 am his friends, living nearby, called him and told about the screams in the area of ​​the Independence Monument of Ukraine. Dmytrii drove to the Maidan Nezalezhnosti by car, in less than half an hour. “The square has already been cleared. The brutalized Berkut officers chased the guys around the yards. I started filming, trying to hide a girl, and the first blow with a truncheon struck the camera. The commander shouted not to take pictures. Then I started shouting: “Why are you beating children?!” turned around and immediately got bash on the nape”, – Dmyrii told us in the morning, having hidden in the St. Michael’s Monastery with the students.

On Grushevsky Street 2013 -2014

A few months later, when it was clear to everyone that even journalists should not talk to law enforcement officers, during dispersing people at the front of the Verkhovna Rada, Dmytrii hid for several hours in the entrance of the nearest house.

Dispersal of people in the front of the Verkhovna Rada on February 18, 2014

People were invited there by residents who saw the violent dispersal of the demonstrators from their windows. Dmytrii was then nearly wounded in the back. He was saved by a bulletproof vest, without which the journalists no longer went to EuroMaidan for reportage. And when everything calmed down, he came out of hiding and fixed the disabled protesters.

The last years of Dmytrii’s life turned out to be a vivid story of the life of a Ukrainian, who does not want and are not going to accept injustice and indignities of human worth. Dmytrii Fortunatov passed away, and the struggle for human rights in Ukraine continues…

Source: “Active Citizens”

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Translated by Kateryna Mochuliak