Today’s anniversary of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine offers an opportunity to assess Ukraine’s fight against domination by a foreign authoritarian state. While there is much to say, the current war is only the latest—and to be sure, the most brutal and intense—chapter in Ukrainians’ struggle for greater freedom since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The Maidan Revolution—the culmination of an uprising in Kyiv that began in November 2013 and ended in February 2014 with the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovich and the installment of an interim government—forms an earlier chapter. Below, I take today’s anniversary as an opportunity to reproduce an article I wrote from Kiev when I visited it just weeks after the Maidan protests ended. (Since it was published in Latin America, it is a rough translation from the original Spanish.)

There can be no doubt that millions of Ukrainians yearn for freedom and that Maidan was an expression of that yearning. Indeed, in subsequent years freedom in Ukraine increased, as documented by the Human Freedom Index. But the strong socialist legacy has been a challenge to overcome. Ukraine ranks 89th in the Human Freedom Index—notably better than Russia at 119, but still far too low. Let’s hope that the spirit of Maidan, alive in the ongoing war, prevails in its aftermath.

The Challenge of Liberty in Ukraine

El Comercio (Peru), March 15, 2014

Here in Kyiv, it is impossible not to be deeply moved while walking through Maidan central square. This is the place where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians converged for months to protest the corrupt regime headed by Viktor Yanukovych, Putin’s loyal lackey. In the process, more than a hundred demonstrators were killed, the government collapsed, and the protests became a global symbol of resistance against the threat of authoritarianism.

Today, Maidan is still occupied by thousands of citizens on a vast campsite, which seems straight out of a war: there are barricades, medical emergency stations, campfires, large tents, improvised dwellings, piles of garbage and debris, a massive building burned to the ground, kitchens attempting to cater to a huge public, barbed wire, and Ukrainian flags. There are also a lot of flowers. Today this spot is peaceful, safe, and organized. Families from all ranks of society come to have a stroll, pay tribute to the fallen, and take pictures with their children in the hope that what they are finally witnessing is the birth of a country advancing towards democracy and the rule of law.

Such an outcome, however, is far from guaranteed. The Ukrainian citizen protesters are not leaving Maidan because they refuse to blindly put their trust in the interim government. The Orange Revolution, which ten years ago promised to end the rotten system of privileges and widespread corruption—but that ultimately ended in disillusionment—remains fresh in the memory of Ukrainians.

Ukrainians are tired of living in backwardness and without the full range of freedoms. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine did little to implement reforms and has thus stagnated. In 1990, Poland and Ukraine had the same per capita income. Today, Poland’s per person income is almost three times higher. The Maidan revolution embodies the desire to live in modernity. After all, it started with demonstrations in support of a free trade agreement with the European Union, as opposed to merely maintaining long-held ties with a dominant Russia.

The challenge ahead is great. The Ukrainian government is bankrupt and is aware of the people’s expectations and of the need to implement tough policies. It will have to cut public spending and eliminate gas subsidies, which will increase gas prices by around 40%. It is paramount that these reforms be coupled with the removal of stifling regulations and a myriad of other measures that allow the creation of wealth. The state-owned enterprise which imports Russian gas – a source of corruption and a vehicle of Russian hegemony – must be reformed, along with the entire energy industry.

It remains to be seen whether Ukrainian leaders will rise to the occasion, or whether they will shy away from implementing reforms. In any case, Pavlo Sheremeta, the economy minister, has affirmed that, “We have sacrificed ourselves in Maidan, and this is the price we will have to pay for our freedom.” Another uncertainty is how the people will react to spending cuts and the removal of subsidies. There is a danger that the Maidan movement might become a hurdle for much-needed reforms.

Meanwhile, Russia is forcefully seizing the Crimean Peninsula, and is threatening to conduct a military invasion on a much larger scale. There is little that the small Ukrainian army can do about that. In the face of Ukrainians’ anxiety, Kakha Bendukidze, a preeminent and successful reformer from Georgia, came to Kyiv to offer advice rooted in his own country’s experience with the Russian invasion of 2008: “Forget the fact that you have a mighty enemy and do everything that you can to pursue reform.” Hopefully, the Ukrainians will strengthen themselves in that way.