“The Image of Putin Has Broken”

Maidan protest, 2014
Maidan protest in 2014. Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty.
Julia Ioffe
February 28, 2022

On November 21, 2013, Ukrainian investigative journalist Mustafa Nayyem posted an innocent enough message on Facebook. “Meet you at 10:30 pm under the Monument of Independence,” he wrote. “Dress warmly, bring umbrellas, tea, coffee, a good mood, and friends. Repost in every possible way. Welcome!”