The 8th March, International Women’s Day, is still celebrated in Ukraine, according to the Soviet tradition, as the day of ‘women’s beauty’, when women are greeted with flowers and sweets because they are ‘sweet and tender’ and should remain so. The newly formed initiative of Euromaidan "Women’s Sotnya" (Women’s Squad), aiming to remind of the original meaning of the day and to draw attention to women’s issues in the country, organized a solidarity action “Women of Maidan – to Women of Crimea” in Kiev.
During the event, that took place at Maidan itself, women were invited to sign cards with solidarity and support words for the women of Crimea who are now in difficult situation because of the Russian military aggression. A film director, who came to the action, offered to record video addresses of women (can be watched here). Marieluise Beck, a member of the Alliance '90/The Greens group in the German Bundestag, visiting Ukraine at that time, also participated in the action and recorded a passionate address to the Crimean women. The action was accompanied by the dram sounds of the Rhythms of Resistance band – international feminist music project, where women learn to play simple dram beats to participate in public actions.
During 2 hours over 200 cards were signed by various women who came to Maidan – older and younger, Ukrainians and Russians, from Kyiv and from other cities. One woman even brought 30 cards that had been signed prior to the action by her friends. On the following days the cards were sent to Simferopol (capital of Crimea) to a woman who volunteered to pass them to "Crimean women for peace" initiative. It is the solidarity and readiness to help by ordinary people that is the most striking and powerful thing not only of the 8th March public action, but also of the Euromaidan revolution itself.
"Women’s Sotnya" emerged in late January 2014, during the Euromaidan events, as an initiative of feminists and active women outraged with sexism within the revolution (such as “men go to the barricades and women stay inside and make sandwiches”, “women should smile so that revolutionaries are pleased”). The initiative aims at providing visibility to all kinds of women’s presence at Euromaidan arguing, that women make the revolution alongside with men. The group has a facebook page with almost 2500 followers.