Andrei, 44, walks up and down Khershchatyk Street in Kiev city centre, dressed in jeans and a polo shirt, with a pistol in a holster on his belt.
The former businessman, from Zaporizhia, in south-east Ukraine, is a mid-level commander in Self-Defence, a volunteer brigade formed during the revolution, who was given a special ID badge and a licence to carry firearms by Ukraine’s new authorities.
Asked by EUobserver on Saturday (24 May) if there is a risk of violence in Kiev during...
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Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.