Two roof climbers from Kharkiv raised a flag of Ukraine on the Derzhprom’s TV tower on the night of September 11, but the Kharkivites could see it unfurled only from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on the following morning, as the flag was removed by the beginning of the working day.
Kharkiv artist and roof climber Pavlo Itkin, who initiated the raising of a national symbol in a landmark location in the city, said that the idea was more artistic than anything else. “I have recently started to make a film about Kharkiv, and it features a few views of the Derzhprom. We were just about to shoot a few scenes from the TV tower, and I thought, why not raise the flag there. We were going to do it on two occasions before, and it was finally successful this time.” The boys climbed onto the roof of the building on the night of September 11 and attached a furled flag of Ukraine to the TV tower. They then waited until 6 a.m. to unfurl the canvas, measuring two by four meters, as soon as the sun started shining. “The flag started waving in the wind, it was very beautiful. My father took a picture of it from below.”
At the same time, the boys noticed a concierge emerging in a landing of an upper floor and seeing the flag. They stayed inside until the doors opened, and then came out into the street, noticing that the flag on the tower was gone. The artist father’s photo from below shows a man removing the flag. The official explanation is that it interfered with the TV tower’s operations.
“It is very strange that this flag has been removed,” Itkin reflected. “It could not interfere with broadcasting, because antennas are located along the TV tower and absent at the very top, where the flag was raised. This is an important location for the city, and the flag was very big, we put a lot of effort into raising it. It was very beautiful.”
Itkin authored photo series “Kharkiv Seen from Above,” but has not exhibited it yet, as printing the photos requires significant funds. He says that he loves Kharkiv, but is perplexed by the people who rule the city.
