By ANNA MELNICHUK, Associated Press Writer
KIEV, Ukraine - Supporters of opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko took the so-called Orange Revolution on the road Tuesday, piling into cars and buses for a 10-day odyssey to spread their message beyond the capital, targeting eastern provinces largely hostile to their candidate.
With sirens blaring and trademark orange flags unfurled, more than 150 opposition supporters left Kiev, hoping to win over voters in areas where support for Yushchenko's opponent, Viktor Yanukovych, has been strong. The two candidates face off in a Dec. 26 rematch following a Supreme Court ruling that annulled a fraud-tainted Nov. 21 runoff in which Yanukovych claimed victory.
"We would like the spirit of civil resistance to reach everyone's heart," said Vasyl Kuderiavets, a 34-year-old businessman from the western city of Lviv. "Everyone wants to be free. But not everyone realizes that."
Compelled by Yushchenko's appeal to abandon protests and take up the election campaign, artists, musicians, businessmen and filmmakers set off on a journey many said was necessary because the state-run media had blocked news of their movement from reaching the rest of this former Soviet republic.
They plan to show videos of the protests from Kiev's Independence Square, to organize rallies — and to leave graffiti on every gray wall they find.
"In some Ukrainian regions, people live as if they were in ghettos, isolated from information on what is actually going on in the country — living totally like in Soviet times," said Vakhtang Kipiani, the anchor of a private television station.
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Ukraine's Orange Revolution Hits the Road
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