In the winter of 2014, during the Maidan revolution, Chekmenev photographed the events every day for two months. The photographer felt obliged to shoot portraits of people who were brave enough to challenge the Yanukovych regime. Chekmenev recollects, "For me, all of these ‘warriors’ were heroes, for the simple reason that they were ready to go up against the army of armed government troops with homemade weapons, toy swords, shields, and spears."
The photographer’s portraits of the defenders of democracy are devoid of any heroization. They show fear and fatigue and, at the same time, determination and self-sacrifice. The warriors represent all strata of Ukrainian society from peasants to housewives, from young professionals to workers. Often their images have a touch of soft irony, emphasizing the bravery of ordinary people who unexpectedly found themselves in a revolutionary battle.