maksym balenko has been coming here for more than a year.he's actually from the provinces, but since the beginning of the revolution in late 2013, the maidan has been his home. for months there were demonstrations on the maidan against the autocratic regime of the pro-russian president viktor yanukovych. months of protests for democratic reform. since then, the maidan has symbolised that revolution. maksym balenko and his friends were there from the very start. the square has changed his life. >> i now have a definite aim in life. i've understood that my opinion bears weight. i'm worth something. i can change something! reporter: nowadays many of the demonstrators of old crossing the square are soldiers fighting in eastern ukraine against the pro-russian separatists. it's at the heart of the ukrainian capital and it's now also a part of the front in a way. maksym and his friends are converting a house here into a hostel for soldiers passing through. >> it's symbolic. it's an extension of the protests on the maidan. reporter: this war is a ma