Sergey Arkhipov

Sergey Arkhipov, a 57 year-old farmer of southern Ukrainian Nikolayev region are on the 15th day of his hunger strike in central Independence square in Ukraine's capital Kiev Wednesday, June 12, 2002. Writing on a poster behind him reads "I'm on hunger!". A year ago, Arkhipov, armed with a starter's pistol, training grenade and a fuse, seized one of the rooms in Ukraine's agricultural ministry accusing his region's officials in corruption and violations of agricultural legislation, and demanding ministerial officials to investigate the case. Arkhipov managed to keep the room seized for a couple of hours. Now he said in his statement to media that "authorities promised to examine the claim but ignored and, thus, provoked more drastic measures to protect legal rights". "I cannot but use my skills as a field engineer that I was taught while serving in the Armed Forces, that I would not like to do", he added. Photo by Alexander Sinitsa / UNIAN