As weeks of protests against the Ukraine government have grown larger every day, images of the thousands crowding the streets of Kiev have circulated worldwide.
The images paint a picture of the protests' magnitude; the latest reports peg the number at about 200,000 people. But a new video captured with a quadcopter drone, above, provides perhaps the best view yet on the massive gathering in Kiev's Independence Square.
See also: A Protest of Historic Proportions: 15 Photos From Kiev
The video, which was widely shared on Twitter and spotted by BuzzFeed's Max Seddon, was reportedly filmed on Saturday. The source of the drone's operator remains largely unknown.
This isn't the first use of a drone — a small remote-controlled helicopter — at a mass protest. In 2011, Tim Pool, now with VICE, used an "occucopter" to document Occupy Wall Street in Manhattan and observe New York City cops.
Since then, drones have been spotted in the skies at protests worldwide.
In June, a citizen journalist in Istanbul used one to document anti-government protests in Turkey; one used in Bangkok, Thailand, showed the police using water cannons and tear gas canisters against protesters.
Drones have enormous potential for such events for simple and obvious reasons. They are relatively cheap, easy to use, can carry high-definition cameras and can reach areas off-base to reporters with cameras. So "drone journalism" is starting to become a reality.
Watch the breathtaking views of thousands of gathered at Independence Square above.
BONUS: Drones vs. Government: Who Owns America's Skies?
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Image: Viktor Drachev/AFP/Getty Images