Ukrainian protests continue. Temporarily ceasefire was reached during the talks between Yanukovich and opposition

Maidan (Independence Square) in the morning of Thursday,
after night's attack
(Image: DPA)

Confrontations between Ukrainian protesters and activists of Euromaidan and “Berkut” and security forces are ongoing in Kyiv and in other Ukrainian cities as well, as opposition and Yanukovich have failed to reach an agreement during the Tuesday’s negotiations.

Ministry of Health reported about at least 30 killed people, though the eyewitnesses and doctors working on the ground and in the hospitals claim there are more casualties and thousands of wounded, most of them with the wounds caused by live ammunition and bombs.

Ukraine: Sunday massive rally in Kyiv, results of Munich Conference and deadlock in parliament

Massive anti-government rallies in Kyiv
(Image: Radio Svoboda)

Situation in Ukraine remains tense, as political crisis is still not resolved and there is no consensus between the government and opposition, and massive protesters continue for more than 70 days despite the frosts and snow.

Sunday, 2 February, has gathered tens of thousands of Ukrainians in Kyiv’s Independence Square and thousands of people all over Ukraine as well, as several regions are still under control of People’s Councils with their regional offices taken by protesters.

Ukrainian Parliament votes for the new amnesty law amid the deepening political crisis

Wednesday's Parliament's session
(Image: TSN)

Massive anti-government protests continue in Ukraine nationwide, as the talks between the oppositional leaders and Yanukovich are ongoing, and Ukrainian Parliament gathers for the second day for the extraordinary sessions on order to resolve political crisis in the country.

During the decisive Tuesday’s session on 28 January Ukrainian Parliament has voted in favor of cancelling of almost all the dictatorial 16 January laws restricting personal and civil rights and freedoms of Ukrainians. Cabinet of Ministers of Mykola Azarov has resigned temporally government was formed and will be headed by Vice-Prime Minister Sergiy Arbuzov, until the new government will be formed and appointed.

Ukraine: The revolution continues

Lines of barricades and burning tires in Kyiv
(Image: TVI)

Revolution in Ukraine continues, as tens of thousands of protesters remain permanently in Independence Square and Grushevsky Street in Kyiv and Ukrainians all over Ukraine continue to seize the regional offices and governmental buildings forming National Councils and declaring people’s authority in the regions.

In Kyiv protesters have taken Ukrainian House, located on European Square, close to the site of confrontation. There were reports about special security forces (“Berkut”) located in the building and preparing for the dispersal. The clashes lasted several hours, when oppositional leader Vitaly Klichko and some other oppositional politicians arrived in the Ukrainian House and have held negotiations with the Special Forces. As a result of these talks the corridor was formed, and the policemen were able to leave the building. Ukrainian House is under protesters’ control at the moment, as people are cleaning the building.

Revolutionary Ukraine: Confrontations continue amid the third round of negotiations between Yanukovich and opposition

Protesters on the barricades
(Image: Den')

Situation in Ukraine remains tense as confrontations continue between protesters and security forces and riot police in Kyiv downtown. The day was relatively calm, though the sound and smoke bombs and fireworks have been thrown from time to time by the both sides. The situation escalated in the late evening, as the reports appeared that government possible prepares for the force dispersal of Maidan and all the protests’ sites, and soldiers of special security forces “Berkut” are stationed in the building of Ukrainian House, located on European Square, right in the rear of protesters. Protestors are currently storming the building, the entrances are blocked by the barricades, confrontation continues, and the situation is tense.

Ukraine: Second round of the talks between opposition and Yanukovich was held amid clashes and continuation of violence

Protesters and riot police in Kyiv
(Image: Reuters)

Confrontations continue in Ukraine, as the clashes between protesters on Euromaidan and riot police happened during the night. Situation remains extremely tense and needs to be resolved in a peaceful way, state activists, representatives of artists, priests and intellectuals and oppositional leaders.

According to the information of Ministry of Health nearly 160 people have been injured, 2 people were killed, but the doctors working on the field report that only in 22 January there were several hundreds of injured, a lot of them don’t go to the hospitals due to the fears of being detained by the police, as police and special security forces “Berkut” were trying to attack several hospitals in the night attempting to arrest injured protesters. 5 people were killed on 22 January, four of them were killed with the live ammunition, the fifth one was found dead in the forest with the marks of tortures on his body. It was one of the activists kidnapped one day earlier.

Ukraine: Negotiations with Yanukovich didn’t have results; Maidan formed National Council instead of Parliament

Riot police Berkut beating and dragging protesters
(Image: Radio Svoboda)

As violent clashes continue in Ukrainian capital and security forces attacking and trying to disperse protesters, Yanukovich has agreed to meet with oppositional leaders for the talks in order to findb the solution of the deepening crisis.

Arseny Yatsenyuk, Vitaly Klichko and Oleg Tyagnybok, oppositional leaders, have arrived to the Presidential Administration where they met Yanukovich and his team (Andriy Klyuev, Olena Lukash and Andriy Portnov). Negotiations lasted for more than three hours, as deadly clashes didn’t stop in Grushevsky Street in Kyiv downtown, close to Independence Square.

Ukrainian opposition plans to form united pro-Ukrainian and pro-European team, as Vitaly Klichko calls for a single oppositional presidential candidate

Euromaidan: Ukrainian anti-government protests
(Image: Liga NET)

Ukrainian oppositional forces work currently on forming the team to fight for democratic changes in Ukraine and to participate in the upcoming 2015 presidential elections, according to the statement made on Tuesday, 7 January, by one of the oppositional leaders, Arseny Yatsenyuk, while he delivered his speech on Kyiv Euromaidan.

Some political experts criticized opposition for the pause it took and lack of strong decisions taken during the latest time, though some other specialists are sure this pause is important in order not to divide participants of Euromaidan, Ukrainian anti-governmental protests. Citizens of Ukraine and demonstrators have a chance now to form their proposals and ideas regarding the steps to change political situation in the country.

Ukraine: Opposition calls for massive rallies on Sunday with the auto-rally to the residences of high officials

Massive anti-government protests in Ukraine
(Image: Wikipedia)

Ukrainian oppositional leaders Arseny Yatsenyuk, Oleh Tyagnybok and Vitaly Klichko are calling for the fresh consecutive million-man march to be held on Sunday, 29 December, in Kyiv’s Independence Square and in other Ukrainian cities as well.

Traditional Sunday’s rally of Ukrainian in Independence Square will be held this time under the motto “Solidarity against terror” and will express the key demands of Ukrainian anti-government protesters and show solidarity with the victims of recent attacks.

Ukrainian opposition and public activists will form Transitional government. Opposition calls for the massive nationwide Sunday protests

Ukrainian anti-government and pro-European protests
(Image: AFP)

Ukrainian opposition and public activists and representatives of the protesters of Maidan have met on Friday, 6 December, on the press-conference and discussed their roadmap and the further steps.

Ukrainian activists, artists, journalists, intellectuals and prominent persons have signed a joint petition to Ukrainian opposition voicing the demands of the people protesting on Independence Square and all over Ukraine and containing propositions to the opposition regarding the next steps.

Ukraine: massive protests ongoing while the crisis is deepening with the power and opposition unable to find compromise

Huge protets on Kyiv Independent Square
(Image: Liga NET)

Situation on Ukraine where the massive anti-government protests sparked after failure of Vilnius Summit and signing of the Association Agreement with EU and violent dispersal of peaceful demonstrators on Independence Square in Kyiv. Tens of thousands are protesting in Kyiv and blocking the key administrative buildings such as Cabinet of Ministers, Parliament, Kyiv City Council, Ministry of Interior, and Ministry of Education. Huge demonstrations continue in other cities all over the country as well.

After Tuesday’s failure of Ukrainian opposition to vote for the non-confidence motion to the government and for the resignation of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his Cabinet of Ministers in Parliament the protests didn’t reduce with more people gathering in the capital for the protests and many arriving to Kyiv from other regions of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Parliament failed to vote for government’s resignation amid the continuous massive protests all over Ukraine

Massive anti-government rallies in Kyiv
(Image: INews)

Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered since the morning on Tuesday in front of the building of Ukrainian Parliament as the Parliament was expected to discuss the non-confidence motion to the government and its resignation initiated recently by the oppositional forces.

People have filled all the area in front of the Parliament, though the situation is tense with the alternative meeting of Yanukovich’s and government’s supporters gathered in front of the Parliament as well. There were reportedly nearly 150 people among the supporters of the current authorities; they were cordoned by the police forces in order to avoid their mixing with the anti-governmental protests. Additional security forces have been deployed on the scene with the entrances to the building blocked and lines of riot police and special forces “Berkut” and standing in front of the protesters.

Ukraine is in turmoil for the second day. First statements of officials and authorities start to appear

Massive protests against the regime of Victor Yanukovich
in Kyiv
(Image: UK Wikipedia)

Ukrainian revolution is ongoing for the second day with tens of thousands of people protesting in downtown Kyiv and in other cities all over Ukraine and several administrative buildings taken by protesters.

Massive rally against Ukrainian current authorities and President Victor Yanukovich has started in Ukraine on Sunday, 1 December, after riot police and security forces have violently beaten the peaceful protesters in the sit-in on Independence Square in Kyiv. According to the estimations of the journalists and participants of the protests there were between 750 thousand and 1 million people in Ukrainian capital. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are protesting in other cities as well including Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and other cities, even in Southern and Eastern regions, the regions traditionally supporting Victor Yanukovich and his political power.

Ukrainian nationalist Freedom party declared its readiness for the mass protests

Oleg Tyagnybok, leader of the Freedom Party

The head and the leader of the Ukrainian ultra-right nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) Party Oleg Tyagnybok stated in his speech during the press-conference held in Kyiv on Monday, 29 October, that his political party is ready to organize the mass protests in case of the mass violations and falsification of the elections’ results.

“We are living for us the right to call for the mass protests and demonstrations if the elections results will be violated and false”, said Oleg Tyagnybok.

According to the words of the Freedom Party leader the highest level of mobilizing the people for the possible protests is in Kyiv, where the Freedom Party has got the leading positions on several polling stations, as showed the results of the exit-polls.

In addition to that Oleg Tyagnybok stated that the revolutions do not begin because of  someone’s wish, the voters, so the citizens themselves should be ready for such actions.

It’s worth mentioning here, that Ukrainian authorities banned with the special order any mass protests and demonstrations in Kyiv till the middle of November 2012.

The upcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine

Ukrainian Parliament

On Sunday, 28 October 2012, Ukrainian citizens will head to the thousands of polling station across the country and also abroad to take part in the parliamentary elections and to vote for the new Parliament. It will be the first parliamentary elections during the time of the rule of Victor Yanukovich, Ukrainian current President, and there will be also the first elections since 1998 where the prominent oppositional leader and the country’s ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko won’t participate due to her trial and imprisonment.

Those parliamentary elections are extremely important for Ukraine and for its future relations with the world, especially with the Western countries, as the conducting of the democratic, fair and transparent elections, the results of the polls and the following actions of the future Parliament will be among the most decisive conditions for the future of Ukraine and EU.

Here is some information regarding the issue of the Ukrainian parliamentary elections to be held on 28 October.