Saturday 25 January 2014

Ukraine fresh violence

25 01 2014

 

Anti-government protesters gather outside the regional administration headquarters as they attempt to take over during a rally in the town of Chernivtsi in southwestern Ukraine, January 25, 2014 (Reuters / Stringer)

 

President Yanukovich has appointed Vladimir Makeenko the head of Kiev City Council. Makeenko previously was the chief of the procedure committee of the country’s parliament, the Rada. In a separate decree, Yanukovich dismissed the former city council head, Alexander Popov, who is currently under investigation. Ukraine, media reports of the main energy ministry building in central Kiev being besieged and more barricades being erected in the streets.According to the energy minister, Eduard Stavytsky, about 100 protesers attempted to seize control of his ministry. “I went to them and said that if they did not peacefully leave the building then the whole energy system of Ukraine could collapse,” said Stavytsky. 
Reporting from Kiev, Al Jazeera’s reports that the central government “has not just been losing ground, it has been losing people. A good part of the presidential press service has resigned”.The siege comes a day after the president, Viktor Yanukovic, offered concessions to protesters, including changes in government ministers and the amendment sweeping anti-protest laws rammed through parliament last week.”What the president has suggested is a cabinet reshuffle, and the prime minister has called the Swiss president to mediate,” said Spicer.
The  renewed activity on the streets of the capital, and the spread of protests to the provinces, appear to confirm a popular rejection of his terms.The protests began in November after Yanukovich spurred an association agreement with the European Union in favour of forging closer ties with Russia, are the biggest demonstrations since the 2004-5 Orange Revolution which denied Yanukovich his first bid at the presidency.

  Experts feel that demonstrations started peacefully in central Kiev couple of months ago, but have been broken up violently by police at times, and in the past week, protesters have set up barricades near Dynamo Kiev football stadium where they hurl Molotov cocktails and burn tyres.

 
Police have responded with stun grenades and rubber bullets, with half a dozen people said to have been killed in the fighting.

Media reports  

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