Ukraine capital erupts in violence over failure to sign EU Association

Mass demonstrations erupted for the second consecutive weekend in Kyiv involving hundreds of thousands of protestors voicing their anger at Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych for failing to sign the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement in Vilnius after indicating for months that he would do so. This time around however, the demonstrations were violent as several dozen protestors, mostly students, were arrested and hospitalized the early morning of November 30 after police forcefully cleared them from Independence Square, news reports said.

On Sunday, December 1, the opposition organized a mass demonstration against both the government’s use of violence and its failure to sign the agreement. Violent clashes erupted throughout the capital between protestors and police, resulting in more than 200 injured, including more than two dozen journalists. The protestors occupied the carefully guarded Independence Square, as well as some nearby located administrative buildings and announced a strike. Citywide strikes were announced in several western cities.

In Kyiv, opposition leaders declared their goals, including the dismissal of the Cabinet of Ministers and punishment of officials responsible for organizing the November 30 violence, while not elaborating the means of achieving these goals. Currently, about more than ten thousand protestors are on the streets in Kyiv.

Yanukovych didn’t appear throughout the weekend, while Presidential Administration Head Serhiy Lyovochkin submitted his resignation over the violent use of force by police, reported the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on November 30, citing anonymous sources. The resignation has yet to be confirmed by the Presidential Administration. Several MPs from the ruling Party of Regions resigned from its ranks, or declared their intention to exit the party and/or parliamentary faction. The Kyiv police chief, who took responsibility for violently clearing the central square, was only temporarily dismissed from his position, after which he filed his resignation with the Internal Affairs Minister. No other official has submitted his resignation.

Parliamentary Chair Volodymyr Rybak was the only high-ranking official who offered something during the hot weekend: he scheduled a parliamentary roundtable for December 2 to enable the opposition and ruling party to resolve the crisis. Opposition leaders accepted the invitation, only to make two demands: dismissal of the government and the release of all imprisoned political prisoners, including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and recently arrested activists.

Several government buildings are occupied by the protestors, including the Kyiv City Administration, and several of the city’s central streets are barricaded. Meanwhile, the Cabinet of Ministers has been blocked by thousands of protestors. The Ukrainian government is working based on its regular schedule, said Vitaliy Lukianenko, the prime minister’s press secretary, dispelling speculation that a state of emergency will be declared. Azarov will hold his traditional weekly meeting with ministers on December 2, and the weekly Cabinet meeting on December 4, he said.

Zenon Zawada: The Ukrainian government is faced with a severe crisis as demands for its dismissal are being voiced by opposition leaders and supported by Ukraine’s majority pro-EU electorate. The use of violence this weekend was unprecedented during Ukrainian independence, which is what’s fueling the public support for the calls for resignation. We expect the government will resist these calls for as long as possible, which will only extend the crisis as the opposition is unlikely to relinquish its demands, given its mass support. To resolve the conflict, several key members of the Cabinet of Ministers will have to resign, particularly the Internal Affairs Minister. But that might not be enough to satisfy the public at this point, which has targeted its anger towards Yanukovych.