A huge rally has been taking place in Kiev over the Ukrainian government’s decision not to sign a deal for closer ties with the EU.
An estimated 250,000 protesters ignored a ban on demonstrations, and filled the streets of the Ukrainian capital en masse with chants of “revolution”. Police used tear gas and stun grenades to slow the advancement of the protesters, but abandoned Independence Square as the huge number of protesters arrived at the scene.
There has been some violence on the fringes of the demonstrations, although political opposition groups have been quick to blame such acts on “provocateurs” in the crowd.
Protesters stormed and now occupy the city council building in the centre of Kiev, and are calling for the resignation of President Viktor Yanukovych’s government and for calling fresh elections. The leader of the opposition Fatherland party, Arseny Yatsenyuk, has said that a no-confidence motion has already been submitted to parliament.
Yanukovych has said that it was pressure from Vladimir Putin and Russia that was behind his decision not to sign the deal with the EU, which would have brought Ukraine further from Russia sphere of influence.
Daily protests have been going on for a week in Kiev, but Sunday’s protests were the largest yet, with protesters impassioned after the failure of their government to sign the deal on Friday, and the violent dispersal of protesters in Independence Square on Saturday. Police abandoned the square on Sunday as protesters