Editor's Note: The Kyiv Post is providing continuous coverage of the protests in Kyiv and other cities following the government's decision on Nov. 21 to stop European Union integration by rejecting an association agreement. The rallies started on Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square). The events can be followed on Twitter using hashtags #euromaidan and #євромайдан or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EuroMaydan.
Watch video of EuroMaidan events here on live stream and hromadske.tv
An areal video of the hundreds of thousands signing the national anthem on Dec. 14
Party of Regions welcomes the Russia deals
Dec. 17, 9:10 p.m. The Party of Regions of Ukraine welcomes the strategic agreements signed between Kyiv and Moscow during President Viktor Yanukovych’s visit to Russia on Tuesday and considers them an important step in normalizing and developing friendly and mutually beneficial relations between the two countries, the party said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
“We want to declare once again, clearly syllabizing it with all responsibility, that, in signing the agreements with the Russian Federation, Ukraine is not giving up its national interests, is not giving up its national gas transport system, and is not planning to join the Customs Union. Ukraine remains faithful to its strategic Euro-integration course and is making all essential efforts to join the common European trade and economic area consistently and painlessly for the domestic producers,” the Party of Regions said.
“The resumption of strategic partnership with Russia and the lifting of the trade restrictions carry significant potential for promising economic growth and serve as a powerful stimulating factor for successful development of the basic sectors of the national economy and the implementation of ambitious joint projects in the machine-building, fuel and energy, transport, aerospace, and military-technological sectors,” it said.
“The decision to significantly reduce the cost of the Russian gas shipped to Ukraine can be viewed as truly momentous,” it said.
A lower gas price would enable Ukraine “to virtually resuscitate whole industries of the national economy, improve competitiveness of the domestic producers, and significantly bolster Ukraine’s export potential,” it said.
Ukraine’s main foreign political priority “has always been and remains to be the protection of the national interests and the provision of the essential foreign political preconditions, including those for investments, to structurally modernize the national economy, enhance competitiveness of the domestic products, and dynamically improve the living standards of Ukrainian citizens,” the statement says.
By successfully settling issues in its trade and economic cooperation with Russia, Ukraine will reinforce its positions in the negotiations with the EU and will possess more arguments to defend its national interests, the Party of Regions said. —Interfax-Ukraine
Demonstrators demand lowering utility prices in the wake of the new gas deal
Dec.17, 9 p.m. The participants in a demonstration in the center of Kyiv on Tuesday evening voted for demanding that all tariffs in Ukraine be lowered by 30% in view of the latest agreements on the price of Russian natural gas for Ukraine.
“Viktor Yanukovych! If the price for gas has been lowered by 30%, we demand that all tariffs in Ukraine be lowered by 30% due to a lower price for gas,” Arseniy Yatseniuk, the leader of the Batkivschyna party’s parliamentary faction, said at the rally, inviting the audience to support this demand, which it did.
It was reported earlier that Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine representatives signed a supplement to the January 19, 2009 contract on the sale and purchase, supplies, volumes, and conditions of transit of natural gas for 2009-2019 in the presence of the Russian and Ukrainian presidents at Tuesday talks in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said later at a press conference in commenting on the agreement that the document would entitle Gazprom to ship gas to Ukraine at $268.5 per 1,000 cubic meters, while the previous price was $400 per 1,000 cubic meters. —Interfax-Ukraine
Protesters worry about the Russian deals
Dec.17, 8:15 p.m. Maksym Demchuk, 18, a student is holding Ukraine’s flag with name of his city Chernihiv written on it. “We are afraid that we could be sold out as some kind of goods, (to Russia)” he said, standing next to his father. “We don’t want to go into Customs Union, we want to go to Europe,” he says.
Svitlana Sheveliova, 52, a business owner from Lysychansk city of Ukraine’s far east is waving Ukrainian flag with word Luhansk written on it. She said that even if he did not sign any deal on Customs Union, Yanukovych still may have signed the papers that put Ukraine in great dependence of Russia. “And I’m really afraid of this,” she said. “But most of all I fear personally Yanukovych. His gang captured the whole of Donbass and destroyed it,” she added.– Oksana Grytsenko
Klitschko says Yanukovych got loans, but pawned state companies
Dec.17, 7:30 p.m. Vitali Klitschko, leader of UDAR (Punch) party said that according to his information Yanukovych managed to receive a big loan from Russia, against the collateral of Ukraine’s strategic enterprises. “We demand that Yanukovych has to give information on what terms the deals have been signed,” he told the crowd from stage.
Protesters warn the president against iffy deals with Russia
Dec.17, 7:11 p.m. Tens of thousands rallied at Independence Square, known as the Maidan, to warn President Viktor Yanukovych against yielding national interests to Russia. Pro-European activists, who are braving cold over three weeks at Kyiv’s main square, were waving flags of Ukraine and the European Union and chanting “Shame!” and “Out with the gang” —Oksana Grytsenko
Luhansk activists design pension certificate
for Azarov
Dec.17, 6:15 p.m. Luhansk activists designed symbolic pension certificate for Prime Minister Mykola Azarov who on Dec. 17
turned 66. They sent it by regular mail to the Cabinet of Ministers, demanding
Azarov’s resignation, writes Irtafax, Luhansk news portal. In Ukraine, maximum
age for state employees is 65 years. —
Anastasia Forina
Ukrainian
women bring pumpkin to Russian Embassy in Kyiv
Dec.17,
5:15 p.m., Around 50 Ukrainian women brought a pumpkin tied with blue European Union ribbons to the building of the Russian embassy in Kyiv, according to
EuroMaidan facebook page. They were singing Ukrainian folk songs and holding
banners that read “We’re inviting you to Europe, let’s be family friends”, “Putin,
if you love, let go your hold.”
By bringing
pumpkin, they wanted to demonstrate refusal to enter the Customs Union. According to
Ukrainian tradition, woman gives pumpkin to man, when she refuses an offer of marriage. –– Anastasia Forina
Opposition calls for EuroMaidan rally at 6 p.m.
Dec. 17, 3:50 p.m. A girl with
blue EU stripe tightened to her backpack is handing over to passengers of metro
leaflets with appeal to come to Independence Square at 6 p.m. Opposition is
calling on its supporters to EuroMaidan to show President Viktor Yanukovych
that the protesters will not forgive him a decision to join Russian-led Customs
Union trade block that he may take during his meeting with his Russian counterpart
Vladimir Putin. “Customs Union is not our values! Ukrainians deserve a better
life!” the leaflets say.
Thousands of people have already gathered by the stage of EuroMaidan listening to politicians and civil activists from various regions. “I’m afraid he (Yanukovych) will sign Customs Union, which is bondage for Ukraine,” said Zinaida Kalinina, 58, pensioner from Kyiv, who has a bow of Ukrainian and EU stripes pinned to her coat. “But hopefully he will fear our pressure and pressure of the European Union,” she added. — Oksana Grytsenko
Military canteen trailers spotted in Mariinsky Park
Dec. 17, 2:05 p.m. Just after midnight today (between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.) the Kyiv Post spotted rows of military canteen trailers being used in Mariinsky Park standing next to tents where police were stationed around a pro-government camp of protesters. They all had the same dark, olive-green color and had white tag numbers. The Kyiv Post couldn’t verify whether the canteen trailers belonged to Ukraine’s military, but their large numbers and uniformity of design fueled suspicions that authorities may be using military equipment for purposes other than localizing external military aggression. This past weekend former Defense Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko warned that the authorities would use the military for logistical purposes, such as for housing, transportation and feeding of protesters. — Mark Rachkevych
Several thousands of pro-government supporters rally in Maryinsky park
Dec.17, 2 p.m. Several thousands of pro-government supporters rally by parliament’s building in Maryinsky park, waving flags of Party of Regions and Ukraine. The anthem of Party of Regions is often played from the stage being interrupted by speeches of Region’s lawmakers. People are listening to them with low interest, many are eating some snacks brought from home. Leonid Moroz, 63, pensioner, who came from Zaporizhzhia by specially organized bus, is wearing a red hat of Santa Clause and holding a blue package of Party of Regions. Moroz says he has high expectations for today’s visit of President Viktor Yanukovych in Moscow. “We are waiting that he will agree on lower gas prices and the more supplies of the Ukrainian goods. Russian purchases are our life,” he said. “We shouldn’t hurry up into the EU. We need to be more cunning, demand the more money from the Europeans.”
Yulia Lasko, 41, who works at a plant at the same city, said she fears that her plant may stop over Russian trade barriers. “If it happens my family will stay without money,” she said. So she is also happy that Yanukovych is meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin today. She believes even if Ukraine joins Customs Union, Russian-led trade block, it will not be a problem. — Oksana Grytsenko
Demonstrators move to general prosecutor’s office to demand Klyuev’s imprisonment
Dec. 17, 12:40 a.m. A procession of several hundred protesters is moving towards the general prosecutor’s office, chanting “Kyuev – behind bars,” “Donbas, join us!” and “Police are with the people!” They are carrying a big cage, saying it’s for Klyuev, the head of National Security and Defense Council who was accused or giving an order to attack peaceful demonstrators on Nov. 30. The acusation was made by Oleksandr Popov, the Kyiv city administrator who was recently suspended from performing his duties because he is a suspect in a criminal investigation related to the events of that night. Later, the general prosecutor said Klyuv gave sufficient explanations to prove that he was not involved.
The protesters walking to the prosecutor’s office demanded Klyuev’s imprisonment, though. They called on passers-by to join them. They are waving Ukrainian flags, as well as flags of UDAR and Democratic Alliance parties. —Oksana Grytsenko
Police starts investigation into alleged city hall warehouse robbery
Dec. 17, 11:51 a.m. A bunch of plates, cups, spoons, forks and electric kettle have allegedly been stolen from the city hall warehouse on Dec. 16, according to the ministry of interior report. According to the criminal case started by the police, around 20 “masked” men broke into the warehouse of city hall, currently occupied by the protesters, to get hold of the property stored there. The perpetrators are facing up to 12 years imprisonment. At the same time, the police does not give details as to exact quantity and value of allegedly stolen items. — Vlad Lavrov
EuroMaidan
activist from Lutsk gets two months of house arrest for desecration of Yanukvych’s
portraits
Dec.17, 11:15
a.m., Maya Moskvych, chairman of civic organization National
Alliance from Lutsk will have to stay under house arrest for two months. Around
midnight on Dec.16 Lutsk district court imposed a pre-trial restraint for her
as she is accused of hooliganism connected with desecration of portraits of
President Viktor Yanukvych on Dec.2, when EuroMaidan activists took out three portraits of Yanukovych from Volyn regional council and carried them upside down around the city center in protest against forceful dispersal of peaceful demonstrators in Kyiv, writes Gazeta.ua.
“Moskvych used peaceful rallies for her self-interested
political goals,” prosecutor Vadym Prymachuk said in court. “(The demonstrators)
illegally gained possession of three president’s portraits worth Hr 540. On the
same day Moskvych claimed from the stage in the city center, that one of them should
be burned, second – hanged on the tree and third one – given to people for vigilantism,”
he said.
According to the court ruling Moskvych has no right to
leave Volyn oblast, appear on Teatralna square where Euromaidan rallies take
place and has to wear electronic bracelet, a control device. Prosecution is asking
four years in prison for Moskvych. -– Anastasia Forina
Protesters picket highway leading to Boryspil as the president travels to fly to Russia
Dec. 17, 9:35 a.m. A handful of protesters stood along the highway to Boryspil in the morning of Dec. 17 to send a message to President Viktor Yanukovych, who is flying off to Moscow for a state visit. “Yanukovych, turn back to Europe,” one poster said. Various government representatives said that Ukraine will sign more than a dozen documents with Russia today, but none of them have been made public. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said that they are mostly trade and financial deals, but it’s not yet clear what Ukraine offers Russia in return. Many fear that it will be some sort of a step towards a Customs Union with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which the government denies.
More than 5,000 people volunteer to defend EuroMaidan
Dec. 17, 7:45 a.m. More than 5,000 people among those protesting on EuroMaidan signed up to the special self-defense units, according to lawmaker Andriy Parubiy, who is in charge of organizing the defense of the town within the barricades.
“At the moment, more than 5,000 people enrolled in the self-defense units,” he said from the stage late on Dec. 16.
Parubiy urged people to continue the formation of self-defense groups, noting that when the number hits over six thousand people, it will be equal or more than the total number of officers in of Berkut, the special riot police unit, and the protesters will be able to not only defend themselves, but also go on the offensive. —Interfax-Ukraine
Read the coverage of the Dec. 16 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 15 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 14 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 13 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 12 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 11 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 10 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 9 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 8 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 7 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 6 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 5 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 4 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 3 events here.
Read the coverage of the Dec. 2 events here.
Read the morning coverage of the Dec. 1 events here, and the afternoon and evening coverage here.
