You're reading: The New York Times: Buoyed by a deal with Russia, Ukraine’s leader tries to reassert his authority

President Viktor Yanukovych moved on several fronts on Thursday to reassert his domination in Ukraine, two days after receiving what appeared to be an economic lifeline in the form of at least $15 billion in aid from Russia and a substantial reduction in the price of Russian natural gas. Painting himself as the benign father figure of his nation of 46 million people, Yanukovych held forth at a news conference with what appeared to be handpicked Ukrainian journalists, some of whom, however, boldly challenged him. The session lasted 100 minutes and was broadcast live on national television.

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