The scariest thing to see in Kyiv's city hall is doctors laying down rubber mats and putting bandages and medication on top of them to treat the wounded.
“We’re
setting up to receive lighter injuries here, and will try to evacuate
the more seriously injured victims, if they allow us, of course,”
says Dr. Andriy Posikira, a doctor on duty at Kyiv city hall. He then
ads that the last time clashes with the police took place on Dec.1,
doctors were not allowed to take the injured people to ambulances.
He
then moves on to advise reporters around to get a face mask and soak
it with vinegar or lemon juice. “Gas will get you, regardless of
who you are,” he adds.
The
city hall is waiting for an attack. On Dec. 9, the court deadline ran
out for vacating the premises that were taken over by protesters on
Dec. 1, during the first wave of massive clashes between the
authorities and anti-government protesters.
Interior
troops were moved into the city center by noon, creating their own
barricades around those that had been set earlier by the protesters.
Also, three metro stations in the city center were closed off because
of an alleged bomb scare, causing fear among the protesters of an
imminent attack. Teatralna metro station, one of the three that were
shut down for a few hours, was opened after 4 p.m., with no bomb
found, the police said.
In
the meantime, the special police officers were then left to stand by
and wait for further orders outside. Some of them were chatting with
protesters, others listened to the service conducted by the priests
right in front of them.
Inside
the city hall, things looked busier and less cheerful. The corridors,
which a few days ago hosted a massive table where volunteers dished
out sandwiches and hot teat to people coming into the building, were
now cleared up. The table turned into elements of a mobile barricade
at the top of the stairs leading to the grand hall of this grand
1950s building.
The
guards inside were having bits of plastic mats cello-taped to their
arms and legs to defend them from possible injuries, and were
carrying makeshift weapons – most commonly sticks. They said an
attack was “extremely likely.”
Some
of the guards on the lookout by the window carried badges indicating
that they’re members of Spilna Sprava, a self-defense organization
led by Oleksandr Danylyuk.
Danylyuk
told the Kyiv Post that there are about 200 guards inside the city
hall that belong to his organization. “Their job is to defend the
hall, and evacuate the injured if the need be,” he said.
As
both sides waited for developments, Zerkalo Nedeli newspaper reported
that President Viktor Yanukovych held a meeting in his lavish
residence in the suburbs, Mezhyhirya, with all law enforcers and
other senior officials.
The
newspaper, citing a source in the Interior Ministry, said the
president’s meeting was about the “return of the situation into the
constitutional channel.” The source said use of force was possible
to free administrative buildings in the city center that were taken
over by the protesters.
Two
buildings were fully seized by the protesters on Dec.1, the city hall
and the Trade Union House on Maidan Nezalezhnosti. The Palace of
Arts, located just off Maidan Nezalezhnosti, was also used by the
protesters for camping, according to some reports.
The
strikers also continue to block some government buildings, including
the president’s administration and the Cabinet. Most government
officials, even those who work in other locations, have been told to
stay at home.
Zerkalo
Nedeli suggested that the final decision about what to do with
blockages might not be made until the president conducts a
roundtable. His press service said he has agreed to the initiative of
first president Leonid Kravchuk to hold a roundtable to find a
solution out of the current political gridlock.
“For
tomorrow, based on the proposal of Kravchuk, a meeting of four
presidents is planned to discuss the most important issues the
country is facing,” the president’s press service said in a
statement.
