You're reading: Ukraine spins out of control

Central Kyiv turned into a war zone on Feb. 20, with indiscriminate shooting, burning fires and the mass evacuations of government buildings. 

At least 35 people were reported dead by noon, bringing the total count to at least 61 persons this week.

It became increasingly clear that both sides have lost control of the streets across Ukraine as reports of deaths, looting, and violent attacks poured in.

Foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland, walked into a meeting with President Viktor Yanukovych around noon with one message on the agenda: you have to stop the violence now, and the quickest way to do it is to resign.

But the president and his staff showed no signs of readiness to back down, blaming the opposition for arming the protesters and making a small peace offer by suggesting a constitutional agreement to balance power has to be signed.

In the meantime, Crimean Speaker Volodymyr Kostianynov said the autonomous peninsula in Ukraine’s southern region might declare independence in case of further escalation. “It’s possible if the country collapses, and everything is going in that direction,” he told Interfax-Ukraine.

The Presidential Administration released a statement, saying that protesters started to advance at 9 a.m. to reclaim Independence Square, despite a truce agreement among political leaders reached late on Feb. 19. 

“The declaration of oppositional leaders about the need of truce and return to dialog turned out to be a maneuvre to play for time and mobilize and arm the militants on Maidan,” the president said through his administration’s statement.

But the opposition’s account of events is very different, saying the government’s snipers attacked and continue shooting randomly with live ammunition from advantage points, particularly Ukraina hotel that overlooks Maidan. Another sniper was reported in operation close to St.Michael’s Cathedral, which was turned into a hospital two days ago.

Most of the fatal injuries are reported to be from sniper shots, often in the neck. The Interior Ministry continued to insist that they are not using live ammunition, however. At the same time, they warned that officers have a right to use firearms.

“Attempts to harm life and health of policemen will be met in accordance with the law On Police,” the ministry said in a statement, making a particular reference to article 15 that lists cases when arms can be used.

Protesters took over at least three central government buildings this morning, and now control most of buildings on Khreshchatyk streets and side streets, including Energy Ministry which had been taken and then given up by a radical protester group in January. Ihor Myroshnychenko, a member of Svoboda party that controls the building, said there are 60 police officers held hostage there.

Opposition leader Arseniy Yatseniuk appealed to the parliament to gather at 3 p.m. in the session hall, and asked protesters to clear up passages that would allow parliament deputies to enter the building. Most of its staff, as well some staff at the president’s administration, had been at least partially evacuated earlier today.

Party of Regions member Sergiy Tigipko called on the Rada to elect and oppositional speaker today, as well as a consensual prime minister and a new Cabinet that would design an emergency plan of actions. He also said the Rada should create an investigative commission to study whose actions pushed towards violence.

“The president, speaker, acting prime minister and leaders of the opposition have lost control over the situation in the country and are offering no solutions that would be capable to pacify the nation,” Tigipko said.

Leaders of radical Right Sector Dmytro Yarosh and Maidan’s self-defense Andriy Parubiy released a statement offering their own solution. “In case of ceasefire by the internal occupants, Interior Ministy and immediate cancelation by the Verkhovna Rada of Yanukovych’s dictatorship powers, we will do our best to stop bloodshed and guarantee safety to high-ranking officials,” the duo said in a statement.

A EuroMaidan activist has also announced from stage that safety is guaranteed to those police troops who put down weapons and switch sides. A handful of them had done it earlier this morning.

In the rest of Kyiv, schools and many offices remained closed, and much of the public transport was not working for the second day, including the metro. The police urged residents to refrain from coming to the center, but masses of people were reportedly walking to the center, and food and medical supplies continued to arrive to Maidan and St. Michael’s cathedral by cars.

All trains from and to western Ukraine have been canceled as of today, according to Ukrzaliznytsia, the national rail carrier, which said it was due to technical fault. All trains arriving from western direction have been delayed by hours.

But Interior Ministry said they seized firearms in one of the trains from Lviv last night after receiving a report of a potential bomb in the train.

“During the examination of a train at Volodymyr-Volynski station, 200 passengers and service staff were evacuated. Explosive was not found, but weapons were found, as well as ammunition and wooden sticks,” the Interior Ministry said in its statement.

Representatives of the SBU and police said on Feb. 19 that thousands of firearms and ammunition were seized two days ago after protesters in western Ukraine took over law enforcement departments in Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne and Ternopil.

Mass unrest continued in western and central Ukraine on Feb. 20. In Khmelntskiy, law enforcers shot protesters who attempted to climb the fence to take over the State Security Service headquarters there. One man died and another one got injured as a result, according to Channel 5.

Andriy Sadoviy, the mayor of Lviv, said the city authorities prevented a number of attacks on the night of Feb. 19, including one against a Russian consulate, a local administration, and a TV station.

Kyiv Post deputy chief editor Katya Gorchinskaya can be reached at [email protected]