Major pro-EU protest in Kiev

Demonstrations continue in Ukraine, after the past Sunday’s riots in Kiev. Then, some hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians protested against the President, Viktor Ianukovych, and the Ukraine’s Government following the refusal to sign an economic agreement with the European Union and it seems that waters in the former URSS country have not calmed yet.

Protests started about two weeks ago and there were no violence until the past weekend when police forcefully cleared Kiev’s Independence Square, the hot spot of the Orange Revolution back in 2004, 2005. Some 300 people were injured and about half of them, protesters and police officers were hospitalized.

According to Ria Novosti, protesters blocked off again the governmental buildings in Kiev, however, their number is much reduced compared with the other days. People demand resignation of both the Government and the President for putting the brakes on the EU economic deal in late November and supporting a stronger relation with Russia. The opposition is also calling for early elections and in this respect, today there’s expected an attempt to pass a no-confidence vote so as to force the political leaders’ resignations.

The delicate situation Ukraine faces these days is very similar to a coup according to the Prime-Minister, Mykola Azarov very, whilst Russion President, Vladimir Putin said that the demonstrations are conducted by the opposition in an attempt to destabilize the existing government.