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Ukrainian crisis: January 28

The latest events from Ukraine.

Ukrainian crisis: January 28
Arseniy Yatseniuk, Viktor Yanukovich
Фото: president.gov.ua

Read previous news on the topic:

Ukrainian crisis: January 25

Ukrainian crisis: January 27

On January 16 The Verkhovna Rada adopted more than a dozen of controversial amendments to the law 'On the Judicial System and Status of Judges' and the procedural laws regarding additional measures to protect the safety of citizens. Most opposition politicians, international organizations and European countries consider these laws a violation of basic constitutional rights of 45 million citizens of Ukraine.

On Sunday, January 19, clashes broke out between Euromaidan protesters and police on Hrushevskoho Street in the centre of Kyiv, after radical protesters decided to break through the police cordon in the direction of the Government House and the Verkhovna Rada.

Police used stun and gas grenades, as well as tear gas. Protesters threw stones at the enforcers. Unrest on Hrushevskoho Street continues for the 8th day.

Six people were killed in clashes on Hrushevskoho Street, but only two deaths were confirmed officially. According to coordinator of Euromaidan medical services Oleg Musiy, four of them died of bullet wounds - to the head, heart, chest and neck.

Now opposition leaders - Arseniy Yatsenyuk ('Batkivshchyna'), Vitali Klitschko ('UDAR') and Oleg Tyagnibok ('Svoboda') - are trying to put an end to the political crisis in Ukraine and bloodshed on Hrushevskoho Street.

On Friday, January 24, Euromaidan supporters started seizing buildings of regional state administration all over Ukraine. Some of the attempts were successful.

In the late evening on January 24 clashes on Hrushevskoho Street resumed.

President Viktor Yanukovich offered the opposition several top government posts on Saturday, January 25. Thus, Yanukovich offered Arseniy Yatsenyuk the post of prime minister to replace Nykolai Azarov, whose government would be expected to resign. Vitali Klitschko, a former international boxing champion, would be appointed deputy prime minister responsible for humanitarian issues. But opposition leaders, supported by thousands of protesters massing in Kyiv's city centre, continued to press for further concessions, including early elections and the repeal of an anti-protest law.

At the same time, Ukraine's Interior Minister Vitaliy Zaharchenko said that all those who occupied public buildings and stayed on Kyiv's Independence Square would be considered to be 'extremist groups' by police. According to him, police would use force against those who went over to the side of the radical protesters, who have clashed with police in front of the football stadium since last Sunday.

00:00. Events on Hrushevskoho Street on January 24-28 in pictures and video.

00:32. Canada is ready to host refugees from Ukraine.

Canada will 'do the right things' when people who have been prosecuted approach to it for protection, said Chris Alexander, Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

01:12. Leader of the UDAR Party Vitali Klitschko said he hoped that President Viktor Yanukovich won't impose a state of emergency in the country.

02:02. The 'Praviy sector' ('Right sector') civil movement announced its conditions in order to begin resolving the crisis in Ukraine.

These conditions are:

  • constitutional reform;
  • cessation of military actions by the authorities;
  • release of all Euromaidan protesters and closure of criminal proceedings;
  • prosecution of Nykolai Azarov's government;
  • reformation of the CEC;
  • repeal of laws adopted on Jan. 16;
  • reformation of 'Berkut' riot police and creation of a qualitatively different special forces;
  • punishment of those responsible for the killings, tortures and beatings of protesters;
  • finding missing opposition activists;
  • legalization of sports and patriotic organizations;
  • nonadmission of politicians, discredited during the last government, to power.

Leader of the 'Right sector' Dmitry Yaross said since leaders of the opposition are in a 'featureless position', the right forces are ready to take responsibility for future developments.

02:35. Police detained Euromaidan leader in Zaporozhye Igor Artyushenko.

03:09. Former Defense Minister Anatoly Gritsenko said that at a closed meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Defence received an order to transfer two military units to the Interior Ministry troops.

04:26. On Monday evening, January 27, some young men stabbed three employees of the Office of criminal investigation of the Kherson regional Ministry of Internal Affairs, the press service of the Interior Ministry.

05:09. Eurodeputy Rebecca Harms, co-president of the The Greens–European Free Alliance group in the European parliament, came to Kyiv's Independence Square to express support for the Maidan protesters.

05:13. The U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden said that imposing a state of emergency in Ukraine would close the way for a peaceful resolution of the situation in the country.

05:52. Head of the 'Spilna Sprava' ('Common Cause') civil movement Alexander Danyluk who yesterday claimed that Kyiv-based Boryspil international airport customs planted a white powder to his wife, said that his wife and depart from Boryspil airport after 5 hours of waiting.

06:20. Police detained one of the participants of the assault on the Vinnytsya regional state administration's building and wrote administrative reports for another three protesters.

07:03. This night police detained several activists who were guarding barricades near the Khmelnytsky region state administration's building.

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