Ukraine Crisis: President's Kiev Offices Abandoned

Protesters in Ukraine have been able to enter the presidential complex in the capital, Kiev, after it was apparently abandoned by police.

The BBC's Kevin Bishop in Kiev says there is no sign of police and protesters appear to be in control.

President Viktor Yanukovych's aide say he is not in Kiev - the opposition say he must stand down immediately.

They have called for elections by 25 May, not the end of December as envisaged in Friday's peace deal.

BBC correspondents in Ukraine
Kevin Bishop‏@bishopk: "We do not know where president is" opposition spokesman at presidency.

Kevin Bishop ‏@bishopk: Self defence "We are holding outside of building. There are no workers of presidency inside"

Ukraine Crisis: President's Kiev Offices Abandoned

Protestors have apparently seized the offices of President Yanukovich and are demanding that new elections be held in May. His residence outside of the capitol appears to have been abandoned. Yanukovich was a supporter of Ukraine's alliances with Russia - while many of the protesters wish for Ukraine to move closer in its ties with the E.U. and the West instead.

It is possible that changes in the legal code could allow his jailed arch-rival and opposition leader, Yulia Tysmoshenko, out of prison. In the meantime, it looks like it will be a setback for Vladmir Putin, Prime Minister of Russia, who wanted to keep economic and diplomatic ties with Ukraine strong.

reply to post by darkbake




There were protests in Kiev Square earlier in the week, here is a before and after picture courtesy of RT.



Vladmir Putin



Viktor Yanukovych and Putin



Yulia Tysmoshenko



Live Updates - RT

As other members have stated as-well, this won't stop, elections in May just won't do it, you'l see soon enough when they start reaping havoc again.

At this point you have the extreme right wing acting as a small army, they want blood, heck if they could they would start hanging people on the square.

Russia's response will be economically, Europe didn't get Ukraine over 3 weeks ago, it seems they got it now, the next government will be pro-Europe. Unless the Right wing gets its way.

I expect that our gas( speaking as a European ) will get a major hike soon, possible next winter as Russia has threatened over and over.

reply to post by darkbake


Any idea or news on Ru or Ukrainian troop movements?
This is close to what happened before Georgia invasion...sudden pullout of police and politicians ...got a bad feeling
Hoping they've just back off to the East.

Ro

Hunt that scumbag to the end, he is responsible for deaths and injured.

The president is in Kharkiv, in Eastern Ukraine, there is a meeting going on with the Russian Foreign Affairs personnel.
It has been stressed that they are not going to form a seperate government.
Meanwhile in Kiev the oposition is in the pricess of forming a new interim government without the president.

Rosha
reply to post by darkbake

 

Any idea or news on Ru or Ukrainian troop movements?
This is close to what happened before Georgia invasion...sudden pullout of police and politicians ...got a bad feeling

Hoping they've just back off to the East.

Ro

No, no reports on Ukrainian troop movements here in Ukrainian TV.

asen_y2k
The president is in Kharkiv, in Eastern Ukraine, there is a meeting going on with the Russian Foreign Affairs personnel.
It has been stressed that they are not going to form a seperate government.
Meanwhile in Kiev the oposition is in the pricess of forming a new interim government without the president.

Some media reports suggest that Yanukovich is in Kharkov, a city in Eastern Ukraine, which is a stronghold of his Party of Regions. The president is supposedly going to take part in a summit of members of regional parliaments from Eastern and Southern Ukraine. The emergency gathering will be discussing the ongoing crisis and the strategy the Euromaidan-skeptical regions will follow after the opposition gains in Kiev and in the west of the country.

Neither presidential staff nor local authorities in Kharkov confirmed Yanukovich’s visit. The local airport said the presidential plane had not landed there.

Link

asen_y2k

Rosha
reply to post by darkbake

 

Any idea or news on Ru or Ukrainian troop movements?
This is close to what happened before Georgia invasion...sudden pullout of police and politicians ...got a bad feeling

Hoping they've just back off to the East.

Ro

No, no reports on Ukrainian troop movements here in Ukrainian TV.

Ty 'boots on the ground'

holding up ok?


Ro

asen_y2k
The president is in Kharkiv, in Eastern Ukraine, there is a meeting going on with the Russian Foreign Affairs personnel.
It has been stressed that they are not going to form a seperate government.
Meanwhile in Kiev the oposition is in the pricess of forming a new interim government without the president.

Confirmation of this?


2nd

Ro

reply to post by Rosha


Ukrainian TV. Continuously monitoring the news.

The public gathering of deputies from local councils of southeastern Ukraine have declared they are taking responsibility for constitutional order in the country, as thousands of people have assembled in the city of Kharkov.

The Kharkov public gathering has announced a number of measures local authorities should take in response to the developments in Kiev. They should take full responsibility for all decision in respective regions with no regard to authorities in Kiev until the constitutional order in Ukraine is restored, a resolution of the gathering says.

They authorities should take measures to protect arms depots and prevent their take-over and looting by radical opposition activists.

Meanwhile citizens are encouraged to form local militias to protect public order. Local authorities are to fund and support those militias.

Over 10, 000 people have gathered at the city’s Sport Palace, where a total of 3,477 deputies have been holding a meeting.

The situation remains generally quiet with the crowd being partly in good spirits and partly subdued and concerned, Itar-Tass news agency reports from the Palace.

“3, 477 deputies from local councils in southeastern Ukraine have gathered. We have gathered here not to separate the country, but to save it,” the regional governor, Mikhail Dobkin, told the crowd.

rt.com...
Oh this will go well,

More here for the english speakers here:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26302572

reply to post by MessageforAll


This is disturbing news. I can imagine Russian support is with the East. Worst part is that they are forming militias.

Any predictions?

asen_y2k
reply to post by MessageforAll

 

This is disturbing news. I can imagine Russian support is with the East. Worst part is that they are forming militias.

Any predictions?

Wishful think: Parliamentary system restored under new//temp gov until elections.
Gut speak: Hello Soviet Union 2.0


Ro

reply to post by Rosha



But they have Russian support, dont they. And now Ukraine has two parallel governments. I see a shooting war in the near future, as west tries to consolidate the east and east resisting, and with Russia beside them, there will be a Georgia 2.0

What do you think?

We need to remember that Ukraine is to Russian history what New England is to American history- the original heartland of the state.
If people can imagine New England first forming a separate republic and then building new links with Canada...
This is not taking the Russian side (I remember the Cold War), but a warning that "the Ukrainian question" won't go away quickly.

reply to post by asen_y2k


The only outcome I see currently is that Ukraine will be divided. Again do you really think the Right Wing will let it be as it is now? They where against the current regime, but no way in hell do they support the European vision.

I don't know call me skeptic, but I doubt its smooth sailing from here on out. I'm still awaiting Russia official statement regarding the matter, they already accused the EU/US of meddling and steering up the pot in Ukraine.

Make no mistake, this is a coup, if the majority voted for the current government then by law they are at least entitled to finish their term. This is like Egypt 2.0

I'm not taking sides, but this is FUBAR.

reply to post by asen_y2k


i don´t think they will get any peace there yet. There are so many disagreements on issues unless there will be unbiased neutral peace negotiators helping out even that possibly won´t lead to anything. In Kosovo they managed to retrieve peace but even that country is still somewhat crippled still.
In worst this can lead to civil war.. we will see what comes out of this.

My words aren't even cold

Eastern Ukraine rises against Kiev LIVE UPDATES

A gathering of local MPs from the Euro-skeptic east and south of Ukraine has gathered in the city of Kharkov to form a joint response to the developing collapse of the national government.

Saturday, February 22
12:14 GMT:
“The territorial integrity of Ukraine is at risk,” the gathering stated in the resolution.

It added that instability in Ukraine is highly dangerous and may cause unpredictable consequences, considering that the country hosts five nuclear power plants with 15 reactors in total, which some extremists have threatened to attack.

12:08 GMT:
The resent decisions of the national parliament were taken in conditions “of terror, threats of violence and death,” the resolution says. The gathering says the legislative acts may have been passed involuntarily and are neither legitimate nor lawful.

rt.com...