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Two protesters dead as standoff with riot police in Ukraine continues Ukrainian president, opposition leaders in talks after violent clashes escalate
(about 3 hours later)
KIEV, Ukraine — Anti-government street protests here turned deadly overnight, as opposition organizers announced that two demonstrators had been fatally shot by police. KIEV, Ukraine — With at least two protesters dead from gunshot wounds, and another found beaten to death after his kidnapping, talks that opened Wednesday afternoon between President Viktor Yanukovych and the three main leaders of the political opposition are likely to be the last chance to head off a nation-shaking physical confrontation.
Formations of riot police, holding their shields overhead in a way that made their lines resemble huge, scaly, metal snakes, twice broke through barriers Wednesday morning and swept away the protesters who had been confronting them with stones and molotov cocktails on Hrushevsky Street. Aggressive riot police had put the center of Kiev, with its many thousands of protesters, in a state of considerable tension. Sporadic conflict continued all day outside Dynamo Stadium as protesters, led by a right-wing splinter group, refused to give ground to Interior Ministry troops.
Each time, police retreated to their original position, and stone-throwing protesters reoccupied the street. The politicians broke off talks after three hours, and the opposition leaders later delivered angry avowals of their determination to oust Yanukovych, but they said they planned to meet again Thursday.
Initial reports indicated that a third demonstrator died after he fell off an entry arch at Dynamo Stadium; but medics later said that the man survived. The deaths of three and possibly more activists shocked and energized the legions of protesters who once more turned out Wednesday evening. One of the victims was shot four times, medics said. Police denied they had used firearms, though during the day they could be seen aiming rifles. The dead are already being portrayed as martyrs to the brutality of Yanukovych regime.
The confrontation between police and demonstrators took place on a Ukrainian holiday, Unification Day. It could complicate the task for the leaders of the opposition, who have tried to maintain a peaceful protest against the government of President Viktor Yanukovych and have denounced violence as self-defeating. But the sight of the fierce young men, in helmets and homemade body armor, thrilled thousands of spectators who didn’t take direct part in the clashes. “If the president does not go forward” toward a peaceful resolution, said Vitali Klitschko, head of the opposition UDAR party, “tomorrow we’ll go on the offensive.”
Protests have gripped the Ukrainian capital continuously since Nov. 21, when Yanukovych suddenly backed off a trade deal with Europe and turned to Russia for support. The demonstrations have centered on an encampment on Kiev’s Independence Square, known as the Maidan, and its leaders have repeatedly stressed the need to avoid clashes. As darkness fell, tens of thousands of protesters flocked through snow to be on hand to defend Independence Square, known to all simply as the Maidan, after fears spread that the police would try Wednesday night to clear the encampment that has persisted since Nov. 21.
[Why are they protesting?] They had already twice swept away the young men on nearby Hrushevsky Street, by the stadium, but each time the opposition forces reclaimed the street.
But Sunday evening, the breakaway group of frustrated nationalists marched off the Maidan to Hrushevsky Street, where they were confronted by police. They threw stones, fireworks and molotov cocktails. Police responded with stun grenades and rubber bullets. The aggressive police action took place on a Ukrainian holiday — Unification Day. It drove the already deep divide between Yanukovych and his opponents to the point where a negotiated settlement looks to be very difficult.
The violence, and especially Wednesday’s escalation, seemed only to harden the resolve of both sides. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Ukraine’s government will not bow to anarchy or accept a division of the country. The two sides have just 24 hours left to prevent bloodshed, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, of the Fatherland opposition party, said Wednesday night after he left the president’s office. “After that if I get bullet in my head, then so be it,” he said.
He said the opposition has to decide whether it will renounce the violence of the nationalists on Hrushevsky Street, or embrace it and take the consequences. “We’re going to kick the authorities out, we’re going to win and have the new Ukraine that we deserve,” said Oleh Tianybok, head of the nationalist Svoboda party, who also took part.
“If no, [opposition leaders] should call on the demonstrators to stop confrontation,” Azarov said at a government meeting, according to the Interfax news agency. “And if yes, claim responsibility for these actions.” The mood on the Maidan Wednesday evening, as it filled with protesters, was serious but not grim. As young men in helmets and improvised body armor came and went from Hrushevsky Street, old women on the Maidan watched and made the sign of the cross.
[See photos of Ukraine protests, clashes.] Younger people furiously chipped away at the newfallen but already packed snow, while others scooped it up into sandbags, to be used to bolster the formidable barricades built on foundations of ice and snow in December. Since then rain and warm weather have caused considerable depletion, but now the cold has returned and for the opposition that’s welcome news.
The leaders of the three main opposition parties — Vitali Klitschko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and Oleh Tiahnybok — issued a statement lamenting the shooting deaths of the two demonstrators, one of whom medics said was shot four times, and blaming Yanukovych’s government. On Hrushevsky itself, protesters lit piles of tires, sending a thick black smoke westward across Kiev. Their goal was to create a smokescreen behind which they industriously constructed a fallback barricade to try to prevent another police sweep.
“Four gunshot wounds to the head and neck in one of the dead is not self-defense,” the statement said. “The direct responsibility for this act of terror against the citizens of dictatorship lies heavily on the interior minister — the bloody killer Vitaliy Zakharchenko. The police denied that they had fired on the protesters, though they could be clearly seen aiming rifles during the day. Many of those injured Wednesday were broadcast journalists and medics, leading to accusations that they had been deliberately targeted.
“All that will happen now in the country, the life and safety of every citizen, and the protesters’ deaths, are the personal responsibility of President Viktor Yanukovych, who has been ignoring the demands of peace for two months.” All told, hundreds of injuries have now been reported, on both sides.
The leaders later said they had arranged a meeting with Yanukovych for Wednesday afternoon. The kidnapped activist was Yuriy Verbytskiy, from Lviv, who was abducted from a Kiev hospital Tuesday night after he had sought treatment for a splinter in his eye that he received on Hrushevsky Street. Another man, Ihor Lutsenko, who was taken with him was beaten but later released. Verbytskiy was found on the ground near the airport, beaten to death, according to his brother.
[Major players in the protests.] The protest began when Yanukovych suddenly backed off a trade deal with Europe and turned to Russia for support. It quickly broadened to include demands that he step down. Throughout, its leaders continually stressed the need to use peaceful means to pursue their ends.
In Independence Square, meanwhile, Yuri Lutsenko, an opposition leader who once served as interior minister, said the opposition should forget about negotiating with Yanukovych. Instead, he said, the opposition parties should establish themselves as the provisional government of Ukraine, under Klitschko’s leadership. But Yanukovych hung on, and last week his party rammed through a series of harsh new laws restricting protest and speech. On Sunday evening a break-away group of frustrated young right-wing nationalists, led by a group called Pravy Sektor, marched off the Maidan to Hrushevsky Street, where they were confronted by police and began throwing stones, fireworks and molotov cocktails at them. Police responded with stun grenades and rubber bullets.
Klitschko, Yatsenyuk and Tiahnybok demanded the withdrawal of the riot police, the resignation of Zakharchenko and the removal of young men who, they allege, are being paid by police to create mayhem in the streets by smashing cars and beating up passersby. The confrontation on Hrushevsky Street persisted, and it complicated the task for the leaders of the opposition who have denounced violence as self-defeating. But the sight of fierce young men, taking the fight to the police, had thrilled thousands of spectators who didn’t pay a direct role in the clashes.
The issue of the thugs for hire, known here as “titushki,” has become a potent addition to the grievances of the protesters. Opposition groups scouted the streets of Kiev for the past two nights searching for them, and at least a dozen young men have been rounded up and taken to protest headquarters. Almost all are teenagers. The violence, and especially Wednesday’s escalation, seemed only to harden the resolve of both sides, even as the talks were getting underway. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said the opposition has to decide once and for all whether it will renounce the violence of the nationalists on Hrushevsky or embrace it, and take the consequences. He then flew off to the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland – though news agencies here reported that his invitation had been withdrawn.
The Interior Ministry declared that 40 people were “kidnapped.” The opposition says the men were seized in self-defense. The U.S. Embassy in Kiev announced that it has revoked the visas of Ukrainians it deems to be responsible for the violence here. It said it would not identify who those people are, but official American statements on the crisis suggest that those affected are probably Ukrainian government or police officials.
All told, since Sunday, several hundred protesters and police troops have been reported wounded in the clashes between police and demonstrators. In Washington, Marie Harf, a spokeswoman for the State Department, released a statement saying the United States “strongly condemns” the violence in Kiev.
When police first broke through the barricades to confront protesters at 8 a.m. Wednesday, they caught only a few stragglers. They carried one man, occasionally beating him, past burned-out buses and through a backup line of police, who beat their shields in appreciation. “Increased tensions in Ukraine are a direct consequence of the Ukrainian government’s failure to engage in real dialogue and the passage of anti-democratic legislation on January 16,” it said. “However, the aggressive actions of members of extreme-right group Pravy Sektor are not acceptable and are inflaming conditions on the streets and undermining the efforts of peaceful protesters. We likewise deplore violence by unofficial groups known as ‘titushki.’
A live Internet video feed from the scene showed other police troops starting to clear away debris. Several had whipped out their phones and were taking photos of the area. “We also condemn the targeted attacks against journalists and peaceful protesters, including detentions.”
A few protesters who had been caught were escorted away on foot. One had a bloody head wound. The issue of thugs for hire, working on behalf of Yanukovych and known here as “titushki,” has become a potent addition to the grievances of the protesters.
During the second raid, the front line of police troops faltered momentarily as it was hit with a barrage of stones. Some officers took a few steps back, then continued their advance. Opposition groups have been scouting the streets of Kiev the last two nights in search of titushki, who are accused of smashing cars and beating up passersby. At least a dozen young men have been rounded up and taken forcibly to the protest headquarters. Almost all of them are teenagers.
Following both police sweeps, hard-hat-wearing protesters flowed back up the street, throwing paving stones at their opponents. The Interior Ministry declared that 40 people were “kidnapped” in Kiev Tuesday night, clearly referring to what the opposition believes is an act of self-defense.
The U.S. Embassy in Kiev announced that several Ukrainians who it believes are linked to the violent clashes hold visas that allow them to visit the United States. Those visas are being revoked, the embassy said.
Embassy officials would not identify the visa-holders, but official American statements on the crisis here suggest that they are probably Ukrainian government or police officials.