LB.ua chronicles the latest events in Ukraine in English for foreign readers.
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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.
On Tuesday, January 28, Ukrainian Prime Minister Nykolai Azarov resigned, and a series of sweeping anti-protest laws, adopted hastily in response to increasingly violent clashes between protesters and police, were abolished by parliament.
00:19. Six employees of the Ukrainian Security Service's (SBU) special unit 'Alpha' have resigned in Ivano-Frankovsk region after they were commanded to go to Kyiv.
00:31. There were some clashes between opposition activists and the 'Svoboda' All-Ukrainian Union supporters in the Lvov regional state administration's building.
According to the activists, 'Svoboda' members came there to ask activists to free the building, but they refused.
At the same time, Andrei Pacosh, assistant to 'Svoboda' deputy in the local city council, Svyatoslav Sheremet, said that the people who came with him and members of 'Svoboda' were not going to clear the building of the activists. According to him, there was a misunderstanding, because previously it was reported that opposition activists are destroying the basement of the building.
00:50. Activist Sergei Sobko told in detail about how opposition activists were ambushed by 'Berkut' riot police fighters and 'titushki' on the night of January 27 in Cherkassy. According to him, activists had nothing to defend themselves with, and when he fell to the ground, 'Berkut' continued beating him with batons. After that activists were dragged into a police bus, where law enforcers jumped on the detainees probably trying to break their ribs.
01:47. Deputies of the Chernihov regional council supported the draft decision proposed by the opposition.
The decision states that MPs demand from public authorities to release all activists, return all security forces to their bases, and end the use of the criminal element in the political struggle.
02:52. Cars belonging to AutoMaidan activists caught fire on Cathedral Square in Cherkassy on night of January 27 'due to a technical fault', stated Chairman of the Cherkassy regional state administration Serhiy Tulub at a press conference.
04:37. The majority and the opposition in parliament on Tuesday failed to agree on the details of the bill on decriminalization of Euromaidan protesters because of a few differences.
Thus, the majority insists that the amnesty law should come into force only if demonstrators within 15 days after its publication leave streets and unlock administrative buildings. At the same time the majority says the document can not touch those suspected of causing grievous bodily harm or murder.
05:00. The agenda of today's meeting of the Cabinet includes consideration of amendments to the law 'On the Interior Troops', which, in particular, will let internal troops shoot at protesters.
05:40. The United States will support the Ukrainian people in their desire to peacefully protest, stated President Barack Obama in an annual address to Congress.
06:10. Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said that if Ukraine's new government announces another agenda and other priorities, then it will probably be the reason for the revision of existing agreements.
06:19. 'Batkivschyna' opposition faction leader Arseniy Yatseniuk stated that there is still a possibility of a force scenario of confrontation between the government and the protesters. l
06:30. Individual MP Inna Bogoslovskaya stated that the Verkhovna Rada managed to break the 'force scenario, which was still relevant as of this morning'.
09:12. 'Ukrainians need to decide on their own what model of the state they want to build, while neighbouring countries should remain politically neutral', stated Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
09:31. Head of the Lvov regional state administration (RDA) Oleg Salo urges anti-governmental protesters to allow local authorities continue their work in the building of the RSA.
10:00. Acting Ukrainian Prime Minister Nykolai Azarov said goodbye to the leadership of the Cabinet's Secretariat.
'I want to thank you for the fact that during these four years you've worked hard and kept performing supercomplex tasks of the government on the modernization of our country. I wish you health, success and all the best', said Azarov.
10:09. Two water cannons, two APCs and two paddy wagons were brought to Hrushevskoho Street and neighbouring Shelkovichnaya Street in order to protect the Verkhovna Rada's, Ukraine's parliament, building.