UKRAINE: Ukrainian protesters prepare for big evening rally on Independence Square

Record ID: 214147

  • Title: UKRAINE: Ukrainian protesters prepare for big evening rally on Independence Square
  • Date: 22nd January 2014
  • Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE (JANUARY 22, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS ON INDEPENDENCE SQUARE IN GAS MASKS AND HARD HATS (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) PROTESTER ANDREI AVRAMENKO, SAYING: "If we lose then everything will be even worse. So we will need to stand our ground here." PROTESTERS ON SQUARE PROTESTERS DRAPED IN UKRAINIAN FLAGS PROTESTERS ON SQUARE VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MAKING BAGS WITH SNOW FOR BARRICADES PROTESTERS WITH FLAGS PROTESTERS IN HARD HATS PROTESTER ADJUSTING HIS GAS MASK PROTESTERS WALKING PAST BARRICADES
  • Embargoed: 6th February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ukraine
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9ZM0236ZY31TQHVQE001QUOAZ
  • Story Text: Thousands of Ukrainian protesters started to congregate on Independence Square in Kiev for a big rally on Wednesday (January 22).
    The demonstration will follow the police crackdown on protesters who on Wednesday massed anew in their hundreds, inflamed by reports of at least three demonstrators dying overnight - two of them from gunshot wounds.
    Protesters, who have been in violent confrontation with the police since Sunday (January 22) donned gas masks and hard hats before arriving at the rally.
    "If we lose then everything will be even worse. So we will need to stand our ground here," protester Andrei Avramenko said.
    In the meantime, black-helmeted riot police appeared to be gearing for a further attempt to push back radical protesters from a street leading to the main government building and parliament.
    A heavy armoured vehicle moved down the road followed by scores of police bearing shields, pushing back protesters under a curtain of smoke rising from burning tyres.
    But the police operation stopped well short of Independence Square, crucible of the so-called 'Euro-Maidan' protests where hundreds of anti-government demonstrators have been camped for the past two months.
    Wednesday's violence erupted ironically as Ukraine marked 'National Unification Day' - the day in 1919 which brought together that part of the country that had been under Russian rule with that which had been in the Austro-Hungarian empire.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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