Since November 2013, anti-government protests in Ukraine have gripped the center of Kiev. The protests, known as “Euromaidan,” escalated in January 2014 when police and protesters clashed over a controversial new protest law. This law could land you in jail for wearing a mask at a protest or even pitching a tent without police permission.
The fighting lasted four days, wounding hundreds and killing at least two from gunshot wounds. Clashes centered around Hrushevskoho Street, east of the Maidan, with new barricades erected and a shaky ceasefire.
In the early days of the protests, opposition parties were influential on the streets. But after weeks of stagnation, protesters are weary of the ongoing political gridlock. After trying to negotiate an extension of the ceasefire and being constantly yelled at, Klitschko eventually gave up talking to the protesters and backed out of the barricade. After hours of intense confrontation, things finally calmed down and the uneasy standoff continued.
It feels like the protests have entered a more peaceful phase. However, violence broke out again outside parliament on February 18, killing 26 people and injuring hundreds, making the prospect of the eventual clearing of Merdeka Square a worrying reality.
What started as a protest over the Ukrainian government’s close relationship with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin almost turned into a civil war. Yanukovych was in no mood to relinquish power, but parliament voted to remove him and call new elections. Yanukovych fled Kiev after protesters took control and Ukraine’s interim government issued an arrest warrant for him. Russian troops took over Crimea without firing a shot, and the situation in Ukraine has since become an open and thorny international issue.
