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Kiev turns into battleground as police and special forces are issued with combat weapons
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“EU sanctions on Ukraine are to be
“drafted into law in the coming days” and “will apply to those involved
with ordering or orchestrating the…”
Latest developments
WARNING: Graphic footage. Ukrainian
government forces fire at protesters in Kiev, and amateur footage shows
protesters attempting to protect themselves with shields as they are
fired at by police using live rounds.
The US state department has no daily briefing scheduled for today. White House principal deputy press secretary Josh Earnest is scheduled to brief the media at 1pm ET.
EU sanctions on Ukraine are to be “drafted into law in the coming days” and “will apply to those involved with ordering or orchestrating the violence,” Reuters reports from Brussels:
European Union foreign ministers agreed on Thursday to impose
sanctions on Ukraine, including visa bans, asset freezes and
restrictions on the export of anti-riot equipment, ministers and
officials said.
The restrictions, to be drafted into law in the coming days, will
apply to those involved with ordering or orchestrating the violence in
Kiev that has left nearly 60 people dead.
Proposals for a ban on arms exports were dropped
EU moves to impose sanctions on Ukraine
Reuters flashes details attributed to an EU diplomatic source of sanctions to be imposed on Ukraine, “to include visa bans, asset freezes and ban on export on anti-riot gear.”
The
“scope of implementation of EU measures will be taken forward in light
of developments in Ukraine,” Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt tweets:
Updated
The secretary general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, echoes the White House statement urging the Ukrainian military to stay out of the conflict.
Updated
The subway is at least partially working again in Kiev, writes the Guardian’s Alan Yuhas (@AlanYuhas). Earlier today, Kiev mayor Vladimir Makeyenko quit the ruling party and protested the closure of the train by government security forces. Alan writes:
Makeyenko,
appointed mayor only a few weeks ago, also issued a video plea to
parliament saying ““No power is worth the cost of human lives,” just as
five additional members of the ruling Party of Regions resigned this
morning.
Reopening the subway is a logistical victory for
Maidan, as more residents and supplies can reach the square. The metro
was closed most of Tuesday, and key stops remain blocked at this point.
Summary
Here’s a summary of where things stand: • Dozens were killed and many more wounded in clashes Thursday between protesters and government forces in
central Kiev in Ukraine. At nightfall, protesters held Independence
Square and surrounding streets and buildings, security officers had
pulled back and clashes had subsided. Protesters were rebuilding
barricades destroyed in fighting during the day. • A group of three European foreign ministers was in Kiev attempting to broker a deal between
the government of president Viktor Yunokovych and the opposition. The
trio met for five hours with the president and was meeting with the
opposition. • Reports on the number of protesters killed varied. The Kiev health department said that 39 were killed since 6 a.m. on Thursday, according to Reuters. Agence France-Presse estimated that at least 60 people were killed Thursday. A medic for the protesters said 70 were killed Thursday. The government said three officers were killed. Dozens of police officers were captured by protesters. • The Ukrainian interior ministry issued a statement confirming that police had been armed with combat weapons. Video showed government troops, including snipers, firing on protesters.
• The White House issued a strong condemnation of the crackdown,
calling on government forces to withdraw and for the Ukrainian military
not to get involved. “We are outraged by the images of Ukrainian
security forces firing automatic weapons on their own people,” the
statement said. • The strong White House statement conflicted sharply with statements out of Moscow, where
prime minister Dmitry Medvedev urged President Yanukovych not to be a
“doormat”. Foreign minister Sergie Lavrov accused the EU of “blackmail”
by threatening sanctions. A spokesman for president Vladimir Putin said “all responsibility” for the violence “lies with the extremists.” • European foreign ministers were meeting in Brussels to discuss possible sanctions on Ukraine. The talks could be rendered moot if the trio in ministers in Kiev succeeded in brokering an agreement.
It’s just before 7pm in Kiev.
European Union foreign ministers are meeting now in Brussels to discuss possible sanctions on Ukraine.
It’s
a conversation that could be rendered moot if the trio in Kiev –
Fabius, Steinmeier and Sikorski – succeed in brokering even a temporary
deal.
In any case, “There is still no clear indication of which
way the meeting will go on sanctions, with some arguing that a harder
approach could push the country towards a civil war,” Leo Cendrowicz
reports from Brussels for the Guardian:
William
Hague was among the more cautious as he arrived, calling for “immediate
and far-reaching change” but not mentioning sanctions. Although
Hollande and Merkel have called for sanctions, Greece, Portugal, Spain,
Britain, Italy and the Netherlands are cautious because of concern about
breaking off dialogue with the Ukrainians.
An early draft of the ministers’ communiqué says the EU will “stand ready” to impose sanctions.
Leo reports that there’s no indication yet of when the meeting might end.
In
Kiev, the trio of European foreign ministers met with Yanukovych for
almost five hours of talks before meeting with the opposition, Guardian
Europe editor Ian Traynor (@traynorbrussels) reports.
White House: 'We are outraged'
The Obama administration has released a scathing statement
condemning Ukrainian security forces for firing on the protesters. The
Guardian’s Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) passes on the statement from press secretary Jay Carney:
We
are outraged by the images of Ukrainian security forces firing
automatic weapons on their own people. We urge President Yanukovych to
immediately withdraw his security forces from downtown Kyiv and to
respect the right of peaceful protest, and we urge protesters to express
themselves peacefully. We urge the Ukrainian military not to get
involved in a conflict that can and should be resolved by political
means. The use of force will not resolve the crisis -- clear steps
must be taken to stop the violence and initiate meaningful dialogue that
reduces tension and addresses the grievances of the Ukrainian people.
The
United States will work with our European allies to hold those
responsible for violence accountable and to help the Ukrainian people
get a unified and independent Ukraine back on the path to a better
future.
Geoff Pyatt is US ambassador to Ukraine (and yes that’s Senator John McCain on the right on an earlier visit):
Updated
After placing all blame for the violence on the protesters, Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending an envoy to Ukraine at the
request of President Viktor Yanukovich, Reuters reports, picking up a report from Russian news agencies:
“Putin decided to send (Russian) human rights ombudsman Vladimir
Lukin on this mission,” state-run RIA quoted Putin’s spokesman Dmitry
Peskov, as saying after a telephone conversation between Putin and
Yanukovich.
Itar-Tass reported that Lukin was on his way to the airport for a flight to Kiev.
Reuters has more on Lukin:
Lukin, 76, is a former senior member of the Russian parliament from a
liberal party and a former ambassador to the United States. His 10-year
stint as Russia’s human rights commissioner is due to end shortly.
Lukin “has very rich experience of diplomatic service, substantial
authority among rights activists, and has led a large opposition party”,
the Kremlin said in its brief statement.
Putin sees the events in Kiev as “an attempt to carry out a coup”, a Putin spokesman said Tuesday. The Guardian’s Shaun Walker reported:
“The president believes that all responsibility for what is happening inUkraine
now lies with the extremists,” said Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman.
Peskov said Putin and Yanukovych spoke on the phone on “very very late
on Tuesday night”, as the violence was escalating, but denies that Putin
gave Yanukovych any orders or advice on how to act.
There is no doubting whom Moscow blames for the violence, however.
Updated
The European ministers were about to meet with opposition leaders following their meeting with Yanukovych, according to a tweet by the Polish foreign minister quoted by Reuters:
Polish foreign minister said on Thursday he
was about to meet Ukraine’s opposition to discuss a proposed deal with
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.
“About to start a meeting with the opposition so as to test proposed
agreement,” Radoslaw Sikorski said on his Twitter account, after meeting
Yanukovich and the German and French foreign ministers.
An ominous lull, as seen by correspondents from the Telegraph and BBC:
Updated
We’ve just published anupdated news story,
from Ian Traynor in Kiev and Shaun Walker in Sochi. “Scores of people
have been killed and many more injured in what has become the bloodiest
day in modern Ukrainian history,” they write:
The violence started shortly before 9am when protesters armed with
axes, knives, truncheons and corrugated iron shields advanced on to a
bridge in the centre of the Ukranian capital and drove riot police back
from Independence Square.
Within an hour, the area surrounding the Ukrania hotel, which had
been under the control of riot police, fell to the protesters. The riot
police lines dissolved as they were bussed away to be replaced by the
feared “Berkut” special forces. Kiev soon became a battleground.
Anti-government protesters man a barricade in central Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 Photograph: Darko Bandic/AP
Dozens of people – some injured, some
dying and some dead – were dragged away on planks of wood or makeshift
stretchers. Others were simply dragged along the ground on their backs,
still under fire. The lobby of the hotel transformed into a
blood-smeared makeshift medical centre. Some youths had what appeared to
be gunshot wounds.
Agence France-Presse estimated at least 60 people have been killed.
On
Thursday afternoon, Ukraine’s acting interior minister, Vitaly
Zakharchenko, issued a statement confirming that police had been armed
with combat weapons.
“I signed an order and police have been given
combat weapons, which will be used in accordance with the law,”
Zakharchenko said in a statement published on the ministry website. He
urged protestors to hand in their weapons and opposition leaders to
condemn radical actions.
The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland are still in Kiev after holding separate meetings with President Yanukovych’s government and opposition leaders.
They
had been expected to fly back to Brussels in time for the meeting on
sanctions. But the meeting is due to get underway without them.
Germany’s foreign office tweeted an image of three ministers arriving for the meeting with Yanukovych.
Updated
WARNING: graphic image.
A young medic, Olesya Zhukovskaya, 21, was shot in the neck by a sniper, according to the protest group Euromaidan.
Her most recent post on the social networking site Vkontakte read: “I’m dying”.
She
was photographed clutching her neck as it bled onto her white coat
emblazoned with a red cross. Her message appeared to have cross posted
to Twitter.
Her condition is unkown.
Zhukovyskaya was photographed clutching her neck as it bled onto her white coat emblazoned with a red cross. Olesya Zhukovskaya a medic and activist who was killed in the protests in Kiev.
Journalist Olaf Koens paid tribute to all the medical volunteers in Kiev.
The opposition cannot or does not want to dissociate itself from extremists ... America’s sanctions encourage rioters.
The EU is also trying to discuss sanctions and sending missions to Ukraine. Such actions can be considered a blackmail.
We’re worried about the Western capitals influencing the situation in the country.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Photograph: Thaier Al-sudani/Reuters
Kiev
Post journalists either saw for themselves or had the following body
counts confirmed to them by medical personnel: 15 at Kozatsky Hotel, 12
at Ukraine Hotel, 7 at the central post office, and 8 on Khreshchatyk
Street.
Dr. Olha Bohomolets, one of the attending physicians to 12
fatal gunshot victims at Ukraine Hotel, said that the victims were shot
with high-precision rifles and powerful ammunition that broke their
bones.
Medics embrace in the lobby of the Hotel
Ukraine, which has been converted to a medical clinic and makeshift
morgue. Photograph: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
Sanctions draft text
Foreign ministers are gathering in Brussels to discuss imposing sanctions and arms embargo against Ukraine.
A draft text of the proposed sanctions has been passed to Reuters. It says:
In light of the deteriorating situation, the EU has decided as a
matter of urgency on targeted measures against those responsible for
violence and use of excessive force...
At the same time, member states have decided to implement an arms
embargo and a ban on equipment used for internal repression ...
Any further escalation, including the introduction of a state of
emergency, or the use of the armed forces against protesters must be
avoided.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague, arriving for the EU
meeting, condemned the killing of more protesters in Kiev, calling it
“utterly unacceptable and indefensible.”
“By permitting such actions to take place, the Ukrainian government
is putting itself at odds with reasonable opinion all across the world,”
he told reporters.
On sanctions, Hague said it was important
there was a strong international response, but also that “we promote
ultimately a peaceful settlement of these issues and retain our
capability to do so.”
One EU diplomat told Reuters that a group of countries,
including Greece, Portugal, Spain, Britain and the Netherlands, were
cautious about going ahead with sanctions because of concern about
breaking off dialogue with the Ukrainians.
Updated
More graphic footage shows protesters in Kiev coming under fire. Warning:
the following clip shows protesters being wounded and bodies being
dragged away. It doesn’t show the source of the shots. Ukraine’s
Interior ministry has confirmed that the security forces have opened
fire against protesters.
In a statement quoted by Russia Today, it shots were fired in self-defence.
On
February 20, from the windows of Kiev conservatory, unknown gunmen
opened fire at law-enforcement officials. Aiming to save lives and the
health of the security forces, it was decided to relocate the troops to
safer spots and according to the current legislation, to use firearms as
self-defense.
Updated
Britain has summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to London to protest against the crackdown in Kiev.
In
a statement it said the Europe minister David Lidington “expressed
extreme concern over the reports of further violence and deaths, and
made clear that action against peaceful protestors on Independence
Square is unacceptable”.
More video footage has emerged purporting to police marksman shooting at protesters.
The
footage from Radio Svoboda backs up Ian Traynor’s account (see previous
two posts). Commenting on the clip, Traynor said: “I saw these guys
across the street from where I was watching.”
He added: “The city
centre now belongs to the opposition. For now it’s quiet, and there’s an
absolute frenzy of barricade building, involving young and old, men and
women.”
Ian Traynor has more on the deathtoll today.
The
guardian alone can confirm 21 dead, but it is likely to be much
higher. I counted 12 corpses in the makeshift morgue, but a doctor said
there were 15 here. My colleague Harriet Salem counted nine bodies in a
different part of town.
The Guardian’s Ian Traynor in Kiev witnessed four police snipers, two of whom fired live rounds at protesters.
“I
saw marksmen firing from automatic weapons with telescopic sights,” Ian
said in a telephone update. He also reported seeing the bodies of 12
named protesters who had been bought to a makeshift morgue in the lobby
of his hotel. All had been shot, according to medics.
Kiev is out on the streets at the moment
building new barricades. Human chains have been formed, massive
barricades have been built ... to try to prevent the return of the
police.
Ian pointed out that policeman had also been
killed by gunfire in recent days, but it was unclear whether
protesters had used firearms today.
I
watched hundreds, if not over a thousand, of protesters retake that
part of town this morning. They were armed with axes, sledge hammers,
crow bars, bits of metal, bits of wood, and knives. I didn’t see any
firearms, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.
He said some of the protesters were kitted out like “paramilitaries”.
Describing
the makeshift morgue in the Ukraina hotel, Ian said: “There are 12
corpses laid out under white sheets. All of them named.” A medic in
charge told Ian that all of the dead had been killed by gunshot wounds.
“A lot of it was single shot wounds to the head, the neck and the heart.
So that would tend to corroborate reports of sharpshooters,” Ian said.
There
are figures circulating of around 35 people killed today, Ian said. If
confirmed this would be highest deathtoll so far in the recent upsurge
in violence, and the worst in Ukraine’s post-Soviet history.
Ian also confirmed reports that protesters have captured dozens of police.
There
must be quite a bit of dissatisfaction in the police ranks. Around 50
police either surrendered or were captured and were marched off. Some of
them were requiring medical treatment. Priests were involved in leading
them away to field hospitals.
A senior municipal official in Kiev is reported to have resigned
from President Yanukovych’s Party of the Regions, over a decision to
close the metro system.
Interfax reported that city boss Vladimir Makeyenko has resigned from the ruling party and ordered the metro to be reopened.
It was closed in an attempt to stop protesters reinforcing Independence Square from outside. Earlier the head of the metro system had threatened to resign if the system was not reopened.
On Wednesday David Dalton, Ukraine analyst at The Economist Intelligence Unit, urged those watching the crisis to keep an eye on Ukraine’s political elite over the coming days.
“Key to watch is if any elements of state security, the main oligarchs, Party of Regions members or Communists start to distance themselves from Yanukovych,” he said in emailed analysis of the crisis.
Anti-government protesters try to shelter
behind their shields during clashes with police. Photograph: Sergei
Supinsky/AFP/Getty ImagesProtesters stand behind burning barricades during a face-off against police. Photograph: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty ImagesAn Orthodox priest holds a cross as a woman
reacts next to dead bodies following violence in Independence Square.
Photograph: Konstantin Chernichkin/Reuters
Russia attacks EU sanctions threat as 'blackmail'
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, has criticised the EU’s
threat of sanctions against Ukraine, as “blackmail”, according to a snap
update by Reuters, citing RIA Novosti.
And foreign ministry
spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich, said the threats were inappropriate
and would only aggravate the confrontation.
European foreign ministers will discuss sanctions at an emergency meeting in Brussels this afternoon.
In a briefing note on the meeting the
EU said: “All possible options will be explored, including restrictive
measures against those responsible for human rights violations,
violence and the use of excessive force.”
Central Kiev erupted in battles, smoke, grenades and gunfire on
Thursday morning as bands of young male protesters drove riot police
lines back from Independence Square and took control over a much larger
swath of territory.
Shortly before 9am volleys of smoke and stun
grenades as well as what sounded like automatic gunfire rang through
Kiev as police initially sought to stem the offensive. Youths armed with
axes, knives, truncheons and corrugated iron shields advanced on the
police on a bridge behind the square that had been set alight.
The common riot police lines dissolved as they were bussed away, to be replaced by “Berkut” (police special forces).
A
large area surrounding the Ukraina hotel, which an hour earlier had
been under the control of riot police, fell to the young protesters.
Dozens of wounded were dragged away on planks of wood, on makeshift
stretchers, or dragged along the ground on their backs
Updated
The EU and the US has expressed alarm at this morning’s bloodshed. A joint statement from US Ambassador in Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt and his EU counterpart, Jan Tombinski, said:
The
EU and US ambassadors to Ukraine express grave concern at the
resumption of violence in Kyiv and urge the sides to return to a cease
fire. A meaningful dialogue must be established immediately to address
the concerns of the Ukrainian people and prevent further loss of life.
The protection of human lives should be the highest priority at this
moment.
European commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has also pleaded for an end to further bloodshed.
Updated
Moscow has been making more ominous noises, according to our correspondent Shaun Walker.
Russian
prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that President
Yanukovych should not be a “doormat”, in what seemed the latest words
from Moscow urging the Ukrainian authorities to crack down.
“We
need partners who are in good shape and for the authorities that work
in Ukraine to be legitimate and effective, so that people don’t wipe
their feet on them like a doormat,” said Medvedev in televised remarks.
In
the Olympic village in Sochi, Ukrainian athletes added black armbands
to the Ukrainian flags hanging from their balconies, a day after the IOC
told them they were not allowed to wear the armbands in competition.
A Ukrainian skier, Bogdana Matsotka, and her coach have pulled out of the games in protest at the use of force in Kiev.
The
head of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, told Interfax
that if the situation continues to deteriorate, there is a possibility
of the region separating from Ukraine. Crimea, with its largely
ethnic-Russian population, is staunchly pro-Moscow.
“It’s
possible, if the country collapses” said Konstantinov, on the
possibility of secession. “Everything is heading in that direction.”
President Yanukovych’s office has blamed the latest violence on the protesters.
A
statement from Yanukovych’s office quoted by Reuters said: “They (the
protesters)
went on to the offensive. They are working in organised groups. They are
using firearms, including sniper rifles. They are shooting to kill. The
number of dead and injured among police officers is dozens,” the
statement on the presidential website said.”
A Reuters
photographer counted 21 bodies in civilian clothes in three places on
the square, a few hundred metres from the presidency. That raised the
death toll since Tuesday to at least 43.
Other local media have put the death toll as high as 50 in the latest clashes alone.
Updated
New video footage appears to confirm that police have used firearms
in the latest clashes. It cannot be independently verified at this
stage.
Sweden’s foreign minister, Carl Bildt, says European observers have confirmed that live ammunition has been used.
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