By Jaime Ortega.
Yesterday in the streets of Kiev riots broke again raising the toll to 300 injuries. The clashes began when rioters threw rocks, sticks and malcontent to police officers. The police who responded with gas grenades and live rounds.
The ‘Euro revolution’ is looking more and more like a ‘western movie’ where officers have to watch their backs. Two people died from gunshot wounds and found outside of a national library where protestors maintained altercations with police since Sunday. The second person, who was still alive when she was found, died from injuries she suffered. A third person died after falling from football stadium in Dynamo Kiev, close to where protests had occurred. Another man was found dead in the woods after being abducted yesterday.
Before the riots started, politicians gave protestors time to stop rioting as Ukrainians viewed on television a youth member pulled out an ambulance stretcher of one the houses they occupied: A body wrapped in a sheet of colors.
Two hours later the square filled with people of all ages, as the protest shown in December. But this time they stood in front of the stage to hear the admonitions of politicians. They came to take part and watch a ceremonial paramilitary show with sticks, protected with rudimentary arms.
The crowd shouted chanted “viva Ukraine” close to the plaza of Hrushevskoho located next to the parliament. The plaza is now the epicenter of the riots, because many protesters are trying to reach parliament. Police launched an attack against protestors, but the rioters set large barracks to support the violent struggle.
The urban guerrilla warfare that takes place day and night on that street, and blackened by fire and cobblestones to harass the police. Hooded youngsters launched metal bars and set fire to trash cans screaming “Ukrainians, over here!” The police looked cornered under the riot pressure.
By putting the bandage on a wound that is already infected, at last Yanukovych on his rivals sat down to talk yesterday, but without results and prospects for a political solution to the emerging crisis. For four hours, he was with his antagonists trying to set up a solution. Among them was his future rival, UDAR candidate and former boxer Vitali Klitschko, and also the head of Batkivshchyna ,Arseny Yatsenyiuk .
The president said that “it is never too late to resolve the conflict peacefully ,” but the city center was already at that time covered by immense columns of smoke from people burning tires in front of the barricades. This warrior environment broke after Kitchko returned from the palace from his speech to the busy square, “Tomorrow , if the president does not respond, we will move to the offensive,” he proclaimed with shouts of ” viva” to other Ukrainians.
Ukrainian President ordered an investigation into the death of three people, according to the local press during the last hours of altercations between protesters and security forces. Ministry spokesman Sergey Burlakov , fended off accusations from the opposition saying that you cannot blame the police for their death, since the victim was shot and “security officers do not carry firearms ,” reports the Itar -Tass.
“We are different but we are one. Divide or not we’re one nation,” Yanukovich said yesterday, when the country celebrated the Day of National Unity. The European Union is closely following the situation in Ukraine, said that the death of protesters could have ” consequences” for bilateral relations . “We will continue to follow closely these developments and assessing possible actions of the EU and implications for our relations with that country,” the president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said in a press conference.
The State Department canceled U.S. visas for Ukrainians who participated in the scattering Euromaidán in November and December, according to the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. “We are also looking at other future steps against those who are responsible for the current violence ,” the State Department statement.
