Edition: U.S. / Global
Ukraine's Path to Unrest
Just a few months ago, President Viktor F. Yanukovich seemed to be on track to signing a trade and political agreement with the European Union. A look back through crucial moments over the past year. Related Article »
E.U. Gives Ukraine a Deadline Several years after Ukraine and the European Union entered into negotiations about a political and trade agreement, Europe offered Ukraine a deadline for meeting its requirements. At a meeting in Brussels, President Viktor F. Yanukovich said he believed that the outstanding issues — a number of justice and electoral matters — could be solved by November. Yanukovich Pardons a Political Prisoner President Viktor F. Yanukovich pardoned the country's second-most-prominent political prisoner, Yuri V. Lutsenko, a former interior minister. Although Mr. Yanukovich did not explicitly state any connection to the trade agreement in his pardon, the move came as Europe pushed for the release of political prisoners. Mr. Yanukovich remained silent on his intentions concerning Yulia V. Tymoshenko, his biggest rival, who was arrested in 2011 in what were widely believed to be politically inspired charges. Russia Issues a Warning In August, Russia suddenly stopped all Ukrainian imports at the border for stepped-up customs inspections. It lifted the restrictions after a week, but a senior economic aide to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said they could become permanent if Ukraine, as expected, signed the agreement with the European Union in November. Bill to Free Ex-Prime Minister Is Postponed In a move that threatened to derail Ukraine's plans to formalize the agreement with the European Union, the country's Parliament postponed consideration of a bill that would free Yulia V. Tymoshenko, the jailed former prime minister. Ukraine Halts Plans for Deal With E.U. Under the threat of crippling trade sanctions by Russia, Ukraine announced that it had suspended its plans to sign the agreement with the European Union and that it would instead pursue new partnerships with a competing trade bloc of former Soviet states. European leaders reacted with fury, and several hundred protesters gathered in Independence Square in Kiev. Carrying European flags, they chanted, "Ukraine is Europe!" Premier Blames I.M.F. as Protests Grow Prime Minister Mykola Azarov of Ukraine told enraged opposition lawmakers that his government's decision to walk away from the far-reaching agreement with the European Union was based on fiscal imperatives and ultimately prompted by the International Monetary Fund's overly harsh terms for an aid package. Protests against the government's decision were held in several Ukrainian cities. Kiev, the capital, was pulsing with emotion that commentators said they had not seen since the Orange Revolution of 2004. Ms. Tymoshenko issued a statement urging people "to react to this as they would to a coup d'état" and take to the streets. A Violent Confrontation With Police In the early morning, riot police officers, swinging truncheons and spraying bursts of tear gas, forcibly broke up the crowd in Independence Square, which had been the main protest site for more than a week. Furious over what they said was excessive brutality by the police, thousands more took to the streets to call for Mr. Yanukovich's resignation. Yanukovich Flies to China With protesters encamped in Kiev's City Hall and at least two other public buildings in Independence Square, Mr. Yanukovich proceeded with a long-planned state visit to China. He saw the collection of ancient artifacts and toured a factory, among other outings. A deputy prime minister of Ukraine, Yuri Boiko, traveled to Moscow the same day. Ukrainian officials have been looking to Russia and China as potential sources of financing as discussions with the International Monetary Fund over an aid package crumbled. Protesters Topple Statue of Lenin Demonstrations erupted into a full-throttle civil uprising, as hundreds of thousands of protesters answered Mr. Yanukovich's dismissiveness with their biggest rally yet. At the height of the unrest, a seething crowd toppled and smashed a statue of Lenin, the most prominent monument to the Communist leader in Kiev. After an electrifying assembly in Independence Square, the huge crowd surged across the capital, erecting barriers to block the streets around the presidential headquarters and pitching huge tents in strategic intersections. They were not challenged by the police, who had largely disengaged since their bloody crackdown on Nov. 30. International Concern Grows Riot police officers and Interior Ministry troops began pushing protesters out of streets near main government buildings, including the presidential headquarters. Ukrainian security forces raided the headquarters of an opposition party, Fatherland, and cut off electricity to the occupied City Hall. International concern over the unrest in Ukraine appeared to deepen as the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, telephoned Mr. Yanukovich, and Western leaders continued to call on him to respond to the demonstrators' demands. Security Forces Storm Square Hours after Western diplomats arrived in Kiev for meetings with Mr. Yanukovich, thousands of riot police officers and internal ministry troops fanned across Kiev, putting the Ukrainian capital in a virtual lockdown in the cold predawn darkness. Signs of Momentum Shifting to Protesters in Ukraine Two large, swirling crowds faced off in Kiev on Saturday in public squares less than a quarter of a mile apart. One was the huge, antigovernment, pro-Europe demonstration that has electrified this capital since late last month. The other was composed of tens of thousands who poured into central Kiev for a counter rally in support of the embattled president, Viktor F. Yanukovich. Europe Breaks Off Negotiations The European Union suspends talks with Ukraine on the far-reaching trade deal that protesters have been demanding for weeks, and a top official issued a stinging statement all but accusing Ukraine's president of dissembling.
PRODUCED By HEATHER MURPHY