Kiev Protests

From the BBC:

"Q&A: Why Ukraine protests matter"

Day after day thousands of anti-government protesters in Ukraine have been thronging central Kiev.

BBC News examines the political turmoil and what is at stake in one of Europe's biggest countries.

What caused the protests?

The trigger was the government's decision not to sign a far-reaching partnership deal with the EU, despite years of negotiations aimed at integrating Ukraine with the 28-nation bloc.  That decision was announced on 21 November - and it meant that an EU summit with former Soviet states on 28-29 November was a big disappointment for the EU. Thousands of pro-EU Ukrainians poured onto the streets of the capital - on 24 November the crowd was estimated at more than 100,000. They urged President Viktor Yanukovych to cancel his U-turn and go ahead with the EU deal after all. But he refused, and the protests continue.  Anger with President Yanukovych has escalated, and now protesters are demanding that he and his government resign.  Probably the best-known among them internationally is Vitali Klitschko, a world heavyweight boxing champion turned opposition leader. He heads the Udar (Punch) movement and plans to run for president in 2015. Udar is campaigning for a "modern country with European standards" - that is, loosening ties with Russia and strengthening them with the EU.  Between Mr Tyahnybok and Mr Klitschko stands Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland's former prime minister and now opposition leader. Historically Poland has vied with Russia for influence in Ukraine. Western Ukraine used to be part of Poland, and cultural and religious ties remain strong (they share the Catholic faith). Most western Ukrainians feel close to the West and suspicious of Russia. Poland is a strong voice in the EU urging the bloc to embrace Ukraine. Other foreign sympathisers have turned up at the Ukrainian rallies. Among them is Russian opposition activist Pyotr Verzilov, husband of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. She and another member of the punk band Pussy Riot are in jail. One of the most important Ukrainian protesters is Arseniy Yatsenyuk, leader of Ukraine's second biggest party, called Fatherland. He is an ally of Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister now in jail, who is an arch-rival of President Yanukovych.

Why is Yulia Tymoshenko important?

Internationally Tymoshenko has become a symbol of opposition to Mr Yanukovych, and a cause celebre in the EU.  She was jailed in 2011 for criminally exceeding her powers over a gas deal with Russia in 2009, and is serving a seven-year sentence. Many EU politicians accept her allegation that her trial was politically motivated. The European Court of Human Rights did not go as far, but did rule that her pre-trial detention had been "arbitrary and unlawful".  The EU set her release as a key condition for signing the association agreement with Ukraine - but Mr Yanukovych resisted the pressure to do so. She has a serious back ailment and wants to get treatment in Germany.  She called for the EU-Ukraine agreement to be signed even if the authorities kept her in jail. In the current protests there are powerful echoes of Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution. Tymoshenko was a key figure in that pro-Western revolution - and in that case too she was battling to oust Mr Yanukovych. The street protests in 2004 led to his removal from power, after his election was judged to have been fraudulent. Russia backed him then - and backs him now.

Is Russia keeping President Yanukovych in power?

To many observers it looks that way, because Russia exerted strong economic pressure on Ukraine in the run-up to Mr Yanukovych's abrupt snub to the EU. Russia took various economic measures - including time-consuming border checks and a ban on Ukrainian sweets - and threatened others. Ukraine is in a long-running dispute with Moscow over the cost of Russian gas, on which it is heavily reliant. Many Ukrainian firms - especially in the country's Russian-speaking east - also rely on sales to Russia.  Mr Yanukovych still has a strong support base in eastern Ukraine, and there have been street demonstrations by his supporters. For centuries Ukraine was controlled by Moscow and many Russians see Ukraine as vital to Russian interests.

^ It's good to see people stand-up peacefully for what they believe in. Ukraine has done that a lot since gaining independence from the USSR. They held protests against then-President Kuchma in 2000 and then again during the Orange Revolution in 2004 when the people held out and their voice was heard and the Russian-backed Yanukovych gave in and the Pro-West candidate became President. I hope that these protests continue to be non-violent (on both sides) and that Russia doesn't try to poison anyone else like they are alleged to have done during the Orange Revolution. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25182823