By all accounts the violence was abundant in UkraineA round up:A video of the 'peaceful protestors. The ones applauded by the governments in the US, Canada, EU etc.The NATO crowd.. You must watch this videoEU/NATO backed protestors set government building on fire
Anti-government protesters in Ternopil have set the building of the Interior Ministry's Ternopil Regional Department on fire. Ukrainian News learned this from a statement of the Interior Ministry. "The premises of the municipal police located on the first floor of the building, which borders on the building of the regional main department, is on fire," the statement reads. The protesters are throwing bottles with fire mixtures and smoke pots into the building. As Ukrainian News earlier reported, anti-government protesters have seized the building of the Interior Ministry's Main Department in Ivano-Frankivsk region.
NYT's Europe: Kiev Protesters Set Square Ablaze to Thwart PoliceProtestors Set Square Ablaze- not police
With hundreds of riot police officers advancing from all sides after a day of deadly mayhem here in the Ukrainian capital, anti government protesters mounted a final desperate and seemingly doomed act of defiance late on Tuesday evening, establishing a protective ring of fire around what remained of their all-but-conquered encampment on Independence Square.Feeding the blazing defenses with blankets, tires, wood, sheets of plastic foam and anything else that might burn, the protesters hoped to prolong, for a while longer at least, a tumultuous protest movement against President Viktor F. Yanukovych, a leader who was democratically elected in 2010 but is widely reviled here as corrupt and authoritarian.
Ukrainian riot police stood back from burning barricades around Independence Square in Kiev.Did they establish a protective ring of fire?Not according to the protestors..
“It is called the tactic of scorched earth,” said a protester who identified himself as Andriy.
Scorched earth is a military tactic used prior to fleeing. It leaves nothing behind to be gained. It leaves nothing behind that can be used against the fleeing group. Like evidence of collusion etc.,At least 25 killed in Ukraine as president alleges coup attempt scorched earth- peaceful protestors?
“Without any mandate from the people, acting illegally and violating the constitution of Ukraine these, so to say, politicians tried to seize power by resorting to pogroms, arsons and murders,” Yanukovich said in a televised speech. “They crossed the line when they called upon the people to take up arms. This is a flagrant violation of law.”
Yanukovich called upon the leaders of the opposition to immediately dissociate themselves from the radical forces. “In case they don't want to go, they must admit that they support the radicals,” he said. “In this case we will deal with them in a different way.”City authorities said 25 people were dead and 341 injured. Police said the death toll included nine of their own. Some 300 police officers were injured, 74 of them with gunshot wounds, authorities said
DW . DW journalist Yuri Rescheto, in Kyiv, explains the ambivalent mood in the country's capital. Clearly not a city fully participating in the 'protest' movement
DW: While on assignment for DW in Kyiv, you spoke with many Ukrainians. What was your impression of the situation in the city?
Yuri Rescheto: It's very contradictory. One the one hand, I experienced a Kyiv filled with a romantic revolutionary feeling. It's a city where there's seemingly only one issue and a single demand: President Yanukovych must go. But then there's the riddle of how things should proceed on Independence Square and in the rest of the country. Many people are disappointed with the opposition. What is the mood like among the protesters?
I spoke with people at Independence Square who have been camped out there for two-and-a-half months now - they sometimes seem completely disoriented. The situation appears to be stagnating.Continue protesting, even when the future is uncertain. How do the skeptics see the demonstrations?
Some people in Kyiv say that the revolution doesn't make sense because they are leading a comfortable life, thanks to their good income, and don't see a need for reform. Or because they experienced other revolutions, like in the 90s, and they fear that their country will never align with Europe. The leadership is perceived by them as being corrupt in general, regardless of who is in power.Vitali Klitschko, one of the main opposition figures, is very popular in the West, above all in Germany. How is he perceived in Ukraine?Klitschko's party has no influence in parliament because it's very small. In contrast to his image in the West, he is not popular and he doesn't have any weight or a real platform. He's one of the opposition leaders, but they are rarely seen in public these days. They are not present on Independence Square, or in the media. Furthermore, there are also completely contradictory directions within the opposition. The people don't know who they should follow.
I found that most interesting. The opposition is nothing in the Ukraine. Unlike the media darlin's image we get here. How is that possible? (rhetorical question) The opposition leaders are rarely seen in public.Not present in Independence square- To busy posing if front of cameras for scripted photo ops I supposeThe people don't know who to follow? Why follow any one?
The opposition leaders Klitschko and Aresni Yatsenyuk are slated to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel in the next few days. How much involvement do the protesters want from abroad?
I've spoken with a lot of people on Independence Square - intellectuals, normal people, women in mink coats. All of them reject more involvement by the EU and US. They want to move their country forward on their own. A Ukrainian rabbi said: "We don't want to move toward Europe, we are in Europe." That means that Ukraine should be European, but that Europe shouldn't tell Ukraine where to steer itself.
The reporter has spoken to a lot of people, but, curiously quotes a Ukrainian rabbi?Whose allegiance would be with Israel, anyway. I find that so odd. The reporter couldn't find someone from the Catholic or Orthodox religious institutions to give the last word to?And two last news item, older, but still worth considering when thinking about the 'opposition' and their scorched earth policies...Gunshot kills Ukraine judge who sentenced protestorShots Kill Ukraine Judge Who Sentenced ProtestersGovernment Suggests Critics Were Behind Murder; Opposition Cites Smear CampaignThe Judge died last Wednesday---- so reminiscent of SyriaInjured Ukraine activist to visit relatives in GermanyRecall this fellow- the mascot of the movement- there always has to be one I do wonder if Mr Bulatov was imported into the Ukraine from Germany....Leaving to meet his father and grandmother who are both in GermanySo is he leaving his children behind? Or were they in Germany anyway? Curious
"Dmytro Bulatov is leaving to meet his father and grandmother in Germany," Agne Ignataviciene, spokeswoman for the Vilnius hospital where he was treated, told AFP. No departure date was given.The 35-year-old father-of-three said last week that he was abducted on January 22 in Ukraine, "crucified" to a wooden door, had part of his ear cut off and was beaten until he was made to say he was an American spy.