Reports: Ukrainian President Leaves Kyiv; Protesters Uneasy
i i
hide captionAnti-government protesters sing the Ukrainian national anthem at Independence square in central Kyiv on Saturday.
Louisa Goulimaki/AFP/Getty Images
Anti-government protesters sing the Ukrainian national anthem at Independence square in central Kyiv on Saturday.
Louisa Goulimaki/AFP/Getty Images
Thousands remain on the streets of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on Saturday. President Viktor Yanukovych appears to have left the capital and taken his security forces with him.
A peace deal reached Friday calls for early elections to be held in December and limits presidential powers. The deal halted clashes in the streets that left more than 70 dead since Tuesday.
“A U.S. State Department official said the deal is ‘very, very fragile,’ ” said CNN. “While there is an apparent truce, anger and anxiety hang heavy in the air. But as the sun rose Saturday in Kyiv, Independence Square was quiet.”
Some in the opposition reject the deal because it does not demand Yanukovych’s immediate resignation, the BBC reports.
Opposition leaders are asking Parliament to impeach Yanukovych and hold elections no later than May 25. One group has threatened to take action if he does not resign by today.
Yanukovych has reportedly left Kyiv for his hometown of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, close to the Russian border.
Reuters is reporting that the president’s residence, once heavily guarded, now stands empty and with no sign of security forces inside.
The BBC’s Kevin Bishop was able to walk straight into the courtyard. “Protesters are standing in the grounds of the building in disbelief,” the BBC reports.
Yanukovych’s Kyiv offices are in the hands of protesters, although the BBC says some employees have reported to work.
An anonymous source tells Reuters that the president has not left the country. “Everything’s ok with him,” the source said. “He is in Ukraine.” But when asked if he was in Kyiv, the source answered, “I cannot say.”
At a session of Parliament early Saturday, the speaker, Yanukovych’s political ally, announced his resignation, citing ill health.
Open all references in tabs: [1 – 4]