Ukrainian government refuses to remove troops from Crimea, prepares for war

In the wake of a March 16 referendum in which Crimeans voted to join the Russian Federation, Ukrainian leaders refused to cede any part of the peninsula, calling on their troops to prepare for war.

“Crimea was, is, and will be our territory,” said Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh in a statement delivered at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center on March 17. Former heavyweight boxing champion and leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform Vitali Klitschko announced that Ukrainian troops would remain at their bases, even after March 21, the end of a peace treaty signed by the interior ministries of Ukraine and Russia. 

Kyiv Post

Rule by oligarchs: Kiev appoints billionaires to govern east

The self-proclaimed government in Kiev has appointed two of Ukraine’s richest men to govern large industrial regions in the defiant east. One of the reasons for the Maidan protest was the influence the rich have on politics in the country.

The appointments of new governors of Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk Regions are among 18 made on Sunday by Kiev, which is struggling to consolidate power after the coup which ousted President Yanukovich last month.

The newly-appointed Dnepropetrovsk governor is Igor Kolomoysky, Ukraine’s third-wealthiest man, with an estimated fortune of $2.4 billion. He co-owns the informal commercial group Privat, which includes Ukraine’s largest bank Privatbank, which Kolomoysky heads, as well as assets in the oil, ferroalloys and food industries, agriculture and transport.

A former ally of Yulia Tymoshenko, Kolomoysky reportedly had a falling out with her and refused to finance her election campaign in 2010, which the ex-prime minister subsequently lost to Yanukovich. Kolomoysky was reported to be a principal sponsor of the UDAR party, which is one of the three fueling the street campaign to oust Yanukovich. Kolomoysky has a dual Ukrainian-Israeli citizenship and controls his business empire from Switzerland.

RT News

Right Sector. The Great Ukrainian Reconquista

Is the genie out of the bottle?

As one disgraced president fled Kiev in the early hours of Saturday morning, so another aspiring one had landed in the city by evening. Within a few hours of being released from her prison hospital in the eastern city of Kharkiv, Yulia Tymoshenko had flown to Kiev and was being wheeled into Independence Square to address the crowds.

Hunched in a wheelchair, needed because of back problems, but with a resolute expression and her hair pulled into her trademark plait, she yelled rousing words from the stage to the crowd, telling them they must stay in central Kiev until their work was over, and those responsible for the violence are punished.

"If we let those who shot bullets into the hearts of our heroes escape responsibility, if we forgive them, it will be our shame for ever," she said, in a voice cracked with emotion. She had earlier said she plans to run for president, in elections that could now come as early as May. "Our homeland will from today on be able to see the sun and sky as a dictatorship has fallen," she added.

The Guardian

Kiev Demonstrators Being Shot Dead

Brutal footage of what appears to be Ukrainian special forces shooting dead protesters in Kiev has emerged. Residents in the capital have been warned not to go outside while snipers have been spotted firing into crowds.

Sky reporter David Bowden, who is in Kiev said: "Police are hitting back and are shooting – probably not at random – but they are shooting with live rounds at the protesters.

Huffington Post

Ukraine Protests Leave more than 20 Dead And Hundreds Injured As Riot Police Burn Kiev Camp

Thousands of riot police moved against the Maidan, the main protest camp in Kiev on Tuesday, attacking demonstrators with water canons and stun grenades, and setting fire to thousands of tents. Eighteen people have reportedly died in the fighting, a figure that includes several members of the Ukrainian police, while hundreds have been left injured as the clashes over the nation’s future turned into what increasingly resembles outright war.

Huff. Post

Three months of confrontation in Ukraine between the president and a large protest movement reached its peak on Tuesday night in the worst bloodshed since the country separated from Moscow more than two decades ago, with more than 20 people reported killed as riot police moved in to clear Kiev's Independence Square, the crucible of the anti-government activism.

Hopes for a settlement of the crisis went up in smoke amid scenes of rioting, burning buildings, police bombings and rubber bullets that also left up to 500 people injured.

The Guardian

Kiev live (and death)

5 канал

CNN's Phil Black reports live from Ukraine's capital Kiev, where demonstrators have set fire to a government building.

People Of Euromaidan

Spectacular images of riots and clashes in the streets of the Ukrainian capital Kiev have made the rounds of newspapers and social media in the past weeks. A new video by Max Zabolotnyi, however, shows a completely different side of the protests.

In the 3-minute compilation, Zabolotnyi gives viewers a glimpse into the world of Kiev's demonstrations and barricades, highlighting the sense of camaraderie and community among the protesters. The film was shot over a 3-day span in mid-December at the Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Nezalezhnosti Square, in the heart of the city.

Huffington Post

Meanwhile: One of Maidan leaders kidnapped, tortured and crucified - English pravda.ru

Kiev mass riots

The onslaught by Ukraine police is ongoing as embattled rioters are banging on their shields and barricades are being taken apart by force.

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