Editor's Note: The Kyiv Post will be providing continuous coverage of the protests in Kyiv and other cities following the government's decision on Nov. 21 to stop European Union integration and suspend pursuit of an association agreement. The rallies started on Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) the night of Nov. 21 and are continuing in Kyiv and other cities in the aftermath of the Nov. 28-29 summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, at which Ukraine and the EU failed to reach any agreement. The events can be followed on Twitter using hashtags #euromaidan and #євромайдан or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EuroMaydan.
Watch Radio Svoboda’s live video of EuroMaidan rallies HERE
Or check out this live web camera on Maidan Nezalezhnosti HERE
Another live feed can be found HERE
SEE OTHER KYIV POST EUROMAIDAN COVERAGE HERE:
EuroMaidan rallies in Ukraine (live updates)
EuroMaidan rallies on Nov. 29: EuroMaidan rallies in Ukraine
EuroMaidan rallies on Nov. 27: EuroMaidan rallies in Ukraine
EuroMaidan rallies on Nov. 26: EuroMaidan rallies in Ukraine
EuroMaidan rallies on Nov. 25: EuroMaidan rallies in Ukraine
EuroMaidan rallies on Nov. 24: EuroMaidan rallies in Ukraine
EuroMaidan rallies from Nov. 21-23: EuroMaidan rallies in Ukraine
See also coverage of the first night of the protests: “Nine years after start of Orange Revolution, Kyivans take to streets in protest of scuttled EU deal”
Night crowd enjoys poetry
Nov. 28, 9:43 p.m. More than 4,000 people are continuing the EuroMaidan protests that enter their ninth day tomorrow. Poets including Sashko Lirnyk, Svitlana Povalyai and the Kapranovy brothers. Slavko Vakarchuk gave a speech around an hour ago, encouring people to unit, and his sang his song “Vstavai” along with the crowd. — Daryna Shevchenko
Crowd swells on Maidan
Nov. 28, 6:25 p.m. People keep coming to the square, several thousand people altogether at least, with many saying they plan to meet all night as the summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, goes on with the European Union and Ukraine with no prospect of signature on the political association and free trade agreement. —Nataliya Trach
Ruslana says medical students banned from coming
Nov. 28, 5:16 p.m The popular Ukrainian singer, Ruslan, a fixture on the EuroMaidan protests, complains that students of the Bogomolets Medical Univesrity in Kyiv where not allowed by university adminsitrations to come to the protetst. Students are threatened with sanctions, she said. She also said she has information about possible fights on Maidan today instigated by paid provocateurs who have marred the mostly peaceful gatherings. At this moment, some 10,000 students from five universities were marching to the main square. –Nataliya Trach
Crimean Tatars complain of police obstruction
Nov. 28, 5:04 p.m. A group of 50 Crimean Tatrs said it took them more than 12 hours to reach Kyiv because of police obstruction on the road. — Nataliya Trach
Students dominate day — some from Belarus
Nov. 28, 4:56 p.m. Students are dominating an eighth day of EuroMaidan demonstrations with their size and energy. Around 10,000 students marched from the monument in Shevchenko Part to Independence Square. Lviv residents were in the crowd, vowing to stay until the end, whenever that comes. Zhenya Melnychuk from Sevastopol said that a lot of people in his Crimean city support closer ties with Europe. After the marchers reached Maidan, the crowd there numbered about 15,000 people. People sang the national anthem repeatedly. Six young people came from Belarus, identifying themselves as members of the Belarusian Youth Front. They say they don’t want Ukraine to become another Belarus, where Alexander Lukashenko has been ruling as a dictator since 1994. — Nataliya Trach
Report of brief police interference with sound systems for concerts
Nov. 28, 4:53 pm. Eyewitnesses told the Kyiv Post that the car bringing sound systems to Maidan Nezalezhnosti has been blocked by road police near Taras Shevchenko National University. A crowd of protesters gathered, chanting and calling on road police to release the car. More than 1,000 students helped out, marching down Shevchenko Boulvard towards Maidan Nezalezhnosti, chanting “The youth of the nation are for Eurointegration” and “Ukraine is Europe.” The briefly detained car, Ostannya Barykada (the last barricade), carrying the sound systems for tonight’s concert, was released and heading towards the main square. — Daryna Shevchenko
With politicians away, EuroMaidan friendly
Nov. 28, 12:37 p.m. With most of Ukraine’s top politicians at the Eastern Partnership Summit which started today in Vilnius, Lithuania, the atmosphere back in Kyiv among EuroMaidan protesters is very friendly. Yuriy Yatsyshyn, a 21-year old student from Ivano-Frankivsk, came to Kyiv on Nov. 27 along with fellow students. “I wish Kyivans were more active and joined the protesters. I hope today’s students rally will push them to go to Maidan.” Yatsyshyn also plans to go to Ivano-Frankivsk over the weekend and encourage his groupmates to join Kyiv’s protesters. — Olena Goncharova
All quiet on the protest front this morning
Nov. 28, 12:02 p.m. The EuroMaidan protests are in their eighth day on Nov.28. Today, all is peaceful and less political, with about 3,000 people gathered on the main square. No party symbols today were seen on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, only Ukraine and European Union flags. People are gathering near the fire to warm up, others to share food. Ruslana and civil activist Yegor Soboliev call for everyone to come tonight at 6 p.m. to Maidan and support the students, as they plan their biggest rally today at 4 p.m. Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Bogomelets Medical University, and Taras Shevchenko University students will join Maidan protesters at 4 p.m. — Olena Goncharova
Online ad looks to hire protesters for Nov. 29 protest in Kyiv
Nov. 28, 10:03 a.m. An advertisement on popular Ukrainian site Slando is soliciting people to join a protest planned for Nov. 29 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., promising them Hr 75 upon immediately upon completion.
The advertisement does not say whether the demonstration is part of recent EuroMaidan events or a pro-government rally. It does list the location as St. Michael’s Square, which is where a pro-government demonstration was held on Nov. 24.
The advertisement asks that interested parties call or get in contact with organizers via a VK.com group page that describes its purpose as having “been created to attract young and nice people who want to become famous or to make money and see themselves on TV… at the same time to spend time with cool people, see celebrities live.” — Christopher J. Miller
Olha Bogomolets calls on Kyiv medical students to take to the streets
Nov. 28, 1:47 a.m. Physician, singer and philanthropist Olha Bogomolets called on students of Bogomolets Kyiv National Medical University to join the student protest. Earlier today, university’s students said they were strictly forbidden to join pro-European Union rallies and even threatened with expulsion.
“Those people who forbid you today to go out to the streets and express your position just demonstrate their own cowardice and disgrace the name of your university and the name of a person it was named after,” she wrote in the address on her Facebook page.
Bohomolets is the granddaughter of Oleksandr Bogomolets, one of Ukraine’s greatest doctors, after whom the university was named. He was actually expelled from the university for his activist social positions. This fact though never prevented him from becoming a prominent scientist, she wrote. “Today the whole country needs your help. Hundreds of students from other universities wait for you and so do thousands of parents, brothers and sisters,” Bohomolets added. – Daryna Shevchenko