Protesters clashed with police officers near the Ukrainian parliament on Dec. 17, during a rally against the land reform which would finally allow the sale of farmland for the first time since 2001.
The protest that drew several thousand people grew violent when activists from the far-right National Militia (Natsionalni Druzhyny) movement attacked the police officers that guarded the parliament building, hitting them and using tear gas.
According to Kyiv police, 26 people were detained and 17 were injured, including both protesters and officers.
Since 2001, selling farmlands was banned in Ukraine. Liberal politicians and the business community have been calling to lift the ban for years. In November, the Verkhovna Rada finally voted to lift the ban and establish a land market.
Now the bill needs to be passed in the second and final reading, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected it to be done by the end of 2019.
Several groups held simultaneous protests for different causes on Dec. 17: apart from the land reform, there were protests against the privatization of state enterprises, against anti-discrimination laws, and demands to simplify customs procedures for imported cars.
