“KIIV, get up! Feel us "

Instead of the promised dialogue, the Maidan received special forces from power

On the night of December 11, the Ukrainian special forces seemed to decided to cleanse the Maidan of Nezalevniy or at least deprive the protesters of the possibility of standing on the roadway and warming up in the administrative buildings they seized. The assault began at one in the morning by local time, but after about two and a half hours the special forces took a “pause”. Thousands of Kievites began to be pulled into the center of the capital. Kyiv did not sleep tonight

That night, no one expected the acceleration of peaceful demonstrators on the Maidan. In Kyiv, on a working visit, there was a supreme representative of the European Union Katherine Ashton, and during the day President Yanukovych, while meeting with three former Ukrainian presidents, said that "the situation needs to be understood" and even promised to release previously arrested activists.

But by one in the morning, thousands of fighters of the Berkut special forces and internal troops began to be pulled into the center of Kyiv. Literally immediately they began to disassemble the distant barricades. The protesters did not particularly resist this: from the Euromaidan scene, the calls of leaders regularly sounded to prevent provocations, and activists began to chant “peaceful - protest”.

Nevertheless, the employees of the Berkut began to disassemble the barricades and push the protesters from them. People chased "together - and to the end", "Ganba" and called on law enforcement officers not to use force. The persuasion of the protesters did not work: they were without batons, they still “under the distribution” fell under the distribution, tear gas began to be used against them. The “Titles” in the form of communal service workers, who were behind the special forces, began to disassemble and burn the tents of the protesters. It became clear that it was precisely the “titles”, and not the utilities, it became clear: they hid their faces from the television cameras and refused to answer the questions of the deputies where exactly they work.

That night there were extremely many Orthodox priests on the Maidan. Together with people, they periodically pray and urge the forces of law and order not to use force in relation to peaceful demonstrators.

The house of trade unions, in which the headquarters of the opposition was the day before, did not storm the security forces, although they cleaned the territory in front of him from the protesters and nearby tents. At the time of writing this note to the assault on this building and the Kyiv city administration "Golden Eagle" did not begin, although the light was disconnected in the room. The protesters, located on the second floor, began to pour the Berkutians from the balconies with cold water.

By about half past four in the morning in the center of the Maidan were the leaders of the opposition - Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Vitaly Klitschko and Oleg Tyagnibok. They called on law enforcement officers not to use force, and Klitschko announced that now the main demand of Euromaidan has changed: now political leaders will not seek the government’s resignation, but the resignation of Yanukovych himself.

On the stage of the Maidan between the performances of opposition leaders were played by the songs of the Elsa Ocean "Stand!" Get up! " And "I will not give up without a battle." It was they who became the symbols of the “Orange Revolution” of 2004.

The crowd on the Maidan has been chanted "Kyiv - get up" every now and then, and the capital seems to have responded to the call of the protesters. If, by the beginning of the assault, the barricades defended only about three thousand people, then by four o’clock in the morning in the center of Kyiv, from 10 to 15 thousand citizens pulled up in the center of Kiev. On social networks, hundreds of drivers began to report their phone numbers and say that they were ready to bring people to the Maidan. With every minute, Kiev residents in the square are becoming more and more. Many of them carry thermos with hot tea to the Maidan.

Around the same time, the police began to actively use tear gas and light -school grenades against the protesters. People began to be actively pushed from the roadway. Almost all the barricades installed around the Maidan were dismantled by this moment. At the time of writing this note, the final goal of the security forces was not clear. The protesters wondered: whether the Maidan will accelerate completely or is the task only to restore the automobile traffic on Khreshchatyk and the streets adjacent to morning.

Despite the fact that the special forces did not use clubs against the protesters, the bill of victims went to dozens. Hangings with law enforcement officers could not be avoided, although initially they only pushed the protesters, and the protesters simply stood peacefully, holding hands. By the beginning of the 5th hour, many ambulances appeared near the Maidan, but they could not drive up to the epicenter of events due to the columns of the Golden Eagle. But the dump trucks were able to drive, who immediately began to demolish tents.

At about 5 o’clock in the morning local time, the special forces made the first attempt to storm the house of trade unions, but between the Protesters and the Berkut fighters, dozens of people's deputies stood up. Thus, the attack managed to recapture.

According to the widespread Ministry of Internal Affairs, as of 4 in the morning, ten military personnel of internal troops suffered during the confrontation with the protesters in the center of Kyiv.

At 5.30 in the morning, the famous musician Svyatoslav Vakarchuk appeared on the Maidan, whose songs sounded on stage in the center of Kyiv all this night.

“I am still in Kyiv. I was among you on the Maidan in the evening and I was struck by the determination of the Ukrainian people, who advocated the European perspective of the country,” said Katherine Ashton. “The authorities did not need to act under the cover of the night in order to start communication with society with the help of the police,” the European politician emphasized.

Ukrainian political analyst Alexei Bluminov in a night conversation with The New Times correspondent noted that the security forces were not able to disperse the Maidan due to an instant reaction to what was happening from the Kiev residents. “It is obvious that the Maidan will deliver until the morning, where several tens of thousands of people will gather by the beginning of the working day,” the expert says. “Now they launched a rumor that the Griffin special forces went over to the side of the Maidan. But even if not, in the morning they will report on all channels that the people won, and the West will call power to negotiations. The offices of the Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov will begin, most likely will now be forced to resign,” the analyst says.

Direct broadcast from the Maidan
Live Streaming Video by Ustream , which are becoming more and more, managed to push the “golden eagle” from the Kyiv City State Administration. “Titles” began to try to get into the room through the windows. Protesters still restrain their offensive.

Meanwhile, there are periodically reports on the square that provocateurs with swastika and reinforcement are approaching the protesters. The folk squad beat off their attacks. People on the Maidan ask Kiev residents to bring milk and lemons with them for those who suffered from tear gas.

Popular TV presenter Evgeny Kiselev wrote on Facebook that the authorities made a big mistake. “I am very interested in how the authorities still thought of arranging this in a situation where high-ranking foreign emissaries, who have been high-ranking Ukrainian leaders only a few hours ago, have not yet been departed from Kyiv in their peaceful intentions?! What will they tell them tomorrow-if they even meet them?! And they generally know what is the time between Kiev and New York?! They provided all news services in America-in their evening prime time-the main news from peacefully sleeping Europe with a luxurious dramatic picture, ”the journalist notes.

At the moment, 20–25 thousand people are on the Maidan in Kyiv. And they continue to arrive.

Meanwhile, information appeared that the police pull out some barricades from the crowd and delays them. The detainees are planted in autozaki. How many such detainees at the moment are still unknown.

Update from 09:50 (Moscow time) 11.12.2013:

The security forces are still standing in the center of Kyiv in their positions. What they expect is not very clear. The leadership of the special forces assures the journalists that there will be no storming of administrative buildings captured by the manifestants: supposedly such an order was not initially.

On the stage of Euromaidan, a call to the special forces “to stretch to music and do exercises” sounded.

Meanwhile, the former member of the Party of Regions Taras Chornovil repented before the Euromaidan over the years of his stay in the avenue. “Yanukovych no longer has a rear. The traitors of their people do not have a homeland and a small homeland,” the politician said.

The metro has already earned in Kyiv, but the central stations - “Maidan of Nebulia” and “Khreshchatyk” - remain closed to the entrance and exit. People go out at neighboring stations and get to the Maidan on foot. The protesters are becoming more and more, but it is still quite difficult to assess their number.

Update from 09.58 (MSC) 11/11/2013:

Vitaly Klitschko, the leader of the Bunch party, said that now the number one question is for the opposition - the resignation of not the Azarov government, but President Yanukovych. “There can be no compromises with thugs and dictators. You need to get rid of them. Therefore, the number one question is-the resignation of Yanukovych and his rotten power. It will be surprising today about some“ compromises ”in the form of“ technical governments ”or the change of the constitution. It will be all manipulating and playing in favor of Yanukovych. But the main evil today is Yanukovych himself,” the politician said.

Meanwhile, on social networks they write that in the center of Kyiv at the Chumetsky Shlyakh store, the squads of “Titus” are gathering. What they are going to do is not clear.

The media, meanwhile, report that hundreds of activists from Lviv have already left for Kyiv. As of 8 in the morning local time, activists on Independence Maidan in Kyiv hold three barricades from law enforcement officers.

Meanwhile, the police disowned the use of tear gas during the displacement of the protesters. "Employees of the capital’s utility services carried out measures to improve the territory around the Maidan of Independence at night in order to avoid additional obstacles and inconvenience for the movement of transport and citizens, since the working week continues," the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

Update from 11.30 (Moscow time) 11.12.2013:

The cordon of the Berkut fighters around the protesters has already been almost completely removed. Only soldiers of the internal troops are next to the protesters. Berkutovtsev was taken away from the city center by bus.

In Kyiv, the central streets of the city are still blocked for traffic. People still cannot go out at the metro station "Maidan of Nebulity".

Update from 13.20 (Moscow time) 11/11/2013:

The Ukrainian authorities vying out of the force of the Maidan. The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Vitaly Zakharchenko said that there would be no acceleration of Euromaidan. “No one encroaches the right of citizens to a peaceful protest. However, the legitimate interests of other citizens cannot be ignored. The normal functioning of the capital should not be violated,” the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs quoted his words.

Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov said that in the center of Kyiv there was simply clearance of roads, and no one was going to use force against the demonstrators.

Photo: Ilya Palev, RIA-News