Timeline of key events in Ukraine protests
KYIV — At least two protesters died during Wednesday’s confrontation between police and demonstrators in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, escalating the two-month-old protest movement over the government decision to ditch a co-operation deal with the European Union for closer ties with Moscow. Here are the key dates that have shaped the protests:
Nov. 21, 2013: The cabinet of President Viktor Yanukovych (winking in photo at right) announces that it is abandoning an agreement that would strengthen ties with the EU, and instead seek closer co-operation with Moscow.
Nov. 30: Police launch a brutal attack on protesters, detaining 35. Images of protesters bloodied by police truncheons spread quickly and galvanize public support for the demonstrators. A demonstration on Dec. 1 attracted about 300,000 people, the largest protest in Kyiv since the Orange Revolution in 2004.
Dec. 17: Russian President Vladimir Putin (above right) announces that Moscow will buy $15 billion worth of Ukrainian government bonds and allow for a sharp cut in the price Ukrainians will have to pay for natural gas from Russia. Putin and Yanukovych claim that there were no conditions attached to the agreement.
Jan. 22, 2014: At least two protesters die after being hit with live ammunition and reports claim a third was killed after a fall during a confrontation between police and demonstrators manning barricades, the first protest deaths.