Several thousand protesters move from Independence Square to Ukraine's Parliament
A column of demonstrators has left Independence Square in Kiev and is moving towards Institutskaya Street, leading to the government quarter. The protesters are walking along the roadway causing traffic to come to a halt.
When they reached Krepostnoy by-street, they turned towards the Parliament building where MPs are currently meeting in an extraordinary session. The meeting has recently been adjourned. The deputies are holding consultations on the adoption of a draft amnesty law.
According to protesters, their column is some 5,000 strong.
Ukrainian protesters drive radicals out of agriculture ministry building
Ukrainian pro-EU protesters have reportedly clashed with a group of far-right radicals early Wednesday in a bid to force them out of the occupied Agriculture and Food Ministry building in Kiev's downtown Hreshchyatik Street. The building has been held by members of Ukraine's nationalist Spilna Sprava (Common Cause) Movement for several days running.
"Yesterday, the Maidan assembly unanimously agreed to win back the Agriculture and Food Ministry building. No one spoke against this decision. The Maidan is going to free the building from the Spilna Sprava marauders," a spokesperson with the anti-government protest camp has said.
According to Ukrainian reporters, about 200 people have gathered outside the ministry, including several activists from the so-called "Maidain defense task force" who moved to the besieged ministry to negotiate with the holed-up protesters.
Journalists say the two sides are engaged in negotiations. The ministerial building cannot be accessed from Hreshchyatik Street.
In the meantime, eye-witnesses say they heard bangs sounding like gunshots or explosions coming from the building, although no one caught sight of either casualties or paramedics.
A rumor has also spread through social networks that protesters from the All-Ukrainian Association Freedom are now flanking the entrance to the ministry, while others are escorting the radicals out.
The city authority has not commented on reports of a siege.
Pro-EU protest damage to Kiev exceeds $2.5 mln - official
According to Kiev authorities, the damage around the city caused by the rallies and demonstrations has exceeded 2.5 million dollars. The figure was given by the Deputy Mayor of Kiev, Anatoly Golubchenko.
The official pointed out that those who took part in peaceful protests have already been presented with a bill, but no one has so far claimed responsibility for the pogroms in Independence Square and Grushevsky Street.
A decision to amnesty the arrested participants in mass-scale unrest may be taken as early as later today. The Supreme Rada is due to meet to consider the issue at 13:00 Moscow time.
The opposition leaders, Vitaly Klitschko, Arseniy Yatseniuk and Oleg Tiagnibok, insist that all arrested protesters be released. There are signs that the three leaders are also referring to the radical protesters.
Video footage was posted on the Web earlier today claiming to show young Ukrainian nationalists trained to stage acts of sabotage and launch terrorist attacks by NATO military instructors in Estonia in summer 2006. The nationalists were taught to plant mines and make home-made bombs. Ukrainian politicians claim they are certain that it is units of such militants that have been active in Kiev's Grushevsky Street.
Meanwhile, protests in Kiev have begun to fizzle out. The opposition claims this is due to Mykola Azarov's recent Cabinet resignation. President Victor Yanukovych has appointed First Deputy Prime Minister, Sergei Arbuzov, as acting Prime Minister. Arbuzov is likely to chair the first meeting of the Cabinet later this Wednesday.
Voice of Russia, Life News, Interfax, TASS
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