Police cordoned off the city Sports Palace early in the morning to prevent motor vehicles from passing by, so people walk to the Palace from the police cordons. Some attendees are in good spirits, others are clearly concerned. But the situation is generally quiet; the crowd is by no means aggressive, unlike similar gatherings in Kiev.
A huge stage has been built in front of the Sports Palace with a screen showing all the activities inside the building, where the congress is being held. Activists are handing out pennants with the symbols of the Ukrainian Front, with St. George Ribbons pinned to them.
People are gradually filling the Palace arena, discussing Friday’s developments in Ukraine. Most of them are concerned about the situation that’s taken shape and voice their support for Victor Yanukovych.
Outside, loudspeakers are used to play songs by Vladimir Vysotsky.
The congress of the deputies of local councils of southeastern Ukraine, called by the Lugansk Regional Council, is expected to take up the deep crisis that has hit Ukraine.
Voice of Russia, TASS
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_02_22/10-000-people-to-attend-meeting-of-local-councils-of-southeastern-Ukraine-6912/
22/2/14
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Chairman of Russia’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Mikhail Margelov, has arrived to Kharkov for the gathering of the Ukrainian MPs of the south-eastern regions, where the crowds now number upwards of 10,000 people......
ReplyDelete“On orders from the speaker of Federation Council of Russia, Valentina Matvienko, Margelov has travelled to Kharkov to take part in the summit of the south-eastern regional MPs of Ukraine,” RIA Novosti reported cited a statement by the body.
President Yanukovich, who was said to earlier be in Kharkov to participate as well, will not be taking part, although is currently in the city. He will be making a televised address regarding the signing of new laws at a later point.
http://rt.com/news/kiev-clashes-rioters-police-571/
22/2/14
A total of 3477 national political representatives have gathered at the Kharkov regional MPs meeting, figures given by Mikhail Dobkin of the Kharkov regional administration......
ReplyDelete“Despite the fact that around 10 to 25 thousand armed people have currently gathered outside Kiev, we are not here to split up the country. We intend to preserve it.”
Mikhail Margelov, who is Chairman of the Russian Foreign Affairs Council, has also arrived. He was joined by governors from those Ukrainian regions closest to the Russian border.
One MP has said the country is undergoing a coup.
http://rt.com/news/kiev-clashes-rioters-police-571/
22/2/14
Eastern Ukraine rises against Kiev ....
ReplyDeleteSaturday, February 22
12:27 GMT:
“The decisions taken here are positive and concrete. What is important is that everything voiced here was implemented in the interests of the Ukrainian people and the entire Ukraine. What Ukraine needs now is common sense and a survival instinct,” said Evgeny Savchenko, Governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, commenting on the Kharkov gathering.
He added that the turmoil in Ukraine has already hurt residents of his region, who are reluctant to travel to its western neighbor and do business there.
12:25 GMT:
The gathering in Kharkov was attended by about 3,000 representatives of local governments, according to the governor of the Kharkov region, Mikhail Dobkin, one of the key sponsors of the event.
Russia sent several officials in the capacity of observers to the gathering, including Aleksey Pushkov, the head of the Russian parliamentary commission on foreign affairs, Mikhail Markelov, Pushkov’s counterpart in the Council of Federation, the upper chamber of the parliament, and several governors from regions in western Russia.
12:14 GMT:
“The territorial integrity of Ukraine is at risk,” the gathering stated in the resolution.
It added that instability in Ukraine is highly dangerous and may cause unpredictable consequences, considering that the country hosts five nuclear power plants with 15 reactors in total, which some extremists have threatened to attack.
12:08 GMT:
The resent decisions of the national parliament were taken in conditions “of terror, threats of violence and death,” the resolution says. The gathering says the legislative acts may have been passed involuntarily and are neither legitimate nor lawful.
12:08 GMT:
The opposition has broken the agreement with the government signed on Friday, the resolution says.
“Armed gangs have not given over their weapons, they continue taking over governmental buildings, killing citizens and officers of the law,” it says.
11:56 GMT:
The Kharkov public gathering has announced a number of measures local authorities should take in response to the developments in Kiev. They should take full responsibility for all decision in respective regions, with no regard to authorities in Kiev until the constitutional order in Ukraine is restored, a resolution of the gathering says.
The military commanders should take measures to protect arms depots and prevent their take-over and looting by radical opposition activists.
Meanwhile citizens are encouraged to form local militias to protect public order. Local authorities are to fund and support those militias. ......http://rt.com/news/eastern-ukraine-kharkov-gathering-261/
22/2/14
Janukowitsch offenbar zum Rücktritt bereit....
ReplyDeleteIn Kiew ist die Polizei auf die Seite der Maidan-Demonstranten gewechselt. Das Parlament entschied die sofortige Freilassung Timoschenkos. Janukowitsch hat eine Fernsehansprache angekündigt.......http://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article125102242/Janukowitsch-offenbar-zum-Ruecktritt-bereit.html
22/2/14
Situation in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkov worsens...
ReplyDeleteKHARKOV, February 23, (ITAR-TASS) - About 3,000 people have taken part on Saturday in protest rallies in the streets of Kharkov, a city in north-eastern Ukraine, where the situation has worsened over the past few days, the director of the Kharkov city council’s public relations department, Yuri Sidorenko, has told Tass.
“At the present, moment about 3,000 people take part in protest rallies. The main street of the city has been blocked, which has caused huge traffic jams,” he said. “Protesters have destroyed a Cheese Fare Week park that was to be opened on Monday, February 24. Protesters have announced the dismantlement of a monument to Lenin for Sunday,” Sidorenko added.
He said mainly Kharkov residents were taking part in protests, noting that their numerical strength had sizably grown from Friday.
“From February 21, when the opposition won a victory so to say, the number of protesters has grown fivefold,” Sidorenko said.
The situation in the city is tense.
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/720532?utm_medium=rss20
22/2/14