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The latest breaking news from Ukraine in English

Ukrainian crisis: December 23

The latest events from Maidan.

Ukrainian crisis: December 23
Фото: Макс Левин

LB.ua chronicles the latest events in Ukraine in English for foreign readers. Read previous articles on the topic:

Ukrainian crisis: December 21

Ukrainian crisis: December 22

8:42. The Anti-Maidan protesters demanded money for their service at one of the offices of the Party of Regions on Sunday, December 22.

8:53. In Tores, Donetsk region, Council deputy Vasily Bondarenko beat the man who painted the city centre with the slogans against President Viktor Yanukovich and the ruling Party of Regions.

9:17. A new big stage is being set on Kyiv's Independence Square.

9:33. Euromaidan activists are picketing the building of the Regional Administrative Court of Kyiv, which is considering a lawsuit of individual deputy Yuriy Derevyanko to interior minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko.

9:56. Euromaidan protesters intend to set up tents near the Presidential Administration on December 31, and from 9 January 2014 they'll start an indefinite strike near the PA.

10:22. Former interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko announced an all-Ukrainian disobedience campaign in March 2014.

11:16. Russia may at any time demand from Ukraine to return $15 billion credit, said Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov.

12:17. Euromaidan vigilante groups in Kyiv City State Administration caught criminals who stole several dozen phones, tablets and laptop from the anti-government protesters.

12:18. International human rights organization Amnesty International concluded that the Ukrainian authorities are not able to guarantee the rights of people who peacefully demand change.

Amnesty International documented numerous cases of violence by "Berkut" special forces against opposition protesters during the crackdown on Euromaidan. The organization also documented cases of harassment and intimidation of the applicants who complained of the illegal actions by the police, and reminded of violation of rights of the journalists, who covered the protests. According to Amnesty International, more than 40 journalists were injured, mostly by the police officers.

12:30. 26 Euromaidan protesters and three policemen needed medical assistance on the last weekend.

12:42. The traffic police banned the Auto-Euromaidan activists from driving in columns consisting of more than five vehicles.

13:06. Kyiv District Administrative Court demands the Interior Ministry to show its orders on the basis of which "Berkut" special forces acted on November 30 at Independence Square, on December 1 near the Presidential Administration, and on December 11 at Euromaidan.

13:22. Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs Alexei Pushkov believes that Ukraine refused to sign the Association Agreement with the EU because it would weaken the position of President Yanukovich before the presidential election in 2015.

13:40. The participants of the rally organized by the ruling Party of Regions intend to create a public organization "Plaza union".

13:44. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine assessed the benefits of postponement of signing the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement at $5 billion.

14:09. The opposition offered to halve the number of the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Currently in Ukraine there are 357,700 policemen.

14:22. The Verkhovna Rada Speaker Vladymyr Rybak acknowledged that the government has not learned to talk to Ukrainians, and the system of the government's communication with the people requires some major adjustments.

14:32. The opposition offered to reduce the duration of the parliamentary vacation.

14:46. International human rights organization Transparency International recognized Ukraine as the European leader in the distribution of corruption.

15:10. The coordinators of the National Resistance headquarters ask President Viktor Yanukovich to expedite the signing of the law for exemption from prosecution of all opposition activists detained during the peaceful protests in Kyiv.

15:20. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich "plays well" with Russia and the EU to get the maximum benefit, said first president of post-communist Poland Lech Walesa.

16:32. The opposition expects that around one million Ukrainians will celebrate the New Year on Maidan.

16:44. Lutsk residents staged a rally at the building of the local Prosecutor's Office to stop the persecution of the Maidan activists in the Volyn region. Six criminal cases against opposition activists have been opened by now.

16:49. The threat of financial bankruptcy of Ukraine has nothing to do with the Association Agreement and the EU is ready to continue to assist Ukraine financially, said European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule.

17:00. 'Russians are angered with $15-billion help to Ukraine', said prominent Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin, commenting on the agreements signed in Moscow on December 17.

17:19. For today the Euromaidan fund gets about 250-300 thousand UAH ($30-36 thousand) per day from sympathetic citizens. This, however, does not cover Euromaidan needs.

17:48. 'Protests in Russia and Ukraine have fundamental differences', said prominent Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin in an exclusive comment to LB.ua. He said that Ukrainians understand that if they want 'to achieve systemic change, fundamental shifts', going on the street just once is not enough.

'You need to stand, to repel the attacks, insist on their demands, etc. Because the scheme 'come out once - split' does not work, the government does not take it seriously', he said, adding that the urban middle class in Russia hasn't yet understood it.

18:13. President Viktor Yanukovich signed the Law "On elimination of negative impacts and prevention of the prosecution and punishment in connection with the events that took place during the peaceful assemblies", thus closing all criminal proceedings and releasing from criminal responsibility now and in the future all the participants of the peaceful assemblies, which took place from 21 November till today.

19:07. A group of Ukrainian lawmakers offered to ban the imposition of the state of emergency at a time of peaceful mass demonstrations.

20:07. Euromaidan in Kiev announced a week of general cleaning.

21:28. The Ukrainian authorities are increasing their pressure on students in order to ban them from participating in the Maidan protest. Thus, university rectors massively issue directives or orders, in accordance with which even a single missed lecture may serve as a ground for expulsion of students from the university.

Read next: Ukrainian crisis: December 24

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