Anti-government protesters in Kiev topple Lenin statue
烏克蘭反政府示威 列寧銅像遭搗毀

A group of anti-government protesters have toppled a statue of Vladimir Lenin in Kiev, to vent their anger toward their government’s decision to seek closer economic ties with Russia instead of the European Union.

The move came after hundreds of thousands held an anti-government rally in Kiev, the biggest protest since the country’ pro-democracy Orange Revolution in 2004. The government’s continued hard-line stance of threatening harsh measures against demonstrators and arresting opposition activists has only fuelled the protests.

In a letter to the crowd read by her daughter, jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko called on protesters to continue their fight. She spoke against holding any talks with the government unless they allow early elections, even though her top ally signalled the day before that talks were possible if the president fires his prime minister.

A much smaller pro-government rally was held dangerously close to the opposition march. Police have cordoned off the two rallies, and no clashes have been reported between the two groups so far.