Maidan Community Sector, Lviv: Dear friends,

it has been three months since the confrontation of the President Viktor Yanukovych with the people of Ukraine began. Yesterday the conflict took on a threatening form. Current situation may result in a civil war. Thus we take it upon ourselves to inform you about the events in Ukraine. We will provide you with yet another viewpoint regarding this conflict. We will do our best to remain fair and objective.

Maidan Community Sector, Lviv

On the evening of February 20, after a bloody day in which snipers killed more than 100 protestors (77 confirmed dead) the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed a resolution condemning the violencein Ukraine leading to the deathsof innocent civilians. The resolution was voted for by Opposition deputies and some pro-government deputies, with a total of 236 deputies carrying the measure.

On February 20th the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Poland Laurent Fabius, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Radoslaw Sikorski held tough talks with Victor Yanukovych. The talks went on all night. The Russian ambassador to Ukraine Mikhailo Zurabov and French ambassador Alain Remy were also present at the meeting. The results of the negotiations were not announced in the morning. Talks continue through the day of the 21st of February. The focal point of the talks is a return to the 2004 Constitution, which gives less power to the president, early presidential and parliamentary elections, and an end to the stand-off. An agreement on resolving the crisis is supposed to be signed on February 21st.

The night of the February 20th in Kyiv passed in relative quiet. Snipers ceased killing protestors at 23:00. The government has joined the protestors in the oblasts of Lviv, Zakarpattya, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Volyn, Rivne, Khmelnitsk, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Kyiv, and Poltava. Protests continue in Sumi, Chernihiv, Cherkassy, Kharkiv, Odessa, Dnipropetrovsk, and other oblasts.

The metro in Kyiv began operating again at night on February 20th. Police posts between Kyiv and the western part of the country were removed. The police are slowly joining the people.

On February 20th US Secretary of State John Kerry warned the commanders of the Ukrainian army against having army troops intervene in the conflict between the government and people. The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Army Yuri Dymansky resigned. Protestors are blocking the movement of troops to Kyiv (Dnipropetrovsk).

February 20th the Embassy of Ukraine in the US and ambassador OleksanderMotsik condemned the government’s actions.

On February 21st the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea is scheduled to hold session in which the process of seceding from Ukraine may be begun, reports the Head of the Crimean Tatar People’s Medzhlis, RefatChubarov. The Crimean Tatars are in favour of unity with Ukraine.

On February 20-21 members of the government along with Party of Regions deputies and their families, have been leaving Ukraine on charter flights.

Persecution of protestors continued on February 20thin the South and East of Ukraine. Opposition party offices are being set on fire.

Though Yanukovych agreed to early elections - but at the end of 2014. The opposition does not believe that he is not cheating and not wastes time. Messenger Vladimir Putin does not want to sign a document that summarizes the results of the negotiations of the opposition and foreign ministers of the EU with Yanukovych. Special police hurriedly leaving the area around Verhrovnoyi Council of Ukraine.

Maidan Community Sector, Lviv

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