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Riot police try to remove a barricade held by protesters on Independence Square in Kyiv early on December 11.
Riot police try to remove a barricade held by protesters on Independence Square in Kyiv early on December 11.

Live Blog: Kyiv Protesters Dig In

Updated
Final Wrapup (Barring major events)

-- EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said after an afternoon meeting that President Viktor Yanukovych pledged to her that "something should be done in the course of the next 24 hours."

-- Yanukovych then announced he had invited the opposition to participate in dialogue. He added that Ukrainian authorities would "act only within the law and never use force against peaceful assemblies."

-- Opposition parties have rejected negotiations unless all of their demands are met. UDAR leader Vitali Klitschko said the overnight crackdown on December 10-11 meant that "Yanukovich closed off the path to any kind of compromise."

-- Early on December 11, about 10 hours after police first began to clear Independence Square and other protest sites in Kyiv overnight, police withdrew from those locations. People have returned to Independence Square and are rebuilding barricades.

-- Former Interior Minister and Yulia Tymoshenko ally Yuriy Lutsenko announced that the next major rally in the capital was planned for December 13 and urged people to come to Independence Square.

-- Prime Minister Mykola Azarov announced that Ukraine was requesting 20 billion euros in financial aid from the European Union to help lay the groundwork for an Association Agreement.

-- U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland went personally to Independence Square to hand out food to riot police and protesters, then met with President Viktor Yanukovych and said the United States believed it was still possible to save Ukraine's "European future." Secretary of State John Kerry had said earlier that he was "disgusted" by the government's overnight actions in Kyiv. A State Department spokesperson said all options, including sanctions, were on the table.

Glenn Kates and RFE/RL editors
11:12 11.12.2013
More dramatic images from today:

Udar party leader Vitali Klitschko (R) and other antigovernment protesters defend a barricade at Independence Square.
Udar party leader Vitali Klitschko (R) and other antigovernment protesters defend a barricade at Independence Square.

An EU flag lies on the ground near riot police occupying Independence Square.
An EU flag lies on the ground near riot police occupying Independence Square.

Riot police storm a barricade at Independence Square.
Riot police storm a barricade at Independence Square.
11:04 11.12.2013
More images coming in from events overnight and this morning.

Battling over a barricade on Independence Square early on December 11.
Battling over a barricade on Independence Square early on December 11.


Occupiers of the Kyiv city hall building use a water hose to keep police at bay.
Occupiers of the Kyiv city hall building use a water hose to keep police at bay.
10:54 11.12.2013
UNIAN news agency reports Ukrainian Heath Minister Rayisa Bogatyrova has told a meeting of cabinet ministers that 476 Euromaidan protesters have sought medical care since November 30. She said a number were diabetics who had forgotten to take their insulin, as well as people suffering the effects of drunkenness and exposure to cold. Bogatyrova also said 84 law enforcement workers and 53 protesters have been hospitalized in that period.
10:46 11.12.2013
RFE/RL Ukrainian Service video of the occupiers of Kyiv city hall spraying security forces with a fire hose to keep them at bay on December 11.

10:37 11.12.2013
Ukraine's Voice of the Capital radio reminds everyone to make a wish today at 2:15 -- i.e., 11/12/13 14:15.


10:26 11.12.2013
UNIAN and apsny.ge are quoting Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) saying it had nothing to do with a reported request that two Georgian journalists in the country to cover the demonstrations leave the country. The SBU statement following a request for an explanation from the chairman of Ukraine's parliamentary commission for freedom of speech, Mykola Tomenko. Georgia's Tabula TV station reported that officers from Ukraine's Security and Immigration Services ordered the two to get out within 24 hours or face deportation. The TV station said the officers accused the journalists of taking part in "mass disturbances," but they refused to present an official written order. Tabula TV has run live coverage from Kyiv of the standoff between police and pro-EU protesters.
10:22 11.12.2013
Our Ukrainian Service reporting that 10 police officers were injured during the overnight and early-morning operations but still no reliable figure on injured protesters.
10:20 11.12.2013
Olha Storozhenko, Miss Ukraine 2013, pouring tea on Independence Square:
10:19 11.12.2013
"Kyiv Post" quotes PM Azarov as saying that "No force will ever be used against peaceful demonstrators. We are talking about clearing the roads to ensure the capital's regular functioning."
10:00 11.12.2013
Nuland off Maidan, now meeting with Yanukovych: presidential press service

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