LB.ua chronicles the latest events in Ukraine in English for foreign readers.

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Ukrainian crisis: January 13

Ukrainian crisis: January 14

8:22. Today the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. Senate will discuss Ukrainian question for the second time in the last two months. The meeting will be led by committee chairman Senator Bob Menendez.

8:38. Petition demanding that the administration of the U.S. President Barack Obama promotes the immediate release of the Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko gathered the necessary 100,000 signatures for its consideration and response on the website of the White House.

8:55. Students of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv announced a termless hunger strike with a demand to withdraw the State inspection of educational institutions of Ukraine, which is conducting unscheduled inspections of Kyiv universities during the period from January 11 to 25.

9:11. Today the Verkhovna Rada will consider the issue of termination of political persecution of officials exceeding their authority.

9:25. Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko urged the Ukrainian people to act.

'A few days ago 'Berkut' brutally beat Yuriy Lutsenko. For obvious reasons I could not react immediately, but in those few days the country once again saw the true face of the current government', says the statement of the opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko in connection with the brutal beating of former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko.

9:49. The opposition has blocked the rostrum and presidium of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

10:20. Prosecutor General of Ukraine has called deputy Anatoly Gritsenko for questioning. He says that most probably it's again on beating people on Kyiv's Independence Square on November 30.

Yesterday he announced his exit from the opposition 'Batkivshchyna' faction.

10:29. Lawmaker Anatoly Gritsenko states that the ruling Party of Regions deputies have begun a written registration for the meeting of Parliament outside the parliament building on January 16.

10:46. The World Bank sees Ukraine as the economic outsider in the region.

According to the WB estimates, the growth rate of the economy of Ukraine in the next three years will be the lowest in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

10:48. The Verkhovna Rada Speaker Volodymyr Rybak opened the morning session of the parliament.

10:50. Five deputies elected in the re-election on December 15 took the oath in the Verkhovna Rada. Only two of them - Leonid Datsenko from GS and Michail Poplawski - managed to read the text of the oath from the rostrum. The rest of tрe deputies were blocked from it by the opposition deputies.

While reading the oath Viktor Pilipishin was sprinkled with buckwheat by the opposition lawmakers. By the end of the reading someone from the audience threw a package with cereal at Pilipishin, and then he threw it back. For this act he came under the 'buckwheat' hail.

11:02. The main Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has put the details of the illegal actions committed by Yulia Tymoshenko's lawyer Sergei Vlasenko in relation to his ex-wife Natalia Okunskaya in the Unified Register of pre-trial investigations.

Sergei Vlasenko has been accused of beating his ex-wife Natalia Okunskaya. Tymoshenko believes the case is politically motivated.

11:03. Ukraine signed an agreement on the organization of gas supplies from Slovakia, said Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Eduard Stavitskyi.

11:21. After a half-hour meeting with the leaders of the parliament factions the Verkhovna Rada Speaker Volodymyr Rybak managed to pass in the presidium, but only in order to close the meeting.

11:25. Newly elected lawmaker Nikolai Kruglov has applied for membership in the ruling Party of Regions.

11:30. The authorities won't allow the former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and the opposition party 'UDAR' leader to take part in the presidential elections in 2015, said 'Batkivshchyna' faction lawmaker Arsen Avakov in an interview to LB.ua.

11:34. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will spend as much money on prisons as on science in 2014.

11:42. Ukraine has the opportunity to sign an Association Agreement with the EU at the beginning of this year. There are no obstacles in finding consensus on the terms of the signing of the document, said Bulgarian eurodeputy Dimitar Stoyanov.

11:46. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's lawyer Sergei Vlasenko believes that the Prosecutor General wants to find the reason for his arrest.

11:59. The Cabinet of Ministers has completed a preliminary assessment of the risks of association with the EU for the Ukrainian economy. According to the Cabinet, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement will harm the agricultural complex, metallurgy, mechanical engineering, electric power and virtually all other sectors, said Prime Minister Nykolai Azarov at a government meeting.

12:17. Prime Minister Nykolai Azarov demands to hold a legal assessment of the facts of the use of children in political actions.

12:40. The State inspection of educational institutions of Ukraine decided to stop organizing and conducting inspections of the winter session in the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv after its students had announced a hunger strike.

12:55. Andrei Nasikovsky, one of the suspects in the brutal beating of journalist Tatiana Chornovol said he's familiar with Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka.

'Prosecutors know I am not guilty', he stated during the hearing of his case.

13:00. Rating of national deputy Petr Poroshenko is growing, particularly among the protesters on Kyiv's Independence Square, because he bears no responsibility and appears before the Maidan activists just at the right moments, while the opposition politicians are present there permanently, said 'Batkivshchyna' faction lawmaker Arsen Avakov in an interview to LB.ua.

13:14. 'Protests taking place in Ukraine against the actions of the government and for the European integration have 'pronounced violent nature', said Minister of Justice Olena Lukash.

In particular the minister has read more than 10 articles of the Penal Code of Ukraine for which, in her opinion, Euromaidan participants and organizers of rallies taking place in Ukraine could be charged.

Thus the police has every right to use force against Euromaidan protesters, she added citing examples from English and German legislation concerning penalties for unauthorized protests.

13:20. In Ukraine - on the background of mass protests - there is intimidation and assault of independent journalists, including employees of 'Radio Liberty' and 'Voice of America', stated the Council on Broadcasting at the U.S. government.

13:35. The European Court of Human Rights refused to consider a petition created by five applicants who claim to Euromaidan activists, that obliges the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to take no action and not to intervene in protests taking place in Ukraine.

14:45. Kyiv District Administrative Court banned protesters from holding events, using speakers and setting scenes in the capital during the period from 8 January to March 8, 2014.

14:58. 'Batkivshchyna' faction lawmaker Gennady Moskal condemned the behaviour of his colleague Anatoly Gritsenko and said he didn't believe his claim that the faction leader Arseny Yatsenyuk had access to the negotiations of 'Berkut' riot police before the violent dispersal of Euromaidan activists on November 30.

16:06. Court has arrested all the property of Vinnytsia regional organization 'Svoboda' leader, one of the coordinators of the local branch of All-Ukrainain 'Maidan' Alexey Furman.

16:24. Unidentified men poured acid on a car of AutoMaidan orhanizer in Zaporozhye Igor Lukashenko.

16:44. Euromaidan activists at Kyiv's Independence Square are afraid that the riot police will storm the Maidan camp this or the following night.

'WARNING: 'Berkut' and internal troops have been pooled to the centre of Kiev again! The Maidan's assault is possible this and the followng night. It's very important to be on the Maidan at night. The more of us - the lower is the probability of violence!', says a statement on 'The Maidan Self Defense' on Facebook.

17:05. A few hours ago police detained Euromaidan activist Denis Susov. He's being held at Golosievskyi district police station in Kyiv.

Police detained Denis in a hostel where he lives. Law enforcement officers wanted him to sign the report on administrative offence on the spot, but the guy refused to sign the protocol and demanded a lawyer. Then he was arrested and taken to the police station.

As far as we know, Denis is accused of writing word 'gang' on a lamppost. Susov is an activist of strike committee of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

17:09. President Viktor Yanukovich believes that the government should work with the parliament to ensure that the state budget will be adopted on Thursday, January 16.

17:24. The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the program of cooperation with the member countries of the Customs Union till 2020.

According to the expectations of the Ministry of Economic Development, this will increase the trade turnover between Ukraine and the Customs Union to 10-15%, and mutual investments - to 15%. 

17:30. The European Union Ambassador to Ukraine Ian Tombinski met with AutoMaidan activists.

AutoMaidan representatives informed Tombinski about their current activities, as well as the challenges they and their civilian movement face because of the authorities. They also stressed a selective application of justice. The EU ambassador thanked the activists for their civic position and welcomed their support of Ukraine's European integration.

17:53. Students of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv ended their hunger strike after еhe State inspection of educational institutions of Ukraine had decided to stop organizing and conducting inspections of the winter session in this university.

18:17. Kyiv Prosecutor's Office acknowledged 27 journalists as the victims during the assault of the Presidential Administration on Bankova Street on December 1. LB.ua photojournalist Maxim Levin, affected by a stun grenade, wasn't on the list.

19:05. Kharkov mayor Gennady Kernes said he would support the 'people's initiative' to hold a nationwide referendum on the abolition of the immunity of deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, reducing their number and providing voters with a right to recall lawmakers.

19:24. The EU Ambassador to Ukraine Ian Tombinski warned the Ukrainian authorities from using force against Euromaidan protesters. 

19:57. The Interior Ministry says ´that police has no plans to disperse Euromaidan protesters on Kyiv's Independence Square.

20:14. A column of the police buses has driven to the building of the Cabinet of Ministers on Hrushevskoho street in Kyiv.

Earlier on Wednesday it was reported that riot police is preparing for Euromaidan camp dispersal. The opposition leaders called on the people of Kyiv to come to Kyiv's Independence Square in order to prevent the dispersal.

20:32. Because of the information about possible nocturnal attempt to disperse Euromaidam protesters' tent camp on Independence Square, the camp has strengthen its security measures.

21:00. Maintaining Euromaidan on Kyiv's Independence Square costs about half a million hryvnia per day ($60.5 thousand), said 'Batkivshchyna' faction lawmaker Arsen Avakov in an interview to LB.ua.

22:00. The U.S. State Department is considering the possible use of personal sanctions against the Ukrainian authorities, said Deputy Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland at a hearing of the situation in Ukraine in the Senate.

22:42. The U.S. Senator John McCain at a hearing in the Senate on the issue of Ukraineexplained that Euromaidan activists holds rallies because they aren't satisfied with the privileged position of people close to the government and President Viktor Yanukovich.

22:54. According to Euromaidan activists, there are about 50 thousand people at Kyiv´s Independence Square at the moment and people keep coming.

23:24. The U.S. State Department will focus on ensuring fair and transparent presidential elections in Ukraine in 2015, said Deputy Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland at a hearing in the US Senate.

23:50. 'Batkivshchyna' faction lawmaker Gennady Moskal named a suspect in the violent dispersal of Euromaidan activists on the night of November 30, who gave 'Berkut' riot police an order to use force against the protesters.

According to Moskal, it is one of the police chiefs, Oleg Marinenko.