KIEV, February 16 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian protesters started evacuating the capital's city hall Sunday after occupying the key building for nearly more than two months, an official said.
The evacuation of the Kiev city hall, which became the headquarters of the major anti-government protest in Ukraine since early December, comes after authorities freed all demonstrators who had been detained since the unrest erupted.
Protesters also unblocked Gruskevsky Street in Kiev, the scene of the most violent clashes, and other government buildings, which they had to vacate by Monday as part of the amnesty deal, opposition politician Arsen Avakov said.
Volodymyr Makeyenko, the head of the Kiev city state administration, said the talks with the opposition were constructive and a compromise was reached that demonstrators would vacate the building to allow city authorities to resume their work.
“This is the first step towards settling the political crisis and signals that the Ukrainian opposition seeks a peaceful agreement,” Makeyenko said. He thanked the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for acting as a mediator at talks.
Protests erupted across the country after President Viktor Yanukovych rejected an association agreement with the European Union at the last minute in November, and instead signed a deal for Ukraine to receive $15 billion in aid from Russia.
The demonstrations initially vented anger at the abandoned trade deal, but quickly turned into a broad anti-government protest movement.
