Tymoshenko protests blur Ukraine celebrations

Ukraine yesterday marked 20 years since it split from the USSR with ceremonies shadowed by sadness over its unfulfilled potential and protests over the arrest of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

The two-decade anniversary of the declaration of independence by its parliament from the USSR on August 24, 1991 was to have been a glittering celebration for the strategic country bordering four EU nations and Russia.

President Viktor Yanukovych took part in a ceremony dedicated to Ukraine’s unity at the statue of Saint Volodymyr overlooking the Dnipro river while local stars performed on Independence Square, the hub of the 2004 Orange Revolution popular uprising. But in a sign of the economically tough times, the authorities scrapped a military parade that was to have marked the day to save over $20 million from the budget.

Meanwhile the proud expressions of unity were threatened by mass protests called by supporters of Ms Tymoshenko, the former prime minister whose arrest earlier this month caused international concern.

A protest movement called the “Committee for Resisting Dictatorship in Ukraine” called for a protest march from the statue of Ukraine’s national poet Taras Shevchenko down Kiev’s main Kreshchatyk avenue.