Ukraine Protest News and Update: Warrant Issued for Former President Yanukovych's Arrest After He Flees Kiev
The acting government in Ukraine has put out an arrest warrant for their former president.
Interior minister Arsen Avakhov announced on Facebook that Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the country's capital on Saturday, was wanted along with several other officials for their involvement in the deaths of civilian protestors. Over 80 people were killed last week, when political protests ended in bloody conflict between the government and the opposition.
Yanukovych was officially impeached on Sunday, a couple of days after an attempt at a peace deal was met with much discontent among protestors. The deal called for earlier presidential elections, and curbed then president Yanukovych of many of his political powers. It also allowed for the release of former Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, jailed for alleged abuse of office, although many believe her conviction to have been orchestrated by Yanukovych and his supporters.
When the deal was announced at Kiev's central square it was quickly rejected by a majority of protestors. Many viewed Yanukovych as a war criminal, citing his use of government snipers that resulted in dozens of lives lost. Many of Yanukovych's political peers were quick to abandon him as well, and even some police and security officials sided with the opposition.
Yanukovych is rumored to be somewhere in Eastern Ukraine, although his exact whereabouts remain in question. The country's eastern community is far more favorable to the former president, given the large population of ethnic Russians that live there. A great cause of the initial opposition to Yanukovych was his close ties to the Russian government, and his refusal to join the European Union.
Yanukovych has stayed adamant that he is still in charge of the country, but his claims are unsupported by the reality of what's occurring in Ukraine's parliament. The opposition has gained complete control over the central government, causing Yanukovych to renounce his impeachment as a "coup d'état".
It is unclear what steps the country will go in next, with some worried that the eastern population may attempt to breakaway from the rest of the country. Russia has also threatened to intervene, much to the disapproval of the United States.
"The United States is on the side of the Ukrainian people," said National Security Advisor Susan Rice on NBC's Meet the Press. She also warned that for Russia to get involved would be a "grave mistake."
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