I went to them and said that if they did not peacefully leave the building, then the whole energy system of Ukraine could collapse,” Stavytsky told Reuters by telephone. He said the protesters left but he had been told they were blocking entry to the building outside. “What is taking place is a direct threat to the whole Ukrainian energy system,” he said. Hundreds of activists have already occupied City Hall and the agricultural ministry, both close to the energy ministry building, in increasingly violent protests against President Viktor Yanukovich’s rule. Big rallies were expected to take place in the center of Kiev this weekend despite promises by Yanukovich to reshuffle the government and promote changes to sweeping anti-protest legislation. Though the protest movement – known as the “EuroMaidan” – is largely peaceful, a hardcore of radicals are now openly battling police away from the main seat of the protest on Independence Square.
Essential Key Strokes 