Protests spread, Ukrainian government loses control in 14/25 provinces

Ukrainian police on January 26 dispersed thousands of protesters who gathered in the southeastern Zaporozhiya region in an attempt to seize the regional government building, a statement said.

A local police statement said the measures had thwarted the plot, which involved 3,000 protesters. Local journalists wrote on Facebook that police used stun grenades and batons to disperse the protesters, leaving several people injured.

Thousands of anti-government protesters occupied Grushevsky Street in central Kiev on January 25. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN)

In recent days, activists have stormed and occupied several regional government buildings in western Ukraine, part of a wave of nationwide protests against the government of President Viktor Yanukovych.

The protests have now spread east, to areas where the leader was once seen as having strong support, a new headache for President Yanukovych.

Opposition supporters have now seized local government offices in 10 cities, meaning that 14 out of 25 Ukrainian provinces have effectively slipped out of central government control./.

According to VNA