Ukrainians Gather for First New Year Rally in Kiev

KIEV, January 5 (RIA Novosti) – Several thousand people gathered Sunday in downtown Kiev for the first opposition rally of the new year.

The rally at the Independence Square comes despite earlier announcement by the opposition that there would be no protest actions because of the Christmas holidays.

Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko called on protesters Sunday to stage a nationwide strike. “We will not step back until we are heard,” he said.

Activists have also urged politicians and regular viewers to boycott the Inter TV channel over what they say is biased coverage of protests in Kiev.

Mass protests in downtown Kiev have been ongoing since Ukraine stunned Europe on November 21 by announcing that it would indefinitely postpone the signing of association and trade deals with the European Union, opting instead to strengthen ties with the Moscow-led Customs Union.

The rallies, initially pro-European, took a more radical turn after riot police violently cleared downtown Kiev’s Independence Square on November 30.