Thousands protest in Ukraine over deal with Russia
15:52, 24 April 2010
ASTANA. April 24. KAZINFORM Several thousand Ukrainians are rallying in front of parliament to protest a deal allowing Russia to keep its navy in Ukraine for another 25 years, Kazinform refers to Trend News.
Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko told Saturday's rally that all opposition forces must unite to resist the deal signed earlier this week.
The agreement is the first concrete sign that newly-elected President Viktor Yanukovych will steer Ukraine back into Russia's orbit, reversing his pro-Western predecessor's attempts to decrease Moscow's influence. Russia rewarded Yanukovych by giving the ex-Soviet republic steep discounts for the natural gas on which its industries depend.
Tymoshenko and other opposition leaders said the deal amounted to ceding control over the nation's territory, Kazinform cites Trend News. See www.en.trend.az