Ukrainian opposition to blockade parliamentary platform until govt dismissed, Tymoshenko freed

The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada's podium will remain blockaded until the opposition's demands are met, Batkivschyna Party's parliamentary faction leader Arseniy Yatseniuk said.

"Our two key demands for the parliament are the government's resignation and the termination of political persecutions and [former Ukrainian Prime Minister] Yulia Tymoshenko's release," Yatseniuk said at a news conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.

The opposition demands the release of nine activists arrested under a ruling by Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court, Yatseniuk said.

Batkivschyna deputy Mykola Tomenko said earlier that the Verkhovna Rada would not work on Wednesday and that the parliamentarians had been unable to reach understanding on the matter. After that, the opposition started hindering the Verkhovna Rada's work.

The Party of Regions said on Tuesday that the parliamentarians were not prepared to make any decisions and suggested starting consultations with the opposition on the Verkhovna Rada's further work.