Ukrainian lawmakers scuffle in Kiev’s Parliament hall during parliamentary debate on the ratification of a Russian-Ukrainian agreement extending the presence of the Russian navy in Ukraine until 2042. The agreement was signed by Russian and Ukrainian Presidents in Kharkiv last week. The parliament ratified the agreement with 236 votes in favor.
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The Kremlin’s influence has surged in Ukraine since the election victory of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, infuriating Ukrainians who resent Moscow’s influence and inflaming the violent passions that plague the politics of the former Soviet republic.
REUTERS
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The controversy over the home port for the Russian Black Sea Fleet has been one of the most emotionally fraught consequences of the breakup of the Soviet Union.
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Ukrainian nationalists who resented Moscow’s long dominance of their land regarded the Russian fleet’s presence as tantamount to military occupation. Former pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko had vowed that the fleet’s lease of the port would not be renewed when it expired in 2017.
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Lawmakers in the former Soviet republic punched one another, threw eggs and set off smoke bombs in Ukraine’s parliament during the brawl.
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Opposition parliament members threw eggs at speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn as he opened the session, forcing him to be shielded by black umbrellas. Two smoke bombs were set off and deputies shouted about the squeal of a smoke alarm.
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Guards shield parliament speaker Volodymr Lytvyn from eggs being thrown by opposition lawmakers.
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Security servicemen protect Ukrainian parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn from eggs being hurled at him in parliament’s hall.
EPA
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Two smoke bombs were set off and deputies shouted about the squeal of a smoke alarm.
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Smoke bombs fill the session hall.
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The extension ultimately passed with 236 votes in the 450-member parliament, but opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko vowed it wouldn’t last.
EPA
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“Today is a black page in the history of Ukraine’s independence. Sevastopol is the first step. The next one will be the Crimea,” opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko told reporters. “Parliament ratified this agreement on a treacherous path. We will change it as soon as we return to power,” she said.
REUTERS
