Protesters weary of Ukrainian president's concessions

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's announcement Friday that he would convene Parliament to re-shuffle the government and amend non-democratic legislation did not appease protesters.

Opposition leaders relayed the president's offered concessions on Friday and asked the assembled protesters whether they wanted to withdraw from negotiations with Yanukovych, a question that was answered in cheers.

There is weariness about the sincerity of the offered concessions, with speculation that the special parliamentary session will be used not to amend specific legislation but rather to enact a state of emergency that would grant expanded powers to the presidency.

Weariness increased with the presidency's announcement that Yanukovych had promoted Andriy Kliuyev as his chief of staff. The opposition considered Kliuyev responsible for attacks against protesters.

Protesters extended their occupied area on Friday by seizing the Agriculture Ministry and fortified their rally sites with barricades. While Kiev has been the main site of protests since they began in November, Ukrainians rallied around the country this week, demanding local administrations support the opposition or resign.

Protests began in November 2013 following Yanukovych's announcement that Ukraine would not join the EU. Pro-EU rallies have continued since November, with protesters voicing opposition to Ukraine's economic ties to Russia and demanding the removal of the government.

Violence escalated this week when three protesters were killed and more than 1,700 people injured between Monday and Wednesday. Two of the protesters were shot to death, allegedly by police. A third person's body, reportedly bearing signs of torture, was found in a forest outside Kiev. That activist was believed to have been abducted days earlier.

[Wall Street Journal] [Interfax Ukraine News Agency] [The Telegraph]