Protesters capture Kyiv city hall, storm presidential staff

Protesters gathered in downtown Kyiv captured the City Hall today and stormed the residence of the presidential staff, Russia's private Dozhd TV channel reports on Sunday.

The uprising started after President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the associate membership agreement with the European Union. Tensions increased after the police broke up an opposition rally on Maydan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square). The police violence has already been condemned by country's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, the Prosecutor General, the EU and the US.

The Ukrainian opposition demands early presidential and parliamentary elections.

Several members of the ruling Party of Regions have already left the party and joined the opposition. If their number reaches 20 or 30 people, it will mean that the government has lost the parliament's support, Dozhd cites famous journalist Yevgeny Kiselyov as saying.