Police Tried and Failed to Clear Kiev's Independence Square

Following Sunday's massive turnout in Kiev's Independence Square, pro-EU protesters and spectators were braced for a police crackdown. And at lunchtime on Monday, that looked likely – there were alerts that the cops had surrounded the square and were about to strike.

However, it wasn't immediately as bad as all that. The police didn't stop anyone wandering through their barricades, and volunteers actually positioned themselves in front of the police to block any potential provocateurs who might have shown up looking to start trouble. Priests in long black robes also stood at the entrances in an attempt to diffuse the tension.

"Today will be decisive," declared a presenter on the stage, as opposition leaders urged those Ukrainians who are unhappy at their government's reluctance to move towards full EU membership to flock to the Maidan.

The police strike never came, but the authorities did a good job of stressing everybody out. On Monday, three central metro stations – Kheshchatyk, Maidan Nezalezhnosti and Teatralna – were closed to the public, reportedly because someone had called in a bomb alert. In practice, this meant that people wanting to get to the Maidan had to alight at a stop further down the line. This was repeated in the evening and again the next morning, but locals were undeterred. "The authorities thought it would stop old grannies like us from getting to the Maidan," said a woman in her sixties, who had come on foot with a friend. "But we came anyway."

A line of police wearing riot gear in Kiev last night

Tuesday was peaceful. The thermometer had plunged well below zero and protesters were trying to stay warm. In the occupied city hall, a small crowd watched as President Yanukovych met with his three predecessors – Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma and Viktor Yushchenko – to attempt to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, had arrived in Kiev, and that morning pro-government thugs – known locally as titushky – had blocked the entrance to the EU delegation's Kiev HQ. Still, by the evening, Yanukovych was claiming that Ukraine remained committed to its European path. At that point, no one thought that the authorities would lay a finger on the protesters under Ashton's nose.

But last night, they struck. Riot police launched an onslaught after midnight, trying to break through the barricades on Institutska street, leading up to the Maidan. They were resisted by thousands of protesters, but – using chainsaws to cut down barbed wire – the police eventually made it through the barricades into Independence Square. There was a lot of pushing and shoving but ultimately the police backed out of the confrontation, refusing to draw their batons and retreating at some time near dawn.

"I'm still in Kiev. I was among you on Maidan in the evening," Ashton wrote. "The authorities didn't need to act under the coverage of night to engage with the society by using force.” Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed his "disgust" at the police's attempted destruction of what remains an overwhelmingly peaceful protest.

Demonstrators hosing police from an occupied building this morning

At 9AM this morning, the police moved on from the Maidan to the nearby city hall, which has been occupied by protesters since the 1st of December. Everyone was terrified that attempts to remove them by force could have tragic consequences, much like recent attempts to shift protesters in Turkey and Thailand. However, the demonstrators defended the building, hosing police down from an upstairs window and sealing the entrance. Eventually, the police – now covered in ice – gave up and left. The crowd parted to let their buses leave.

The Ukrainian authorities have said last night's events were aimed at easing traffic congestion in the capital. "No force will ever be used against peaceful demonstrators," said Prime Minister Mykola Azarov this morning. Rather, "We are talking about clearing the roads to ensure the capital's regular functioning."

For many, last night's attempts to oust the protesters from the Maidan may signal the beginning rather than the end. According to reports, more people are heading to Kiev from other cities in Ukraine, such as Lviv in the West.

However, the government's tactics remain unpredictable. On Wednesday afternoon, the Ministry of the Interior announced that Kiev's two airports, Borispol and Zhuliany, as well as the central train station, were blocked. The reason? Someone had called in another bomb threat.

Follow Annabelle on Twitter: @AB_Chapman

More from the protests in Kiev:

Ukrainian Protesters Toppled Kiev's Lenin Statue Last Night Opposition Parties and Vitali Klitschko Are Calming Kiev's Protesters A Chat with Our UK News Editor in Kiev