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A portrait of slain separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko hangs outside the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theatre on September 2.
A portrait of slain separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko hangs outside the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theatre on September 2.
Ukraine Live Blog

Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

-- EDITOR'S NOTE: We have started a new Ukraine Live Blog as of September 3, 2018. You can find it here.

-- Tens of thousands of people gathered on September 2 in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine to mourn a top rebel leader who was recently killed in a bomb attack.

-- Prominent Ukrainian historian Mykola Shityuk has been found dead in his home city of Mykolaiv, police said on September 2.​

-- Ukraine says it has imprisoned the man it accused of being recruited by Russia’s secret services to organize a murder plot against self-exiled Russian reporter and Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko.

-- Ukraine and Russia are trading blame for the killing of a top separatist leader in eastern Ukraine.

-- Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the head of the head of the breakaway separatist entity known as the Donetsk People’s Republic, was killed in an explosion at a cafe in Donetsk on August 31.

-- The United States is ready to widen arms supplies to Ukraine to help build up the country's naval and air defense forces in the face of continuing Russian support for eastern separatists, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine told The Guardian.

-- The spiritual head of the worldwide Orthodox Church in Istanbul has hosted Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill for talks on Ukraine's bid to split from the Russian church, a move strongly opposed by Moscow.

*Time stamps on the blog refer to local time in Ukraine

12:42 5.12.2017

12:43 5.12.2017

12:45 5.12.2017

12:49 5.12.2017

12:56 5.12.2017

A gallery of images from the Saakashvili fracas:

In Kyiv, Dramatic Scenes As Saakashvili Detained, Then Freed After Supporters Confront Police

Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia, ex-governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, and opponent of Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, shouts to supporters from the roof of the apartment building where he had been staying. 
1/12 Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia, ex-governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, and opponent of Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, shouts to supporters from the roof of the apartment building where he had been staying. 
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
Saakashvili being hauled out of the apartment in Kyiv at around 7 a.m. on December 5
2/12 Saakashvili being hauled out of the apartment in Kyiv at around 7 a.m. on December 5
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
Police force Saakashvili into a police van. The official reason given for his arrest was that he was "plotting" against the Ukrainian authorities with the help of allies financed by exiled former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
3/12 Police force Saakashvili into a police van. The official reason given for his arrest was that he was "plotting" against the Ukrainian authorities with the help of allies financed by exiled former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
Supporters of Saakashvili clash with police as the number of protesters swells. 
4/12 Supporters of Saakashvili clash with police as the number of protesters swells. 
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
National Guard troops join in the scuffles near the apartment. 
5/12 National Guard troops join in the scuffles near the apartment. 
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
A woman attacks police as they attempt to clear the way for a police van holding Saakashvili. 
6/12 A woman attacks police as they attempt to clear the way for a police van holding Saakashvili. 
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
Saakashvili supporters clash with National Guard officers in Kyiv. The numbers of protesters swelled quickly after an associate of Saakashvili published the address of the apartment the police stormed. 
7/12 Saakashvili supporters clash with National Guard officers in Kyiv. The numbers of protesters swelled quickly after an associate of Saakashvili published the address of the apartment the police stormed. 
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
As the van neared Kyiv’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square -- the focal point of the deadly 2014 Euromaidan protests -- protesters were able to block the van's passage. 
8/12 As the van neared Kyiv’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square -- the focal point of the deadly 2014 Euromaidan protests -- protesters were able to block the van's passage. 
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
Tear gas or pepper spray being used against protesters during the standoff. 
9/12 Tear gas or pepper spray being used against protesters during the standoff. 
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
Protesters stack paving stones as the standoff grows. 
10/12 Protesters stack paving stones as the standoff grows. 
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
Saakashvili's supporters move paving stones during a standoff with police in Kyiv on December 5.
11/12 Saakashvili's supporters move paving stones during a standoff with police in Kyiv on December 5.
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
Saakashvili surrounded by his supporters after being freed from police detention
12/12 Saakashvili surrounded by his supporters after being freed from police detention
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him. Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
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