10:03 – Verkhovna Rada Opens Parliamentary Session
Ukrayinska Pravda:
As the Parliament opens the session on Saturday, more members of the Party of Regions leave its ranks.
10:15 – Parliament Speaker Resigns
Ukrayinska Pravda:
Volodymyr Rybak, Head of the Verkhovna Rada, filed his resignation. So did First Deputy Speaker, Igor Kalyetnik.
10:32
President’s Residence Open to Visitors:
Mezhyhyria, the country mansion of President Viktor Yanukovych is open for visitors, according to 5 Kanal.
Thus, the journalists could come up to the estate without any problems. The guards let them in and showed them around. Meanwhile, they are not aware where Yanukovych has gone.
Around the entrance to grounds
[Expect a detailed photo report of the palace and grounds…]
11:08 – Verkhovna Rada Registers IMPEACHMENT BILL
11:39 – Hanna Herman Promises President Will Sign the Laws
Hanna Herman gave us her “honest word”, that the President will sign the bills approved by the Parliament. It is interesting to know how she came into possession of this “honest word?” Has she not given her “honest word” before? Or maybeshe just borrowed it from the President before he disappeared? To remember him by?
11:49 – Delegations from Donetsk, Kharkiv and Sevastopol Arriving at Kharkiv Congress…
There are delegations from Donetsk, Kharkiv and Sevastopol regions in Kharkiv today. While waiting for the Congress to start, the participants were entertained by the songs of Vladimir Vysotsky [Soviet singer]. The delegates, Maidan protesters, and Berkut riot police came to the Kharkiv Congress.
12:12 – …But No One Expects Yanukovych There Anymore
12:27 – Resignation of Speaker and Deputy Speaker Accepted
12:28 – Ministry of Internal Affairs Declares – GLORY TO UKRAINE
In this difficult moment in the new history of Ukraine, we, the personnel of the Interior Ministry emphasize that we exclusively serve the Ukrainian people and completely share their desire for immediate changes. We bow our heads to honor the gracious memory of the fallen. We are confident that in order to honor their memory appropriately, we must not allow the tragedy of fratricide, we must preserve the state conciliarism of Ukraine, ensure the national reconciliation of all the people, protect their health and livelihood, and guarantee their safe existence. The transition to the Parliamentary-Presidential form of government must not result in chaos or put our society into turmoil and tyranny. The police is asking Ukrainian people to collectively work on maintaining public order in the county, and to ensure that the law enforcement infrastructure which was created over the years and will always be necessary to protect Ukrainian prople from illegal attacks, remains intact. Let us unite our efforts in creating a truly independent, democratic, lawful and European country!
Glory to Ukraine!
12:48 – While Parliament Talks Coalition, Maidan Cleans Mariyinskiy Park
12:46 – Maidan Self-Defense Calls Ukrainians to Order
Andriy Levus:
Looting, pseudo-radical hooliganism, vandalism – are enemies of the Ukrainian revolution. Only coordination, only careful thinking and considered steps will help us save the country from chaos. For the same reason, Maidan Self-Defense took under its control and protection government facilities in Kyiv and many other oblasts. We have before us new challenges – building a new Ukraine, and its first days are to show, that here there is rule of order, peace and security for our citizens. We urge radical protesters to refrain from attempting to destroy property and administrative and law enforcement buildings and agencies – all of these are under Ukrainian ownership which needs a new Ukrainian government. We encourage people to create local Self-Defense units, and for existing ones to coordinate with the Headquarters of Maidan Self-Defense.
Deputy Head of Maidan Self Defense, Andrew Levus
13:00 – Amazing Scenes in Kharkiv
Juri Maloverjan:
“Зека – геть!” [Out with the thug!] – chants the Kharkiv Maidan. They are right next to the “anti-Maidan.” And they do not disperse or beat them.
13:10 – Turchynov appointed Ukrainian parliament speaker
Batkivshchyna MP Oleksandr Turchynov has been appointed chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. A total of 288 deputies voted for such a decision on Saturday. Independent MP Petro Poroshenko was also nominated for this post, but he withdrew his candidacy in favor of Turchynov.
13:12 – 2004 CONSTITUTION REINSTATED
13:18 – Meanwhile, in Mezhyhirya, Activists Rescue Ledgers From Lake
In Mezhyhirya, they fished out Yanukovych’s “black accounts” from the Dnieper River.
As the correspondent from Ukrainian Pravda [Truth] reported, activists are gathering them to be able to disclose them. Among the documents is information about additional payments to employees of DPS [Road Patrol Service of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, MIA]. Activists were taking documents similar to the accounting “black books” of the “family” out of the water at Mezhyhiya. As an employee of UDO who had remained at Mezhyhirya reported, – Major Bilous – the last helicopter rose from the territory of Mezhyhirya 2 days ago.
Thus he says, in the last few days vehicles were very actively leaving Mezhyhirya. Bilous did not specify whether these were freight or passenger cars.
13:33 – ‘WANTED POSTERS’ of Journalist Tetyana Chornovol in Mezhyhirya
Files on many other journalists were also found at Mezhyhirya:
VIDEO: Drone-cam overview of Yanukovych’s Mezhyhirya Estate:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klb-T8XVOJY]13:21 – Police express support for Ukrainian people (Ukrinform)
The personnel of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry has announced their support for Ukrainians’ aspirations for democratic change and proposed uniting efforts to build “a truly independent state,” according to an address by the personnel of law enforcement agencies to Ukrainians, which was released on the ministry’s website.
“In this difficult time of Ukraine’s modern history the personnel of law enforcement agencies emphasizes that they serve only the Ukrainian people and fully share the aspirations of citizens for speedy changes. We bow our heads before the bright memory of those dead,” reads the document.
Law enforcement officers said they were confident that the worthy honoring of those dead would be “preventing the tragedy of fratricide, maintaining unity in our state, preserving national reconciliation for all citizens, and protecting their health and lives, secure living.”
The police also urged citizens to maintain law and order and prevent the destruction of law enforcement infrastructure. “Let’s unite our efforts in the creation of a truly independent legal democratic European state,” reads the statement.
13:36 PARLIAMENT expressed distrust of former Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka
Ukrinform: The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, has expressed no confidence in Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka, a decision supported by 247 parliamentarians on Saturday.
Newly-elected Rada Chairman Oleksandr Turchynov announced at the session that Pshonka had been away from Kyiv for several days.
Turchynov said before the voting that the Rada had addressed the heads of executive government bodies, including Pshonka, to be at the Rada on Saturday, but none of the acting Cabinet Ministers did so.
13:40 – Avakov appointed acting Ukrainian interior minister
Opposition member of parliament Arsen Avakov has been appointed acting interior minister, in charge of the nation’s police forces.
Ukrinform: Batkivshchyna MP Arsen Avakov has been appointed acting Ukrainian interior minister. A total of 275 MPs voted for this decision on Saturday.
13:42 – And the Lenin monuments continue to come down
Today in Ukrainian cities, more than a dozen statues of Lenin took nose dives in front of cheering crowds: in Malyni in Berdychevi in Zhytomyri (3) Korostyshiv, Lyubari Zhytomyrsk region, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Chernigov, Vinnitsa, Khmelnitsky … see map:
14:12 – Ukrainian parliament votes to release Tymoshenko from prison
The Verkhovna Rada on Saturday adopted resolution No. 4166 on the implementation of Ukraine’s international obligations regarding the release of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, which envisages the ex-premier’s release from prison.
A total of 322 MPs voted for this decision on Saturday.
“The Verkhovna Rada… orders to immediate release Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko, born in 1960, who was convicted by the verdict of the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv of October 11, 2011,” reads the document.
The resolution, which takes effect upon its approval, also foresees an appeal to the Ukrainian president to immediately, after adoption by the Verkhovna Rada, sign the law introducing amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine on the introduction in national legislation of the provisions of Article 19 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
Eugene Timoshenko crying on the balcony of Parliament after MPs voted for the immediate release of Yulia.
Verkhovna Rada adopts bill on preventing signs of separatism
Ukrinform: Ukrainian MPs have supported a bill on preventing manifestations of separatism and other encroachments on Ukraine’s national security. Deputy Parliament Speaker Ruslan Koshulynsky said this at a parliament meeting on Saturday.
A total of 319 MPs voted for bill No. 4183 on preventing manifestations of separatism and other encroachments on Ukraine’s national security. The law takes effect from February 25, 2014
15:29 – MEPs fly out to Ukraine
An official delegation of the European Parliament left for Kyiv on Saturday, the EP’s press service told a Ukrinform correspondent in Brussels.
“An official delegation of twelve MEPs is travelling to Kyiv on Saturday afternoon to meet with counterparts in the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) and discuss future assistance,” reads the statement. The delegation, headed by European People’s Party member Elmar Brok and deputy of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Ana Gomes, will stay in Kyiv for two days.
16:31 – Yanukovych calls events in Ukraine a coup
Ukrinform: Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has described recent events in Ukraine as a coup, in an interview with the UBR television channel.
“This is an example of a coup,” Yanukovych said. He said that he had made all steps to stabilize the situation in the country, “but it happened as it happened.”
Yanukovych also described Saturday’s decisions made by the Verkhovna Rada as illegal and therefore intends to apply to representatives of the European Union, who testified an agreement between him and the opposition on the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, which was signed on February 21, so that they ensure its implementation.
19:22 – Ukrainian parliament removes Yanukovych from office, calls early elections
Ukrinform: The Verkhovna Rada has decided to remove Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from office and scheduled early presidential elections for May 25, 2014.
A total of 328 MPs on Saturday voted for a respective resolution on the Ukrainian president restraining himself from the fulfillment of constitutional powers and the scheduling of early presidential elections in Ukraine.
“The document stipulates that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych restrained himself from performing his constitutional powers in an unconstitutional manner,” reads a statement posted on the website of the Verkhovna Rada
19:31 – Ex-Ukrainian premier Tymoshenko freed
Ukrinform: Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has left the territory of Ukrzaliznytsia’s Central Clinical Hospital No. 5 in Kharkiv.
Once her plane landed in Kyiv, a Ukrinform correspondent reported that a motorcade of five cars and a car in which Tymoshenko was travelling, accompanied by her defense lawyers, had left the territory of the hospital for Maidan.
On the Maidan stage, Tymoshenko was sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a bulletproof vest without a hat and with her trademark braid around her head.
She told reporters: “Our whole country can see the sun and sky, because a dictatorship has collapsed today and it has collapsed thanks to the people, not thanks to politicians and diplomats.”
Al Jazeera video coverage:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/02/freed-tymoshenko-addresses-ukraine-protesters-2014222211757264587.html
Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev:
“Considering the fact that Ukraine is working under the government’s resignation, we just wanted to have clarity about its new government, its structure, program, understand whom we are dealing with, who is the partner, whom we provide financial assistance to…”
On Maidan today it was a day of often intense mourning as the fallen heroes of Maidan were brought forward with their grieving families for prayers and funeral processions through the square and streets.
Voices of Ukraine 
Pingback: Maidantranslation: 22. Februar | Silberblick.at