Newlyweds Mikhail and Margarita Nakonechniy kiss in front of barricades on Independence Square in a gesture of support for pro-Europe activists in Kiev, Ukraine, on Saturday, December 21. Protesters have poured into the streets of the Ukrainian capital, angered by their government's move away from the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.
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Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- Protests continued into the night Monday in Kiev as opposition leaders urged the swelling crowds to stand together and call for the resignation of President Victor Yanukovich.
Angry about the government's U-turn away from integration with Europe, Ukraine is seeing its biggest demonstrations since the Orange Revolution nine years ago.
On Monday protesters took over some government offices and -- braving cold weather while waving flags and chanting against the government -- converged on Kiev's Independence Square and surrounding streets, setting up tents and blocking traffic, in response to an opposition call for a nationwide strike over Yanukovich's switch toward Russia.
Ukrainian boxer Vitaly Klitschko, one of the three leaders of the opposition party, told the crowd: "I alone cannot do a thing. The three of us together won't be able to make a difference. But when we are 10, 20, 30, a hundred, 100,000, a million, they (the government) won't be able to do anything."
On Monday evening, Yanukovich finally spoke, telling reporters that he supports a peaceful resolution to the "questions brought on by our citizens."
But he had a stern warning for his opposition.
"As for the politicians participating in this, I consider any radicalization of the political process will only have negative consequences," he said. "And using civil rallies with the aim of radicalization is always a mistake and someone must always carry political responsibility."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, dismissed the protests Monday, saying they are unrelated to Ukraine's turn away from the European Union. He called them reminiscent of a "pogrom" rather than a revolution and an effort by the opposition to destabilize the government, according to Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti.
"These actions are, in my opinion, prepared not in view of current events, but for the 2015 election campaign," Putin said.
Echoes of the Orange Revolution
Ukraine's Orange Revolution in late 2004 was a massive populist movement that booted Yanukovich, then Prime Minister, from office.
This time, the protesters say they want Yanukovich out for good.
"There is no turning back, we have reached the point of no return," protester Sergey Vysotsky told CNN. "Now the whole future is in the hands of those people," the demonstrators.
What started out late last month as demonstrations against Yanukovich's decision not to sign a landmark trade deal with the European Union has ballooned into something much larger. Demonstrators say they will stop at nothing short of new parliamentary and presidential elections.
"This is not a protest. This is a revolution," protest leader Yuri Lutsenko, told a crowd of thousands who packed Independence Square .
"Revolution! Revolution!" the crowd chanted.
The government, however, isn't going down without a fight.
The peaceful Sunday rally took a turn when demonstrators tried to push through barricades at the President's administration building using a bulldozer. They were met with stun grenades and tear gas.
Then, after dark, the batons came out; police chased and beat protesters.
Dozens were hurt on both sides. The National Union of Journalists said 40 journalists were injured during the protests.
Kiev police chief resigns after riot police violence
How it began
At the heart of the protests is Ukraine's about-turn after a year of insisting that it was intent on signing a historic political and trade agreement with the European Union.
The deal, the EU's "Eastern Partnership," was aimed at creating closer political ties and generating economic growth among the nations of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, including Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus.
On November 21, Yanukovich's government decided to suspend talks with the EU, angering Ukrainians.
The agreement with the EU would have opened borders to trade, and set the stage toward modernization and inclusion, they said.
Why Yanukovich backpedaled
Yanukovich had his reasons for backpedaling on the deal. Chief among them was Russia's opposition to it.
Russia threatened its neighbor with trade sanctions and steep gas bills if it forged ahead.
If Ukraine didn't, and instead joined a Moscow-led Customs Union, it would get deep discounts on natural gas, Russia said.
There also was a second reason -- a more personal one.
Yanukovich also was facing a key EU demand that he was unwilling to meet: Free former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his bitter political opponent. The Orange Revolution that swept him from office also swept Tymoshenko to power.
Two years ago, she was found guilty of abuse of office in a Russian gas deal and sentenced to seven years in prison in a case widely seen as politically motivated. Her supporters say she needs to travel abroad for medical treatment.
Yanukovich "has decided it's more important to keep Tymoshenko in prison than to integrate Ukraine closer toward Europe," said David Kramer of Freedom House, a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization.
"He has left his country vulnerable to Vladimir Putin's threats and pressure," he said. That legacy will belong to Yanukovich "if he doesn't reverse course."
What happens next
Volodymyr Rybak, speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, called for roundtable discussions, according to his media service. But rather than running out of steam, the protests seem to be swelling.
Some demonstrators are even traveling from far away to reach the capital.
"The reason (for going to Kiev) is very simple: to stand up, today, for ourselves and for those young people, women, who went to Maidan (Independence Square)," Andriy Kornat told Reuters.
Kornat arranged for protesters to travel to Kiev from Lviv, more than 300 miles away on the other side of the country.
Mindful that violence will only beget more violence, Klitschko, one of the protest leaders, urged for calmer heads to prevail.
"We should not be provoked. There are a lot of provocateurs," he said at his Sunday speech at Independence Square. "We can change the power in a civilized way."
On Monday, protesters listened to opposition leader speeches and music as they staged their demonstration. Traffic was limited around the city center, but it was difficult to evaluate how much support the opposition's call for a general strike was receiving.
At a news conference, opposition leaders, who want to oust the Cabinet in a confidence vote in parliament, said they are demanding early presidential and parliamentary elections.
"That's a key demand not only from the Ukrainian opposition, but from the entire Ukrainian nation," said Arseniy Yatsenyuk, leader of the Motherland opposition party.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour interviewed Yatsenyuk and asked if the massive protests now taking place would be an "Orange Revolution Two."
"It's like a legacy of the Orange Revolution," he said. "Due to the Orange Revolution, people have the spirit of freedom in my country."
The European Union, Yatsenyuk said, was "very clear" that signing a trade deal would not be an auction.
"You can't sell the country to the European Union or to Russia," he said. "This is the way how to reform the country."
How the government will respond
Ukrainian Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko apologized for the government's response Sunday, saying riot police abused their power. Kiev's police chief resigned.
But Zakharchenko also had a warning for the protesters.
"If there are calls for mass disturbances," he said, "then we will react to this harshly."
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called on Ukrainian authorities to respect the freedom to demonstrate but also called on the protesters to show restraint.
"We hope the dialogue will continue, that calm will be respected so we can address these issues in a way that is good for Ukraine and for all of us here," he said.
Journalist Victoria Butenko reported from Kiev and CNN's Marie-Louise Gumuchian from London. CNN'S Jessica King and Jonathan Mann also contributed from Atlanta.
Protesters fill Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday, December 17.
A girl wearing a traditional Ukrainian wreath attends an opposition rally in Independence Square on December 17.
A young girl stands next to police officers guarding the presidential offices in central Kiev on December 17.
Protesters sit behind wood bricks in Independence Square on December 17. Written on the bricks are names of Ukrainian settlements whose inhabitants are taking part in the demonstrations.
Flowers are stuck on barriers in front of Ukrainian Interior forces guarding Kiev's administrative district on December 17.
Pro-EU activists march in Kiev on December 17.
Pro-EU activists stand guard at barricades guarding a heavily fortified tent camp in Independence Square on December 17.
Activists warm themselves beside a bonfire as they guard barricades at Independence Square on Monday, December 16.
Pro-EU activists cook during a rally in Independence Square on Sunday, December 15.
U.S. Sens. John McCain, center, and Chris Murphy, right, join Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko during a mass rally at Independence Square on December 15. McCain told protesters seeking closer ties with Europe, "The free world is with you, America is with you."
An estimated 200,000 pro-EU activists gather during a rally in Independence Square on December 15.
People sing, shout slogans and wave Ukrainian and EU flags during a mass rally in Independence Square on December 15.
Pro-EU activists wave flags around the monument to the founders of Kiev during a rally in Independence Square on December 15.
A couple of pro-EU activists share a tender moment at a tent camp in Kiev on December 15.
Pro-EU activists, one waving the EU flag, gather during a rally in Kiev on December 15.
Smoke rises as Ukrainian protesters continue their anti-government demonstrations in Independence Square on December 15.
A protester shouts slogans and waves a flag of the Batkivshchyna party during a protest near the Ukrainian Security Service building in Kiev on December 15.
Ukrainian opposition supporters gather at a mass rally in Kiev on December 15.
Demonstrators by the thousands rally in Independence Square on Saturday, December 14.
People go through a police line separating the competing rallies of opposition protesters in Independence Square and supporters of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Kiev on December 14.
Supporters of the president wave flags of the ruling Party of Regions, as well as Ukrainian flags, during a rally on Kiev's European Square on December 14.
Anti-government protesters guard a barricade designed to keep police from evicting them from Independence Square on Friday, December 13.
Protesters stand at a barricade in Kiev on December 13.
Protesters hold Ukrainian national flags as they picket the Ukrainian House during round-table talks between Yanukovych, former presidents and leaders of the opposition on December 13.
Riot police storm barricades set up by pro-EU protesters in Independence Square on Wednesday, December 11.
Riot police move against protesters on Independence Square around 2 a.m. December 11. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed "disgust" over the crackdown.
A protester calls for attention inside Kiev's City Hall after riot police were forced out from blocking the front door on December 11.
Police enter Independence Square on December 11.
Riot police officers block the entrance of Kiev's City Hall as protesters pour water from windows and throw smoke grenades at them on December 11.
A young police officer guards a roadblock on Institutskaya Street near the presidential area in Kiev on December 11.
Protesters who oppose Yanukovych clash with anti-riot police in Independence Square on December 11.
A protester shouts behind riot police standing guard in Independence Square on December 9.
A protester in Kiev slams a toppled monument of Vladimir Lenin on December 8.
Riot police separate pro-EU protesters and supporters of the ruling party during a large rally held in Independence Square on December 8.
Demonstrators shout slogans during the mass rally on December 8.
Thousands of protesters gather in Independence Square on December 8.
Pro-EU activists shout slogans during the rally on December 8. An estimated 100,000 Ukrainians participated.
A young protester shouts slogans near a placard depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and signed "Fare you well!" during the December 8 rally.
Pro-EU activists gather around a huge poster of Yulia Tymoshenko, the jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister, on December 8.
Riot police block protesters during the December 8 rally.
A rose, the symbol of the revolution, lies on barricades being built by Pro-EU activists next to the Ukrainian Government building in Kiev on December 8.
A pro-EU activist holds a cut-out paper heart as she faces police at the presidential office in Kiev on December 8.
EU flags and Ukrainian national flags fly above a crowd of pro-EU activists in Independence Square on December 8.
Pro-EU activists shout slogans during the rally in Independence Square on December 8.
Demonstrators gather in Independence Square during the mass rally December 8.
A pro-EU activist offers flowers to police officers at the presidential office in Kiev on December 8.
Anti-government protesters camp in Independence Square early in the morning on December 8.
Protesters on Independence Square demonstrate against Yanukovych and call for a closer relationship to the EU on December 7.
Protesters prepare food at a camp in Independence Square on December 7.
Pro-EU activists attend a rally in Independence Square on December 7.
Orthodox believers, carrying icons and crosses, walk during a religious procession outside the parliament building in Kiev on December 6.
Police stand guard opposite a sea of protesters near the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev on December 3.
Protesters chant slogans outside the parliament in Kiev on December 3.
Protesters gather in front of the parliament on December 3.
Police stand guard outside the parliament on December 3.
Protesters use a bulldozer during clashes with police at the presidential office in Kiev on December 1.
A protester throws stones toward riot police on December 1. The crowd chanted "Revolution" and "Down with the Gang" as it gathered in Independence Square.
A bleeding protester shouts at a police medic after police pushed protesters off the street leading to the presidential administration building on December 1.
Protesters clash with police guarding the presidential administration building on December 1.
A Ukrainian protester throws stones at riot police during clashes outside the president's office on December 1.
Police and protesters look at an injured person near the presidential office on December 1.
Pro-EU demonstrators clash with police near the presidential administration office on December 1.
Demonstrators gather in downtown Kiev on December 1.
Anti-government protesters gather near Shevchenko University on December 1 in Kiev.
A protester injured in clashes with police stands on Independence Square on November 30.
Police officers guard Independence Square on November 30 after dispersing a rally.
Dozens of protesters were wounded in a clash with police in Kiev on November 30.
Ukrainian riot police detain a protester on November 30.
Opposition supporters hold EU flags November 30 as they guard the gates of the Mikhailovsky monastery.
A woman cries during a rally on November 30.
Injured protesters receive medical help in an ambulance after riot police broke up a rally on November 30.
Protesters gather over bonfires November 30.
Opposition supporters shout slogans and wave flags on November 29.
A demonstrator holds a torn portrait of Yanukovych on November 29.
Demonstrators hold hands during a rally on November 29.
Demonstrators take to the streets in the center of Kiev on November 28.
