What now for Ukraine’s anti-government protesters?<br /><br />Opponents of President Viktor Yanukovych were still in Kyiv’s Independence Square on Monday but the initial momentum of their movement looks to be wearing thin.<br /><br />Sunday’s rally drew far fewer people than previous weeks. Yet diehard demonstrators are determined to stay put throughout the holiday period.<br /><br />“We are trying to stay here…even me, I am 64-years-old,” said protester Valentyna Olynik. “I am not in the best of health but I can’t stay at home. I can’t be sitting and watching what these leaders are doing. Just think about it. How could they give the order to beat students?”<br /><br />The protests, sparked by Ukraine’s decision to shelve a trade deal with the EU and favour ties with Russia, now seek to force the president’s resignation.<br /><br />In a new initiative, opposition leaders are establishing a nationwide political movement called ‘Maidan’, a reference to the Ukrainian name of the protest site.
