Rejection of EU deal sparks rival protests in Ukraine

Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich’s decision to walk away from a deal that would have aligned his former Soviet republic more closely with the European Union sparked both anger and applause on the streets of Kiev.

A sea of blue and gold, the colours of both the EU and Ukrainian flags, swept through the capital as people joined rival protests — one to celebrate closer ties with Russia, another to lament what they saw as a lost chance.

“Europe was the way out of the mess we’re in, the way out of the corruption that has overwhelmed our country,” said Andrey Dobrolet, 41, a lawyer.