Today, the eastern European country is in the midst of a new wave of anti-government protests, the likes of which it hasn't seen since those turbulent days in 2004.

And this time, say protesters, they want to see Yanukovich -- now Ukraine's president -- gone for good.

The protesters have called for a nationwide strike, beginning Monday.

They want to close streets and surround government buildings. On Facebook, they posted a map suggesting places where demonstrators can park their cars to block traffic.

"It is not about the European Union or the customs agreement with Russia anymore," said protester Irina Zaloga. "It is about Ukraine fighting against the criminal authorities."

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 in the capital Kiev on Sunday.

"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.

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.

Ukrainians were outraged.

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 tiny neighbor with trade sanctions and steep gas bills if Ukraine 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.

Yanukvich also was facing a key EU demand that he was unwilling to meet: free former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his bitter political opponent. The same "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 wide seen as politically motivated. Her supporters say she needs to travel abroad for medical treatment.

"Yanukovych 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. That will be Yanukovych's legacy if he doesn't reverse course."

What happens next ...

Rather than running out of steam, the protests seem to be swelling -- with demonstrators streaming in from places far from the capital city.

"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.

Their destination: Independence Square, which has become a tent city.

"Our plan for tomorrow is to start with picketing in front of Ukrainian ministers' cabinet," said Arseniy Yatsenyuk, leader of the opposition party Motherland, on Sunday. "Our main political demand for tomorrow is the resignation of Ukrainian Cabinet ministers. A no-confidence resolution to the government has been presented to the parliament... Our main goal is Yanukovich's resignation."

Mindful that violence will only beget more violence, Vitaly 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 during his Sunday speech at Independence Square. "We can change the power in a civilized way."

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 also 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."

Source:CNN News International