Ukraine's political opposition celebrated the first major victory in its two-month-long standoff with the government as the country's prime minister tendered his resignation Tuesday. But the move appeared unlikely to end the crisis.
Mykola Azarov's resignation came after a week of violent clashes in Kiev, the capital, in which at least four activists were killed, dozens arrested and hundreds injured on both sides. It was the worst street violence in the history of post-Soviet Ukraine.
A short time after his announcement, the parliament rescinded unpopular anti-protest laws in another peace offering to opposition forces bent on the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovich.
Opposition leaders had been negotiating with Yanukovich for four days, demanding that he call elections for the presidency and parliament. In a statement published on the Cabinet's official website, Azarov said that "the scope of the acute and dangerous conflict" compelled him to resign in the hope of enabling a political compromise.
"We have been doing everything to prevent bloodshed, escalation of violence, violations of citizens' rights," the statement said. "For all these difficult years I have been doing my best for Ukraine to develop normally as a democratic European state."
Word of the resignation was met with loud cheers from the thousands of protesters at a tent camp in Independence Square, a staging area for antigovernment protests, as well as those along barricades in central Grushevsky Street, the battlefield of recent days.
"It is good news but we will not go away until all our demands are met," said young protester Maxim Ivashchenko, whose face was blackened by the soot of street fires. "Now we want Yanukovich to go, and we want the murderers of our comrades punished."
Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko said Azarov resigned "to save face" before he was forced to leave.
"The resignation of the premier is a step toward the opposition's victory but it is not a victory yet," Klitschko said to reporters during a special parliamentary session. The lawmaker said the demonstrations would end only "if the authorities fulfill the demands of the society, meaning a complete change of state power."
Yanukovich had proposed a compromise deal over the weekend in which opposition leader Arseny Yatsenyuk would take the premier's job and Klitschko the position of deputy premier. They declined.
The resignation of Azarov, who has led the government since 2010, was one of the key demands of opposition leaders, who held him responsible, along with Yanukovich, for backing away from closer ties with the European Union in November in favor of a cozier relationship with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted that he was not bothered by Azarov's resignation. Even if the opposition assumes power, Russia will not reconsider its agreements to lend money to Ukraine and give it a break on energy prices, he said during a news conference in Brussels.
"It is not important to us," he said. "We did conduct a constructive dialogue with the government of [jailed former Prime Minister] Yulia Tymoshenko."
Putin's remarks suggest that even he sees the resignation as a positive step, political scientist Igor Popov said.
"Now the most important problem for the opposition leaders is to persuade the radical protesters to start leaving the barricades," said Popov, president of a Kiev-based think tank. "But all [the protesters] want is the resignation of Yanukovich himself."
For the moment, however, the opposition was basking in its victory, particularly after the parliament revoked the recently passed legislation that outlawed many of the tactics used by protesters. Opposition leaders continued to press lawmakers to release jailed demonstrators.
"I approve of any news which could prevent further bloodshed," said a police officer standing in full riot gear about 60 yards from the protesters. "People out there are not our enemies. They are our brothers."
乌克兰总理尼古拉·阿扎罗夫1月28日向亚努科维奇总统递交辞呈，乌克兰议会当天也废除了两周前刚刚通过的反示威法，但似乎并不能结束两月来的政治危机。
《洛杉矶时报》报道称， 阿扎罗夫说，目前尖锐危险的冲突迫使他辞职，以期早日达成妥协，结束危机。
他表示，当前局势威胁乌克兰经济和社会发展，威胁整个乌克兰社会和每位公民。他说：“当前最重要的是维护乌克兰的统一和完整。这比某些个人计划或野心重要的多。正因为如此，我做出了这个决定”。
乌克兰总统网站公布文件中指出，乌总统亚努科维奇签署命令宣布“批准总理阿扎罗夫的辞呈，批准乌克兰政府的辞呈”。
与此同时，亚努科维奇要求现任政府在新政府组成前继续履行自己职责。
阿扎罗夫的发言人表示，乌克兰第一副总理谢尔盖·阿尔布佐夫将任代总理。新政府总理将在乌总统获得该国最高拉达
***示威者庆祝胜利
阿扎罗夫下台的消息传来，独立广场上的示威者欢呼雀跃，庆祝他们赢得的第一个重大胜利。年轻的示威者马西姆说：“这是一个好消息，但在满足我们所有要求之前我们不会离开，我们现在希望亚努科维奇离开，将杀害我们同志的凶手绳之以法。”
示威领导人表示，阿扎罗夫辞职是为了“面子”，以免最后被迫辞职。
***议会废除反示威法
在阿扎罗夫辞职后不久，乌克兰议会当天投票以以361票对2票的压倒多数通过决议，废除引起争议的反示威立法。反示威法案刚刚在两周前通过。
反示威法禁止示威者戴头盔、包围公共建筑，禁止未经许可在公共场地设置帐篷以及辱骂政府官员要承担刑事犯罪责任。分析称，这给持续不断的反政府示威火上浇油。
2013年11月，乌克兰总统亚努科维奇决定搁置与欧盟签定自由贸易协定，引发大规模抗议游行。示威者攻击政府办公机构，并一度占领了司法部等政府机构。
反对派1月19日举行的新一次市民大会演变为示威者与执法人员之间的冲突，导致3人死亡。反对派要求政府辞职和继续与欧洲一体化的进程。反对派领导人已与亚努科维奇谈判四天，要求他下令举行总统和议会选举。