Opposition leaders and 200 of their supporters invaded the offices of the Ukraine National State Television in Kiev this evening, forcing the station to cancel its Monday evening news programme, the Russian press agency Interfax stated.
Police arrived later, but the protesters agreed to leave after television boss Ihor Storozhuk offered the opposition air time tomorrow.
The invasion came on the eve of a planned mass protest against president Leonid Kuchma. About 55.000 people across the country joined a mass demonstration last week too. The protest last week took place on the anniversary of the disappearance of the Ukraine journalist Georgy Gongadze two years ago. The opposition accuses the Ukraine president of ordering the journalist's assassination, but the president has denied the allegations made to him.
The state television channel, also called First National, is a member of the European Broadcasting Union and is supposed to submit an entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 as new country. It is unknown if this will have consequences for Ukraine's participation in the contest.
