Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Kiev on Sunday

More than 50,000 people could be seen on Kiev's barricaded Independence Square -- that has become the epicentre of a two-month protest movement -- and thousands more were arriving.

Yuriy Krenyuk, a pensioner from the Ivano-Frankivsk region, said Western powers could help resolve the crisis by putting pressure on the foreign assets held by Ukrainian oligarchs who back Yanukovych. "If the oligarchs' bank accounts are blocked then the question of Yanukovych's resignation can be resolved very quickly," he said.

The opposition fears that the authorities could be preparing to declare a state of emergency, after the military on Friday called for "urgent steps" to ease the turmoil.

Military analysts say that is unlikely, however, since the loyalty of the rank and file is doubtful as young soldiers may share the same aspirations as the protesters.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140202/thousands-rally-ukraine-after-west-pledges-support

It was a balmy 15 degrees and sunny in Kiev today.