Opponents of mandatory vaccination in Ukraine gather near gov't buildings

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Hundreds of people came on Wednesday to the government quarter at the center of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to protest against mandatory coronavirus vaccination.

People of different ages gathered near the buildings of the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers, demanding to cancel the requirement about obligatory jabs.

The protesters, not wearing face masks, blocked the roads walking back and forth, and shouted slogans, "freedom", "constitution", "our rights", "hands off our children", "the virus does not exist," and "no to medical terrorism."

Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko called the demonstration "a mockery of the families of the deceased of coronavirus," noting that "anti-vaccination mood quickly goes away in intensive care."

Since Sept. 23, Ukraine has moved from the "green" to the "yellow" quarantine zone due to the deterioration of the pandemic situation, while a "red level" alert was announced in seven regions.

According to the latest data, 23,393 new cases were recorded in the country over the past day, along with 720 fatalities, while most hospitals faced an acute shortage of medical oxygen.

On Sept. 30, the authorities announced that they introduced mandatory vaccination for teachers -- regardless of specialization and level of the education institutions -- employees of central executive authorities, ministries, and their structural units, and of local state administrations.