Protestors wearing gas masks have constructed an improvised catapult to fight riot police in the capital of Ukraine, Kiev.

THE Ukraine capital, Kiev, has been burning for three months. Dozens of protesters have been shot dead. After escalating hell on the street, there is finally a sign of change.

What is going on?

News_Image_File: Protesters throw molotov cocktails at police during clashes in the centre of Kiev on January 22, 2014.

The protest movement in Ukraine has been simmering for months, reaching escalation point over the past days.

Overnight, the regime of Viktor Yanukovych seems to have come to an end.

After he fled Kiev and vowed he would never resign, parliament voted to strip Yanukovych of power for failing in his presidential duties and called early elections.

Meanwhile, former PM Yulia Tymoshenko, Yanukovych’s main political rival, was released from prison, telling supporters "the dictatorship has fallen" and confirming she will run for president in the May 25 vote.

The fast-moving events overnight came after Yanukovych yesterday signed an agreement which signalled the first sign of change in months.

The Russian-backed president agreed to a series of concessions including going back to an original constitution, which will effectively strip him of some power, form a national unity government and hold fresh elections.

The deal was brokered by senior EU figures and was followed by the Ukrainian parliament voting to dismiss the country’s Interior Minister for using violence on his own citizens.

In January, the violence began to escalate, with the first reported protester deaths. Street battles erupted with protesters hurling fire bombs and stones as police fired back with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets. Dark smoke from burning tyres, used as barricades, billowed in the air. Five people were killed.

News_Image_File: Ukrainian protester among burning car tyres.

Over the past three days, tensions again intensified.

Kiev turned into a war zone, with up to 77 shot dead when police took to the crowd with live ammunition.

President Yanukovychhas fled Kiev, as protesters took over the capital.

READ MORE: Ukraine's draconian new laws

News_Image_File: Ukrainian protester throws a molotov cocktail in front of burning car tyres during a mass protest.

Why is it happening?

Protesters had been fighting against President Viktor Yanukovych's ongoing refusal to sign a political and economic association pact with the EU after pressure from Russia.

The Ukrainian government had been working for years on a landmark trade deal with the European Union. In a sudden change of heart, Yanukovych backed out last November.

Eventually it was admitted, Russian pressure led to the turn around.

News_Image_File: Protesters clash with police in central Kiev, Ukraine, early Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014.

The deal would have seen Ukraine citizens allowed to travel through the EU without visas; in return Ukraine would adopt hundreds of laws and regulations, and a program of sweeping reforms.

To activists, the choice between Russia or Europe is a symbol of the plans for the future of Ukraine.

News_Image_File: Protester throws a molotov cocktail on Grushevsky street on January 22, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine.

Why didn't the president want to sign?

The pressure from Russia on Ukraine can be extreme - and creates economic pressure on an already struggling economy. There have been previous cases where the Kremlin have cut off gas exports into the country and banned Ukrainian products in Russia.

News_Image_File: Several people have died in clashes between protesters and police in the Ukrainian capital.

What does Russia want?

Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to see the former Soviet states realigned. He wants to form an alliance to give the EU a run for its money and without Ukraine this dream is impossible.

He also believes the protests in Ukraine are led by western forces, referring to them as "pre-planned" and not like a revolution. He is splashing cash to put the pressure on, with deals to cut the price of gas in Ukraine and buying billions of dollars of government bonds.

News_Image_File: Ukrainian protesters among burning car tyres.

What are the two sides?

The country has a 50/50 split between the Russian supporters and the European supporters. The industrial workers in the eastern half favour closer ties with Russia; they speak the language and have the same religion. In the western half, they have closer ties with Europe. Many are Roman Catholic and they speak Ukrainian. These are the ones who want to leave Russia in the past and create stronger ties with their European friends, they are led by the three main opposition leaders - Klitschko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Oleg Tyagnybok.

News_Image_File: Ukrainian protesters shoot with a help of petards.

Why did the protests intensify in January?

President Yanukovych pushed through anti-legislation laws which ban most forms of protest in the country. Demonstrators could no longer wear masks or helmets and anyone who blockaded public buildings could be given a five-year jail term. Over 200,000 supporters of the opposition took to the centre of Kiev to protest against the new restrictions. News_Image_File: Protesters throw molotov cocktails at police during clashes in the centre of Kiev on January 22, 2014.

What next?

Protesters remain in central Kiev, highly sceptical of the early election plan announced by the president and may ultimately only accept his resignation.

After months of civil war, protesters see the agreement as only words and have little trust in action taking place.

A trio of the main opposition leaders have agreed to the terms of the signed agreement and won backing from the protest organisers. Yet, whether the men and women who have remained on the streets through three-months of winter will accept the deal as easily is yet to be seen.

The agreement, which called for reversion to the 2004 constitution, would curb the president's powers and enhance those of the parliament. It called for a new government of "national unity" to be formed in the next 10 days and the role of police to be limited to protecting public buildings.

President Yanukovych said: "I declare steps that must be done to restore peace and avoid more victims of the confrontation. I declare that I initiate early presidential elections.

"I initiate the return of the constitution of the year 2004 with redistribution of powers [to a] parliamentary republic. I call to begin the procedure of establishing the government of national trust."

If this doesn't eventuate, they claim there will be more bloodshed. At this point, the next days are crucial and in a country so volatile, anything could eventuate.

News_Module: Ukraine horror

After speaking with President Yanukovych, the Opposition Leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk said: "Tomorrow we will go forward together, and if it's a bullet in the forehead, then it's a bullet in the forehead, but in an honest, fair and brave way." News_Image_File: A pro-European Union activist stands near a barricade on Independence Square during clashes with police in central Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014.