This ends our live blogging for December 9. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
Azarov decries Ukraine "provocation" after paintings seized from Kyiv apartment:
By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has condemned the confiscation of valuables from a Kyiv apartment that authorities said belonged to the self-exiled politician.
Ukrainian police searched a Kyiv apartment on December 8 and seized valuable paintings, books, and documents.
In a post on Facebook on December 9, Azarov claimed the apartment was not his but said items confiscated by police could be.
"By what right and law did the police confiscate [what are] probably my belongings, found in an apartment that is not mine?" Azarov wrote.
"I'm not sure that all the stuff found there is mine, but there is no reason for me to give up my property, and I will fight for it in court," he added.
Azarov, who was prime minister until President Viktor Yanukovych was driven from power by the antigovernment Euromaidan protests in February 2014 and fled to Russia, called the confiscation of the belongings "another provocation" by Kyiv.
Azarov is wanted by Ukrainian authorities on suspicion of crimes related to embezzlement and abuse of power, among others, and an international warrant for his arrest has been issued. (w/Kyiv Post)