Photos: Kiev's Independence Square Before And After

NPR | By Mark Memmott

Published February 21, 2014 at 11:01 AM EST

Kiev's Independence Square on Thursday (Feb. 20, 2014).

Hopes are high that the worst is over in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, where dozens of people died this week as security forces responded to anti-government protests. As we reported earlier, President Viktor Yanukovych and key opposition leaders have signed an agreement about forming a unity government, holding new elections and restoring the nation's 2004 constitution.

Two pictures help tell the story of how difficult the past few months have been in Kiev's Independence Square, where the protests were centered. Here are looks at that location ...

... in 2005:

Kiev's Independence Square on March 23, 2005.

... and on Thursday:

Mark Memmott

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.

See stories by Mark Memmott

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