Since last week, protesters in the Ukraine have occupied a central square in downtown Kiev, demanding political change after their government pulled out of a landmark trade agreement that would have moved the country closer to the European Union and away from Russia.

It is the largest protest the country has seen since the Orange Revolution in 2004, with hundreds of thousands of people marching in the streets and opposition parties rallying against the sitting president and government.

Since police tried to clear the square early Sunday morning, resulting in bloody clashes with protestors, demonstrators have built barricades around the perimeter, using Christmas decorations, wooden boards and metal gates to block the streets and stop unwanted access. With temperatures hovering at below zero, a makeshift tent encampment has been set up, with soup kitchens and volunteers wandering through the crowds offering sandwiches, cups of coffee and bowls of soup. 

While there are moments of levity, the protesters mean business, and have vowed not to relinquish the square until they see real change in their country.