Ukraine protesters leave justice ministry 27 January 2014 Last updated at 17:39 The BBC's Duncan Crawford: Justice ministry is still blockaded Ukrainian anti-government protesters have ended their occupation of the justice ministry after the minister threatened a state of emergency. A spokesman for the protesters said they had left because they did not want to provoke the authorities. A BBC correspondent says about 30 protesters remain outside the building and are refusing to let anyone in. Unrest has spread across Ukraine in recent days, with protesters targeting municipal buildings across the country. The protesters stormed the justice ministry building late on Sunday in a "symbolic act" to strip the authorities of justice. 17 Dec: Russia agrees to buy $15bn of Ukrainian government bonds and slash the price of gas it sells to the country Justice Minister Olena Lukash said she would request a state of emergency and demand all talks with the opposition cease. Officials later said there was no plan to introduce such a measure. The BBC's Duncan Crawford in Kiev says the protesters have now left the building, but the group of 30 is patrolling outside dressed in military-style clothes, brandishing bats. The crisis was sparked when President Viktor Yanukovych last November pulled out of a trade deal with the EU in favour of a $15bn (£9bn) bailout from Russia. Thousands have joined protests against the government, erecting camps in Kiev and getting embroiled in sporadic clashes with security forces. The unrest has escalated in recent days with the deaths of four activists. Various protest groups have staged short occupations of several ministry buildings in the capital, Kiev, and attacked other municipal buildings across Ukraine. Mr Yanukovych held a meeting with leaders of the three main opposition factions on Monday evening, including former boxer Vitali Klitschko. Mr Klitschko was earlier ordered by a court to produce documentation for the time he spent in Germany and the US during his boxing career. He could be stopped from running for president next year if the court rules he has paid taxes as a resident in a foreign country within the past 10 years. The legal move comes after a change to the rules last year that critics say was aimed at disqualifying Mr Klitschko, who is likely to be the main opposition contender. He has been a prominent pro-EU protester, and gains much of his support from the west of the country, where many people want closer ties with the EU and Western Europe. Mr Yanukovych's power base is in the east and the south, which have close cultural and historical ties to Russia.