The Ukrainian parliament declared President Viktor Yanukovich constitutionally unable to carry out his duties on Saturday and set an early election for May 25.
Deputies in the assembly stood, applauded and sang the national anthem.
Attention shifted on Saturday from the sprawling Kiev protest camp to Kharkiv, where governors, provincial officials and legislators gathered. Top Russian lawmakers joined the meeting, too, while thousands of angry protesters gathered outside, chanting "Ukraine is not Russia!"
Russia, the United States and the European Union are deeply worried about the future of Ukraine, a nation of 46 million whose loyalties and economy are divided between Europe and longtime ruler Moscow.
The leaders gathered in Kharkiv approved a statement calling on regional authorities to take full responsibility for the constitutional order on their territory.
Some called for forming volunteer units to protect against force by protesters from western regions. The assembly urged army units to maintain neutrality and protect ammunition depots.
"The events of recent days in the capital Kiev have brought central authorities to paralysis, and destabilized the situation of the government," lawmaker Vadim Kolesnichenko said at the congress, according to Russian news agencies.
He accused the opposition of not upholding its side of a breakthrough agreement on Friday with Yanukovych to order protesters to give up weapons and abandon protest camps.
Yanukovych is in Kharkiv to meet with voters and appear on local television, his aide said.
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