Bloody crisis in Ukraine reignites
Ukraine suffered its bloodiest day since Soviet times on Thursday with a gun battle in central Kiev as President Viktor Yanukovich faced conflicting pressures from visiting European Union ministers and his Russian paymasters.
[WARNING: Graphic images]
- An anti-government protester shows empty bullet casings used by riot police against demonstrators in central Kiev on February 20, 2014. At least 25 protesters were killed on February 20 in fresh clashes between thousands of demonstrators and heavily-armed riot police in the heart of Kiev, AFP correspondents at the scene said. The bodies of eight demonstrators were lying outside Kiev’s main post office on Independence Square, an AFP reporter said. The bodies of 17 other demonstrators with apparent gunshot wounds were also seen in the vicinity of two hotels on opposite sides of the protest encampment. (Sergei Supinky/AFP/Getty Images)
- A protester throws tyres to keep a barricade of flames between protesters and police at Independence square in Kiev on February 19, 2014. Protesters braced on February 19 for a fresh assault by riot police in central Kiev after a day of clashes left at least 25 people dead in the worst violence since the start of Ukraine’s three-month political crisis. As dawn rose over Kiev’s battered city centre, protesters hurled paving stones and Molotov cocktails at lines of riot police that had pushed into the heart of the devastated protest camp on Independence Square. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)
- A protester stands behind barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine’s embattled leader announced a “truce” with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an “attempted coup” by the Kremlin. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)
- Anti-government protesters throw stones towards Interior Ministry members and riot police in Independence Square in central Kiev February 19, 2014. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich accused pro-European opposition leaders on Wednesday of trying to seize power by force after at least 26 people died in the worst violence since the former Soviet republic gained independence. (REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko)
- A protester hurls a molotov cocktail towards police from the barricades at Independence square in Kiev on February 19, 2014. Protesters braced on February 19 for a fresh assault by riot police in central Kiev after a day of clashes left at least 25 people dead in the worst violence since the start of Ukraine’s three-month political crisis. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)
- A protester throws tyres to keep a barricade of flames between protesters and police at Independence square in Kiev on February 19, 2014. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Wednesday announced a “truce” and the start of direct talks with the opposition after holding private talks with three anti-government leaders. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)
- Protesters burn as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine’s embattled leader announced a “truce” with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an “attempted coup” by the Kremlin. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)
- A protester stands behind barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine’s embattled leader announced a “truce” with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an “attempted coup” by the Kremlin. At least 25 protesters were killed on February 20 in fresh clashes between thousands of demonstrators and heavily-armed riot police in the heart of Kiev, AFP correspondents at the scene said. The bodies of eight demonstrators were lying outside Kiev’s main post office on Independence Square, an AFP reporter said. The bodies of 17 other demonstrators with apparent gunshot wounds were also seen in the vicinity of two hotels on opposite sides of the protest encampment. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)
- Anti-government protesters carry an injured man on a stretcher in Independence Square in Kiev February 20, 2014. Ukrainian anti-government protesters on Thursday seized back control of Kiev’s Independence Square, television pictures showed, after fresh clashes broke out there with riot police. (REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko)
- An anti-government protester advances through a burning barricade in Kiev’s Independence Square February 20, 2014. Ukrainian protesters hurling petrol bombs and paving stones drove riot police from the central square in Kiev on Thursday despite a “truce” which embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said he had agreed with opposition leaders. (REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis)
- Anti-government protesters carry an injured man on a stretcher in Independence Square in Kiev February 20, 2014. Ukrainian protesters seized back Kiev’s Independence Square in fresh clashes with riot police on Thursday that left several injured and possibly two demonstrators dead. (REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili)
- A priest talks on a telephone in the hotel Ukraine near bodies of anti-government protesters killed during clashes with riot police in Kiev February 20, 2014. Fresh fighting broke out in central Kiev on Thursday, shattering a truce declared by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, as the Russian-backed leader met European ministers demanding he compromise with pro-EU opponents. (REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili)
- Anti-government protesters prepare Molotov cocktails during clashes with riot police in the Independence Square in Kiev February 20, 2014. Fresh fighting broke out in central Kiev on Thursday, shattering a truce declared by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, as the Russian-backed leader met European ministers demanding he compromise with pro-EU opponents. (REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko)
- An anti-government protester holds a Ukranian flag as he advances through burning barricades in Kiev’s Independence Square February 20, 2014. Ukrainian protesters hurling petrol bombs and paving stones drove riot police from the central square in Kiev on Thursday despite a “truce” which embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said he had agreed with opposition leaders. (REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis)
- Anti-government protesters destroy a prosecutor’s office in Lviv February 19, 2014. Police said protesters had seized regional administration headquarters in the cities of Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv. (REUTERS/Marian Striltsiv)
- Anti-government protesters are seen outside the destroyed district police department in Lviv February 19, 2014. Police said protesters had seized regional administration headquarters in the cities of Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv. (REUTERS/Marian Striltsiv)
- Anti-government protesters gather at a barricade near a fire during clashes with Interior Ministry members and riot police in central Kiev during the early hours February 19, 2014. Twenty-five people have been killed in fighting between anti-government protesters and police in the capital Kiev, the Ukrainian Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. (REUTERS/Maks Levin)
- People rest inside Mikhailovsky Zlatoverkhy Cathedral (St. Michael’s golden-domed cathedral), which serves as a temporary shelter and a first-aid post for anti-government protesters, in Kiev February 19, 2014. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich accused pro-European opposition leaders on Wednesday of trying to seize power by force after at least 26 people died in the worst violence since the former Soviet republic gained independence. (REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili)
- Anti-government protesters dig up cobblestones to use them as rocks against riot police on Kiev’s Independence square on February 19, 2014. Protesters braced on February 19 for a fresh assault by riot police in central Kiev after a day of clashes left at least 25 people dead in the worst violence since the start of Ukraine’s three-month political crisis. As dawn rose over Kiev’s battered city centre, protesters hurled paving stones and Molotov cocktails at lines of riot police that had pushed into the heart of the devastated protest camp on Independence Square. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)
- Anti-government protesters burn documents in the main Police City Office in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on February 18, 2014. Anti-government protesters in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on February 18 seized the regional administration building and police headquarters as clashes raged in Kiev, an AFP correspondent at the scene said. Some 500 demonstrators stormed the regional administration after bombarding it with stones before taking the control of the local police headquarters in the largely pro-EU city. (Yuriu Dyachyshyn/AFP/Getty Images)
- Anti-government protesters clash with the police during their storming of Independence Square in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Flames engulfed the main anti-government protest camp on Kiev’s Independence Square as riot police tried to force demonstrators out following the bloodiest clashes in three months of protests. The iconic square turned into a war zone as riot police moved slowly through opposition barricades from several directions, hurling stun grenades and using water cannon to clear protestors. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images)
- Riot police aim at anti-government protesters during clashes in central Kiev on February 18, 2014. Police on Febraury 18 began an assault on the main anti-government protest camp in Kiev after a day of bloody clashes, AFP journalists at the scene said. Police warned women and children to leave the area as they moved on opposition positions with water cannon while protestors responded by throwing Molotov cocktails and setting fire to part of the tent encampment. (Anatoli Boiko/AFP/Getty Images)
- Interior Ministry members stand in formation in front of anti-government protesters during a rally in central Kiev in the early hours of February 19, 2014. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich accused pro-European opposition leaders on Wednesday of trying to seize power by force after at least 26 people died in the worst violence since the former Soviet republic gained independence. REUTERS/Viktor Gurniak
- A man walks at the site of clashes between anti-government protesters with Interior Ministry and riot police in Kiev, February 19, 2014. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich accused pro-European opposition leaders on Wednesday of trying to seize power by force after at least 26 people died in the worst violence since the former Soviet republic gained independence. REUTERS/Konstantin Grishin
- An aerial view shows Independence Square during clashes between anti-government protesters and Interior Ministry members and riot police in central Kiev February 19, 2014. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich warned his opponents on Wednesday that he could deploy force against them after what he called their attempt to “seize power” by means of “arson and murder”. REUTERS/Olga Yakimovich
- Fire and smoke are seen in Independence Square during a rally held by anti-government protesters in central Kiev February 19, 2014. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich accused pro-European opposition leaders on Wednesday of trying to seize power by force after at least 26 people died in the worst violence since the former Soviet republic gained independence. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili
- Smoke rises above Independence Square during anti-government protests in central Kiev in the early hours of February 19, 2014. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich accused pro-European opposition leaders on Wednesday of trying to seize power by force after at least 26 people died in the worst violence since the former Soviet republic gained independence. Photo credit: Reuters/Petro Zadorozhny
- Anti-government demonstrators stand on barricades during clashes with riot police in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko on February 18 urged women and children to leave the opposition’s main protest camp on Kiev’s Independence Square, known as Maidan, as riot police massed nearby. “We ask women and children to quit Maidan as we cannot rule out the possibility that they will storm (the camp),” the former heavyweight boxing champion told protestors on the square. (Sandro Maddalena/AFP/Getty Images)
- Anti-government protesters clash with police in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Police on Tuesday fired rubber bullets at stone-throwing protesters as they demonstrated close to Ukraine’s parliament in Kiev, an AFP reporter at the scene said. Police also responded with smoke bombs after protesters hurled paving stones at them as they sought to get closer to the heavily-fortified parliament building. (Antatolii Stephanov/AFP/Getty Images)
- An anti-government protester gestures towards riot police during clashes in Independence Square in Kiev February 18, 2014. Ukrainian riot police advanced on Tuesday onto a central Kiev square occupied by protesters, after at least 14 people died in the worst day of violence since demonstrations erupted against President Viktor Yanukovich 12 weeks ago. (Konstantin Chernichkin/Reuters photo)
- Anti-government protesters clash with the police during their storming of Independence Square in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Flames engulfed the main protest camp in Kiev late Tuesday as police stormed it during the deadliest day of violence in three months of demonstrations, in which at least 11 people were killed and alarm rippled across Europe and beyond. (Sergei Supinsky/Getty Images)
- Anti-government protesters clash with the police during their storming of Independence Square in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Flames engulfed the main anti-government protest camp on Independence Square on Tuesday as riot police tried to force demonstrators out following the bloodiest clashes in three months of protests. The iconic square turned into a war zone as riot police moved slowly through opposition barricades from several directions, hurling stun grenades and using water cannon to clear protestors. (Genya Savilov/Getty Images)
- Anti-government protesters clash with the police during their storming of Independence Square in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Flames engulfed the main anti-government protest camp on Independence Square on Tuesday as riot police tried to force demonstrators out following the bloodiest clashes in three months of protests. The iconic square turned into a war zone as riot police moved slowly through opposition barricades from several directions, hurling stun grenades and using water cannon to clear protestors. (Genya Savilov/Getty Images)
- Anti-government demonstrators burn a car during violent clashes with riot police and soldiers in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014. (Yevgeny Maloletka/Itar-Tass/Zuma Press/MCT)
- Anti-government protesters clash with the police in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Police launched an assault on the main anti-government protest camp on Kiev’s Independence Square after the bloodiest clashes in almost three months of anti-government demonstrations, AFP journalists at the scene said. (Anatolii Boiko/Getty Images)
- An anti-government protester prepares to throw a petrol bomb during clashes with riot police at Independence Square in Kiev February 18, 2014. Ukrainian riot police advanced on Tuesday onto a central Kiev square occupied by protesters, after at least 14 people died in the worst day of violence since demonstrations erupted against President Viktor Yanukovich 12 weeks ago. (REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko)
- Anti-government protesters clash with the police during their storming of Independence Square in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Flames engulfed the main anti-government protest camp on Independence Square on Tuesday as riot police tried to force demonstrators out following the bloodiest clashes in three months of protests. The iconic square turned into a war zone as riot police moved slowly through opposition barricades from several directions, hurling stun grenades and using water cannon to clear protestors. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images)
- An anti-government protester prepares to throw a petrol bomb during clashes with riot police at Independence Square in Kiev February 18, 2014. Ukrainian riot police advanced on Tuesday onto a central Kiev square occupied by protesters, after at least 14 people died in the worst day of violence since demonstrations erupted against President Viktor Yanukovich 12 weeks ago. (REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko)
- Anti-government protesters clash with the police during their storming of Independence Square in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Flames engulfed the main anti-government protest camp on Kiev’s Independence Square on Tuesday as riot police tried to force demonstrators out following the bloodiest clashes in three months of protests. The iconic square turned into a war zone as riot police moved slowly through opposition barricades from several directions, hurling stun grenades and using water cannon to clear protestors. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)
- Anti-government protesters clash with the police during their storming of Independence Square in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Flames engulfed the main anti-government protest camp on Kiev’s Independence Square on Tuesday as riot police tried to force demonstrators out following the bloodiest clashes in three months of protests. The iconic square turned into a war zone as riot police moved slowly through opposition barricades from several directions, hurling stun grenades and using water cannon to clear protestors. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)
- Police experts examine bodies of the dead anti-government protesters after their clashes with the police in Kiev on February 18, 2014.Ukrainian riot police stormed the main opposition camp in Kiev Tuesday after clashes left at least seven dead in the bloodiest day in three months of protests, triggering international alarm. (Anatoli Boiko/AFP/Getty Images)
- Fireworks explode near anti-government protester during clashes with riot police at the Independence Square in Kiev February 18, 2014. Ukrainian riot police advanced on Tuesday onto a central Kiev square occupied by protesters, after at least 14 people died in the worst day of violence since demonstrations erupted against President Viktor Yanukovich 12 weeks ago. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
- People speak near a barricade on fire during clashes between anti-government protesters and Interior Ministry members in Kiev February 18, 2014. Several thousand anti-government protesters clashed with police near Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday, torching vehicles and hurling stones in the worst violence to rock the capital Kiev in more than three weeks. REUTERS/Andrew Kravchenko
- Anti-government protesters throw missiles during clashes with riot police at the Independence Square in Kiev January 18, 2014. Ukrainian riot police started to move into Kiev’s Independence Square late on Tuesday, pushing back anti-government protesters whose tents were burning, local television showed. (REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili)
- Burnt out vehicles remain after protesters clashes withpolice in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Police on Tuesday fired rubber bullets at stone-throwing protesters as they demonstrated close to Ukraine’s parliament in Kiev, an AFP reporter at the scene said. Police also responded with smoke bombs after protesters hurled paving stones at them as they sought to get closer to the heavily-fortified parliament building. (Anatolii Boiko/AFP/Getty Images)
- Police clash with anti-government protesters in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Police on Tuesday fired rubber bullets at stone-throwing protesters as they demonstrated close to Ukraine’s parliament in Kiev, an AFP reporter at the scene said. Police also responded with smoke bombs after protesters hurled paving stones at them as they sought to get closer to the heavily-fortified parliament building. (Anatolii Boiko/AFP/Getty Images)
- Police clash with anti-government protesters in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Police on Tuesday began an assault on the main anti-government protest camp in Kiev after a day of bloody clashes, AFP journalists at the scene said. Police warned women and children to leave the area as they moved on opposition positions with water cannon while protestors responded by throwing Molotov cocktails and setting fire to part of the tent encampment. (Anatolii Boiko/AFP/Getty Images)
- Demonstartors stand against police during a protest in Kiev February 18, 2014. Ukrainian riot police advanced on the heart of 12-week-old protests against President Viktor Yanukovich on Tuesday and security forces set a deadline to end disturbances after at least five protesters were reported killed in a day of clashes. (REUTERS/Konstantin Chernichkin)
- Wounded people walk after clashes with riot police in central Kiev February 18, 2014. Ukrainian riot police advanced on the heart of 12-week-old protests against President Viktor Yanukovich on Tuesday and security forces set a deadline to end disturbances after at least five protesters were reported killed in a day of clashes. (REUTERS/Vlad Sode)
- Interior Ministry members are on fire, caused by molotov cocktails hurled by anti-government protesters, as they stand guard during clashes in Kiev February 18, 2014. Several thousand anti-government protesters clashed with police near Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday, torching vehicles and hurling stones in the worst violence to rock the capital Kiev in more than three weeks. (REUTERS/Andrew Kravchenko/Pool)
- Riot police officers and a woman take cover behind shields during clashes between anti-government protesters with police in Kiev, February 18, 2014. Ukrainian riot police advanced on the heart of 12-week-old protests against President Viktor Yanukovich on Tuesday and security forces set a deadline to end disturbances after at least five protesters were reported killed in a day of clashes. (REUTERS/Maks Levin)
- Anti-government protetsers clash with police in front of the Ukrainian Parliament in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Police on Tuesday fired rubber bullets at stone-throwing protesters as they demonstrated close to Ukraine’s parliament in Kiev, an AFP reporter at the scene said. Police also responded with smoke bombs after protesters hurled paving stones at them as they sought to get closer to the heavily-fortified parliament building. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images)
Riot police were captured on video shooting from a rooftop at demonstrators in the plaza, known as the Maidan or “Euro-Maidan”. Protesters hurled petrol bombs and paving stones to drive the security forces off a corner of the square the police had captured in battles that began on two days earlier. – Tribune