Fiery skirmishes raged on Kiev’s Independence Square late on Tuesday as protesters clashed with state security forces who are attempting to disperse the crowds.
At least 18 people are reported to have been killed as a result of Tuesday’s violence, including 11 protesters and 7 police officers. Hundreds more have been injured in the clashes.
On Insitutskaya Street, rioters lit tires and threw Molotov cocktails to deter the police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse the crowds.
A 18:00 (16:00 GMT) deadline for the rioters has been set by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior to end the violence. A statement issued by the SBU urged the protesters to return to the negotiating table, threatening the opposition with the use of force, in accordance with the Ukrainian law, if they do not comply.
Ukraine: Barricades ablaze on Maidan “Independence Square.”
Smoke fills the sky above Kiev’s Maidan Square as thousands of protesters clash with police attempting to clear the square on Tuesday.
Injured protesters were treated by emergency services after clashing with police in and around Kiev’s Independence Square on Tuesday.
At least five people have been killed in Kiev, Ukraine Tuesday as a new wave of violence hit the capital amid tensions over proposed changes to the constitution.
WARNING SOME GRAPHIC VIOLENCE: Violence rocks the Ukrainian capital Kiev as several thousand anti-government protesters clash with riot police in the worst street violence since late January.
Scenes from streets of protest in Kiev, Ukraine.
Scores of Ukrainians injured in worst street battles since January, 2014.