Protests in Ukraine started up violently on Tuesday, ending a week of peace between the government and protesters.
At least nine were reported killed, according to The Washington Post. Seven killed were hard-line protesters and two were interior troops, the Interior Ministry confirmed.
Opposition leaders called for supporters to gather in Kiev's Independence Square, even as authorities warned about continuing its disturbing protests. The police set an 11 a.m. local time deadline for protesters to stop. They then shut down the local metro and reportedly blocked up roads to prevent protester numbers from swelling.
The deadline passed and instead of surging on the square, Interior troops moved to expel protesters who were occupying the exhibition center Ukraine House.
The week preceding the latest violent clash between the two sides saw some improvement as the opposition was able to get protesters to peacefully leave Kiev City Hall, reports the Los Angeles Times. Barricades were also taken down as the move was reciprocated with detained protesters being freed and having the charges against them dropped.
The protests rose up late last year after President Viktor Yanukovich backed out of talks with the European Union that would have helped the country financially. The opposition leaders have called on government leaders to resign and a technocrat interim government be set up. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned in January, but little other progress has been made.
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
