Originally published on February 19, 2014
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At least 25 people were killed in Ukraine after riot police moved in to clear Kiev's Independence Square, one of the anti-government protesters' last remaining strongholds. It is the worst violence since the government-opposition confrontation erupted last November.
On Wednesday, shortly after 4 a.m., riot police moved on the protesters' tents, advancing with tear gas, flash grenades and molotov cocktails, the Guardian reported.
According to Reuters, demonstrators, some armed with clubs and wearing helmets and body armour, tried to stand their ground.
A number of tents were set ablaze, starting a fire. Water cannons were used by police to douse it, unsuccessfully. The fire reached Trade Union House, the opposition's headquarters and people trapped inside had to be rescued with cranes.
After the Wednesday clashes, the death toll was 25 people, including civilians and security forces, Reuters reported.
From the square protest leaders called for people around the country to come to the square. "This is an island of freedom and we will defend it," opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko was quoted by the BBC as saying.
According to police and opposition representatives, hundreds people have been injured, with dozens in serious condition, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, there are reports of unrest breaking out elsewhere in Ukraine, such as in the western cities of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk.
Nationwide demonstrations against President Viktor Yanukovich began in November 2013 after he agreed to pull out, on Russia pressures, of a trade agreement with the European Union and accepted a Kremlin bailout.
Ukraine has been periodically destabilized by political turmoil since the independence from the Soviet Union more than 22 years ago, but it has never experienced violence on this scale.
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