Two people have reportedly died during clashes between police and protesters in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
The country's interior ministry has so far confirmed only one death, but made no comment on the cause.
Police threw stun grenades and broke through protesters' barricades, made from burnt-out buses, early on Wednesday morning.
The latest violence follows three nights of fighting that have left hundreds wounded in the Ukrainian capital.
Sky News' Moscow Correspondent Katie Stallard said: "The protesters say that one male activist was shot by a police sniper in the early hours of this morning.
"There is no confirmation as to whether that is live ammunition or rubber bullets being used, but it would be a very serious escalation if this is live ammunition."
Protesters said another person also died after being beaten by police and falling from a height.
Tensions in the country have reached boiling point after several months of protests over President Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign a new deal bringing the country closer to the European Union.
Mr Yanukovych instead opted for closer ties with former communist master Russia.
Tough new anti-protest laws have also been rushed through to try to bring the situation under control, but have only increased protesters' anger.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday that the situation in Ukraine was spiralling out of control after several days of street battles.
Mr Lavrov said calls from opposition leaders for an end to violence have failed, indicating they no longer hold sway over the demonstrators.
Opposition politicians, including former world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko and Arseniy Yatsenyuk, have repeatedly appealed for calm since protests turned violent on Sunday.
The two deaths, if confirmed, mark a significant escalation in the conflict between riot police and protesters.
Until recent days, the demonstrations had been largely peaceful.
On Sunday a rally of some 200,000 people took to the streets in a show of anger over the new anti-protest laws signed by President Yanukovych last week.
The laws allow for jail terms of up to five years for those who blockade public buildings. They also ban protesters from wearing masks or helmets.
Protests first erupted in November after President Yanukovych opted to shelve a long-discussed economic and political treaty with the European Union.
Instead he chose to focus on improving ties with Russia and received a bailout loan from the Kremlin to aid the troubled Ukrainian economy.
The president agreed to negotiate with the opposition following a meeting with Mr Klitschko over the weekend, however no such talks have yet been held.
More follows...
:: Watch the latest updates live on Sky News on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Ukraine Protester 'Shot Dead' By Police
Dengan url
http://malurasanya.blogspot.com/2014/01/ukraine-protester-shot-dead-by-police.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Ukraine Protester 'Shot Dead' By Police
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Ukraine Protester 'Shot Dead' By Police
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar