Wednesday saw the first fatalities of the two-month-old protests in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, when at least two men were shot and killed by police, and a third reportedly fell to his death as he clashed with security forces. On Jan. 19, after the signing of a new law that restricted the right to assemble and criminalized wearing helmets and masks, the demonstrations, which had been mostly peaceful since some 200,000 had poured into the streets to protest the abandonment of a trade agreement with the European Union, devolved into bitter violence. Though the crowds had dwindled through weeks of bitter cold since December, the new law, and a separate, later authorization of the use of deadly force -- brought as many as 100,000 back to the streets, blocking roads and attempting to shut down government buildings near Independence Square. Many attendees received texts saying, "Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance," alerting them that the government was tracking their locations through their phones. Riot police, trailed by firefighting crews, fired stun grenades, water cannons, and rubber bullets as they were assailed by petrol bombs and paving stones -- even a crude catapult -- hurled from behind burned-out police vans, and reports of pro-government provocateurs incited fury and claims of sabotage amongst protestors. One hundred-ninety-five police officers had been injured according to the Interior Ministry, 84 to the point of hospitalization, since the violence began over the weekend, and 36 journalists have been wounded covering the unrest.
President Viktor Yanukovych met with members of the three leading opposition factions on Wednesday, in an attempt to find a peaceful resolution, but to no avail. "When we talked about canceling the new laws that make each of us here a criminal, we heard that maybe this can be a point of negotiations," said Vitali Klitschko, former boxer and leader of the UDAR party, speaking to a crowd after the meeting had adjourned. "I will be with the people. If I have to fight, I will fight. If I have to go under bullets, I will. I will stand up for the people, because I want to live in a different country." He continued: "If tomorrow the President does not make a step forward, we will attack."
Above, protesters clash with riot police in Kiev on Jan. 22.
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A protester points a gun during clashes with riot police in the center of Kiev on Jan. 22.
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A protester throws a stone near burning tires during clashes with riot police in Kiev on Jan. 22.
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Above, Ukrainian protesters shoot petards in a demonstration on Grushevsky Street against laws recently accepted by the Ukrainian parliament that curtail media rights and tighten restrictions on public gatherings on Jan. 22 in Kiev, Ukraine.
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Riot police officers clash with protesters in the center of Kiev on Jan. 22.
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Protesters throw stones as they clash with police in the center of Kiev on Jan. 22.
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A Ukrainian police officer throws a Molotov cocktail during clashes with protesters in the center of Kiev on Jan. 22.
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Riot police officers gather in the center of Kiev on Jan. 22.
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A woman hits a riot police officer with a cross as he drags a protester away during clashes in the center of Kiev on Jan. 22.
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Ukrainian protester throws a Molotov cocktail during a mass demonstration on Grushevsky Street.
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Protesters in Kiev on Jan. 22.
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A Ukrainian woman speaks with riot police as they stand guard during protests in central Kiev, Ukraine, on Jan. 22.
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Priests serve during a break in clashes between opposition and the police in Kiev on Jan. 21. Russia warned on Jan. 21 that the situation in Ukraine was spiraling out of control after a second night of violent clashes between pro-EU protesters and security forces in the center of Kiev.
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An anti-government protester watches a line of riot police on Hrushevskoho Street after consecutive nights of clashes on Jan. 21 in Kiev, Ukraine.
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Anti-government protesters chant the Ukrainian anthem as they stand on a burnt police truck on Jan 21.
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Anti-government protester stands next to a charred police truck during a standoff with riot units on Hrushevskoho Street after consecutive nights of clashes on Jan. 21 in Kiev.
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