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Russia accuses Europe politicians of 'role' in Ukraine violence

Written By Unknown on Tuesday, 21 January 2014 | 03:42

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has blamed some European politicians for encouraging violent protests in Ukraine.

Mr Lavrov warned the situation in the country was "getting out of control".
There has been a second consecutive night of serious clashes in Kiev.

Young men threw fireworks and petrol bombs at police guarding the road leading up to the Ukrainian parliament. Police violently beat some of the protesters they captured.

The violence abated on Tuesday morning, but correspondents say there is a widespread expectation that it could resume later in the day.

Mr Lavrov's warning came after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Monday cautioned that the violence threatened the country's stability.

An array of new anti-protest laws, hastily passed by parliament last week, will come into force on Wednesday.

Protesters have been camped out in Kiev since late November, angered by the government's turn to Moscow and its rejection of a planned treaty with the EU. 

'Indecent'
 
"Members of several European governments rushed to the Maidan without any invitation and took part in anti-government demonstrations in a country with which they have diplomatic ties," Mr Lavrov said, referring to the square in which protesters have been encamped for many weeks. 

"This is simply indecent."

He did not name names, but European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and the then German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle visited the protesters in December, as did US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.

Warning that the "situation is getting out of control", Mr Lavrov added: "We have information that much of this is being stimulated from abroad." 

Lines of riot police still held the road leading up to parliament on Tuesday morning, behind burnt-out buses and barricades, reports the BBC's Daniel Sandford in Kiev.

He says there is a lull in fighting but that many fear the violence will erupt again later in the day.

Clashes went on through the night, with police using tear gas and stun grenades against several hundred young men ranged against them.

At times, thousands of people cheered from the sidelines. 

At times, thousands of people cheered from the sidelines. 

An elderly woman walks away from police officers as they block a street during unrest in central Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday 21 January 2014 There was a lull in the violence on Tuesday morning but fears the violence could erupt anew later in the day
Protesters clad in improvised protective gear prepare for a clash with police in central Kiev, Ukraine, late on Monday 20 January 2014 Protesters put together their own improvised armoured outfits in order to confront police
Anti-government protesters build a catapult to throw stones during clashes with police in Kiev, Ukraine, on Monday 20 January 2014 A makeshift catapult built by protesters was later dismantled by police
 A protester catches fire during clashes with police in Kiev on Monday The protesters are demanding the resignation of President Yanukovych and early elections
Eighty police have been admitted to hospital following the most recent clashes, says Ukraine's interior ministry.

It says 32 protesters have been arrested. Thirteen of those held could face up to 15 years in jail for creating "mass disturbances", local media reported.
Violence renounced
 
The violence is in fact restricted to one small zone in central Kiev, close to the main protest encampment at Maidan (or Independence Square), with most of the rest of the city functioning normally, say correspondents. 

Key opposition figures Arseniy Yatsenyuk and former boxing champion Vitali Klitschko have condemned the violence but seem unable to stop it.

Mr Klitschko has accused the government of paying "titushkos", or thugs, to delegitimise the protests through violence and create a pretext for the imposition of a state of emergency.

A raft of anti-protest laws passed hastily by parliament last week was published in Golos Ukrainy, a parliamentary newspaper, on Tuesday, and are due to come into force on Wednesday, said reports.

They prescribe jail terms for anyone blockading public buildings, and ban the wearing of masks or helmets at demonstrations. 

They also ban any unauthorised tents in public areas and make slandering government officials a crime.

In a statement on Monday evening, President Yanukovych said that "now, when peaceful actions are turning into mass unrest, accompanied by riots and arson attacks, the use of violence, I am convinced that such phenomena are a threat not only to Kiev but to the whole of Ukraine".

President Yanukovych says he is now ready to negotiate with opposition leaders, and a cross-party commission has been set up to try to resolve the crisis.

But Mr Yanukovych and three opposition politicians failed to attend the talks late on Monday, sending deputies in their place.

Few expected much from the talks, correspondents say.
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Source : BBC
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