The number of those killed in the Ukrainian violence has risen to 77, the country’s Health Ministry has said. Doctors working on Kiev’s Independence Square, however, claimed that as many as 70 people were killed on the rioters’ side alone on Thursday.
The death toll in the most violent wave of clashes between the rioters and the police in Kiev is likely to increase, as there are conflicting figures coming from the Health Department, city officials and the opposition.
As many as 570 people have been injured, according to official estimates.
The surge in the number of victims comes as both armed rioters and the police are now using live ammunition in clashes. Many of the protesters and police officers killed or injured since Tuesday sustained gunshot wounds. Police have officially been allowed to use firearms in accordance with the law by an order of the Ukrainian Interior Minister.
At the same time, the Ukrainian parliament voted against the anti-terrorism measures in the country, with 236 deputies casting their votes. The decision calls for a ceasefire and return of all security forces to their permanent deployment areas. The resolution also prohibits the use of firearms in certain situations and bans the blocking of public transport.
Violence escalated on Tuesday after a group of radicals taking part in a “peaceful march” of the opposition attempted to storm the building of the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada). They were repelled by police cordons. The move came despite the agreement on amnesty finally reached between the government and the opposition.
The rioters then stormed and looted the nearby unprotected office
of the ruling Party of Regions, also setting it on fire. One
office worker was later found dead in the devastated building,
with reports saying he died from smoke inhalation.
The clashes soon grew bloody, with footage showing masked rioters
firing rifles and pistols at the police in central Kiev and
reports describing dead protesters with gunshot wounds.
As the situation increasingly spiraled out of control, both the Ukrainian government and the opposition blamed each other. While the government demanded that the riots stop and the armed protesters lay down their weapons, speakers on Independence Square (Maidan) demanded that police leave central Kiev. Despite the truce agreed between President Viktor Yanukovich and the leaders of the opposition, the violence continued as armed rioters did not heed the words coming from Maidan.
Meanwhile, the US, the EU and NATO lay full responsibility on the Ukrainian government, threatening it with “consequences” and sanctions. Individual sanctions for 20 Ukrainian politicians have already been imposed by Washington. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the actions of the Western states “resemble blackmail,” and he urged condemnation of the actions of “radicals and extremists, who are mostly responsible for violence and bloody riots.”
The so-called Maidan leaders must “immediately stop bloodshed” and “continue seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis without threats or ultimatums,” Lavrov stressed. The Foreign Ministry also reminded in a statement that any sanctions other than those imposed by the UN Security Council are “absolutely illegitimate.”
Sniper war
Until this week, snipers shooting people in central Kiev have
been little more than unsupported hearsay. But on Thursday, both
security forces and rioters were filmed stalking the streets with
rifles.
RT’s crew narrowly avoided being shot by sniper fire
while standing next to a window. RT’s Aleksey Yaroshevsky
reported that unidentified snipers were firing from buildings all
around Independence Square.
Correspondent Egor Piskunov and his camera crew were also caught
in the crossfire as they tried to film Independence Square from
the Hotel Ukraine. One of the bullets grazed the bulletproof vest
of journalist Danil Asimov as he stood by the window on the 14th
floor of the Kiev hotel.
Armed rioters then seized the hotel, using its windows to fire at
police.
At least 13 officers have been killed and 130 hospitalized with
gunshot wounds, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said. In all, 565
law enforcers have sought medical help since Tuesday, and 410 of
those were taken to hospital.
According to the Ukrainian Health Ministry, 562 people have been
injured in clashes and 356 hospitalized. The Ukrainian opposition
claims that more than 100 protesters have been killed since the
start of the violent riots, counting the wounded as
“thousands.”