Protests in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, have erupted in a level of violence that the country has not seen in years, resulting in at least three deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens have gathered in the center of their capital since this past November to protest President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to spurn an integration pact with the European Union in favor of furthering relations with Russia. The number of protesters had waned as the cold settled in, but a law passed last week designed to suppress demonstrations had the opposite effect, and the number of citizens in the streets has swelled.
Though the majority of protesters remain peaceful, a more radical branch has broken off and found themselves in full-blown street fights with police. Police, in turn, have allegedly shot and killed at least two protesters, and many are afraid more violence is inevitable.
Below are images of the deadly scene.
Warning: Some of the images below are graphic in nature.
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