Kiev looks apocalyptic:

[dipsydoodle]

4. Ukraine police storm Kiev protest camp – live updates

8.38 GMT
Kateryna, a civil activist in Kiev, has tweeted that protestors have set one of the Ukrainian police armoured personnel carriers on fire.

In their latest statement, which has just been relayed by Reuters, the police say that four of their officers have died today.


8.29 GMT
Looking back on the earlier violence today, one particular area of controversy revolves around claims that live ammunition has been used. On this, the New York Times reports:

Protesters reported that the police were using live ammunition, but this could not be confirmed. Cartridges scattered on the street suggested that most, if not all, of the firing from police lines involved rubber bullets.

Some demonstrators carried firearms, too, though it was unclear whether they had used them. On Instyuts’ka Street, a crowd pulled a man from a parked car after discovering a rifle in the car’s trunk.

As he was jostled by the crowd, the man objected he had came to “fight for freedom,” indicating he was on the side of protesters. He was allowed to drive away with the rifle.

8.14pm GMT
Three police officers have been killed in clashes in Kiev today, according to the latest update from Ukraine’s Interior Ministry.

Russia Today reports that the ministry also says that some 135 officers have been hospitalised, while 35 of them are in a critical condition.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/18/ukraine-police-storm-kiev-protest-camp-live-updates#block-5303c3bde4b0911693db6bc8