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| Kiev’s Brief Truce Shatters in Bursts of Gunfire | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s descent into a spiral of violence accelerated on Thursday as protesters and riot police officers used firearms in a clash apparently intended to reclaim areas of Independence Square, the symbolic central plaza in the capital that had been retaken by police two days before. | KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s descent into a spiral of violence accelerated on Thursday as protesters and riot police officers used firearms in a clash apparently intended to reclaim areas of Independence Square, the symbolic central plaza in the capital that had been retaken by police two days before. |
| The fighting shattered a truce declared just hours earlier. Just after dawn, young men in ski masks opened a breach in their barricade near a stage on the square, ran across a hundred yards of smoldering debris and surged toward riot police officers who were firing at them with shotguns. | The fighting shattered a truce declared just hours earlier. Just after dawn, young men in ski masks opened a breach in their barricade near a stage on the square, ran across a hundred yards of smoldering debris and surged toward riot police officers who were firing at them with shotguns. |
| Protesters pushed back the police in a continual racket of gunshots and by around 10 a.m. had recaptured the entire square, but at the cost of creating a scene of mayhem. | Protesters pushed back the police in a continual racket of gunshots and by around 10 a.m. had recaptured the entire square, but at the cost of creating a scene of mayhem. |
| The fighting left bodies lined up on a sidewalk, makeshift clinics crammed with the bloody wounded, and sirens and gunfire ringing through the center of the city. | The fighting left bodies lined up on a sidewalk, makeshift clinics crammed with the bloody wounded, and sirens and gunfire ringing through the center of the city. |
| The demonstrators captured at least several dozen policemen, whom they marched, dazed and bloodied, toward the center of the square through a crowd of men who heckled and shoved them. | The demonstrators captured at least several dozen policemen, whom they marched, dazed and bloodied, toward the center of the square through a crowd of men who heckled and shoved them. |
| “There will be many dead today,” Anatoly Volk, 38, one of the demonstrators, said. He was watching stretchers carry dead and wounded men down a stairway slick with mud near the Hotel Ukraina. | “There will be many dead today,” Anatoly Volk, 38, one of the demonstrators, said. He was watching stretchers carry dead and wounded men down a stairway slick with mud near the Hotel Ukraina. |
| Mr. Volk said the protesters had decided to try to retake the square because they believed a truce announced around midnight was a ruse. The young men in ski masks who led the push, he said, believed it was a stalling maneuver by President Viktor F. Yanukovych, to buy time to deploy troops in the capital after discovering that the civilian police had insufficient forces to clear the square. | Mr. Volk said the protesters had decided to try to retake the square because they believed a truce announced around midnight was a ruse. The young men in ski masks who led the push, he said, believed it was a stalling maneuver by President Viktor F. Yanukovych, to buy time to deploy troops in the capital after discovering that the civilian police had insufficient forces to clear the square. |
| “A truce means real negotiations,” Mr. Volk said. “They are just delaying to make time to bring in more troops. They didn’t have the forces to storm us last night. So we are expanding our barricades to where they were before. We are restoring what we had.” | “A truce means real negotiations,” Mr. Volk said. “They are just delaying to make time to bring in more troops. They didn’t have the forces to storm us last night. So we are expanding our barricades to where they were before. We are restoring what we had.” |
| The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland were scheduled to meet with Mr. Yanukovych on Thursday morning but the meeting was delayed, purportedly for security reasons. It was not clear when the meeting would take place. | The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland were scheduled to meet with Mr. Yanukovych on Thursday morning but the meeting was delayed, purportedly for security reasons. It was not clear when the meeting would take place. |
| Several thousand young men carrying clubs advanced up a street near government buildings and Parliament and stopped at a line of riot police officers. The fighting halted as they negotiated with a police commander there. The protesters cleared a corridor so an ambulance, apparently carrying wounded policemen, could drive out from the police position through their crowd. | Several thousand young men carrying clubs advanced up a street near government buildings and Parliament and stopped at a line of riot police officers. The fighting halted as they negotiated with a police commander there. The protesters cleared a corridor so an ambulance, apparently carrying wounded policemen, could drive out from the police position through their crowd. |
| On Independence Square, the wounded were taken to improvised clinics set up in a shoe store and a post office after the main medical center in the occupied Trade Unions Building had burned on Tuesday night. The dead were lying on a sidewalk beside the Kozatskiy Hotel, were nine bodies were laid out under blankets by around 11 a.m. | On Independence Square, the wounded were taken to improvised clinics set up in a shoe store and a post office after the main medical center in the occupied Trade Unions Building had burned on Tuesday night. The dead were lying on a sidewalk beside the Kozatskiy Hotel, were nine bodies were laid out under blankets by around 11 a.m. |
| Gunfire crackled around the Hotel Ukraina and protesters were hit in front of the Globus shopping mall. One protester walked near the fighting with a double-barreled shotgun slung over a shoulder. | Gunfire crackled around the Hotel Ukraina and protesters were hit in front of the Globus shopping mall. One protester walked near the fighting with a double-barreled shotgun slung over a shoulder. |
| “If our guys are dying, excuse me, what can I say,” said the man, who offered only his first name, Oleg. “If they didn’t use guns, the idea never would have come to us.” | “If our guys are dying, excuse me, what can I say,” said the man, who offered only his first name, Oleg. “If they didn’t use guns, the idea never would have come to us.” |
| The wide use of firearms in the center of the city was a new and ominous phase for the protest movement. | The wide use of firearms in the center of the city was a new and ominous phase for the protest movement. |
| Supporters of the opposition earlier this week overran an Interior Ministry garrison near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv and captured its armory, in an indication of forceful measures opponents of Mr. Yanukovych appear ready to employ; it was unclear whether any of the commandeered weapons were being used on Thursday in the fighting in the capital. | Supporters of the opposition earlier this week overran an Interior Ministry garrison near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv and captured its armory, in an indication of forceful measures opponents of Mr. Yanukovych appear ready to employ; it was unclear whether any of the commandeered weapons were being used on Thursday in the fighting in the capital. |
| Most of the shooting previously had involved nonlethal rubber bullets. Nonetheless, during the fighting on Tuesday, at least 25 people died, including nine police officers. | Most of the shooting previously had involved nonlethal rubber bullets. Nonetheless, during the fighting on Tuesday, at least 25 people died, including nine police officers. |
| From the stage on the square, a speaker yelled “Glory to Ukraine!” and the crowd yelled back “Glory to its heroes!” | From the stage on the square, a speaker yelled “Glory to Ukraine!” and the crowd yelled back “Glory to its heroes!” |
| The part of the square back under the control of the protesters after Thursday’s fighting was an otherworldly panorama of soot-smeared paving stones, debris and coils of smoldering wire from burned tires. | The part of the square back under the control of the protesters after Thursday’s fighting was an otherworldly panorama of soot-smeared paving stones, debris and coils of smoldering wire from burned tires. |
| The protests began in November when Mr. Yanukovych rejected a trade and economic agreement with the European Union and turned instead to Russia for financial aid. | The protests began in November when Mr. Yanukovych rejected a trade and economic agreement with the European Union and turned instead to Russia for financial aid. |
| The authorities had announced on Wednesday a nationwide “antiterrorist operation” to keep guns and power from what they called extremist groups, and they dismissed the country’s top general. But later, they declared that a truce had been reached with political leaders of the opposition, who confirmed that overnight. | The authorities had announced on Wednesday a nationwide “antiterrorist operation” to keep guns and power from what they called extremist groups, and they dismissed the country’s top general. But later, they declared that a truce had been reached with political leaders of the opposition, who confirmed that overnight. |
| The party website of an opposition leader, Vitali Klitschko, said the opposition had received assurances that there would be “no assault” on the main protest site, though even then it was uncertain that a pause in the conflict would hold, particularly among more determined street fighters. In fact, hours later, they attacked. | The party website of an opposition leader, Vitali Klitschko, said the opposition had received assurances that there would be “no assault” on the main protest site, though even then it was uncertain that a pause in the conflict would hold, particularly among more determined street fighters. In fact, hours later, they attacked. |
| Since Tuesday, the government of Mr. Yanukovych and several thousand grimly determined protesters, along with their supporters in Russia and Europe, have faced off in a confrontation over the fate of this fractured country of 46 million. | Since Tuesday, the government of Mr. Yanukovych and several thousand grimly determined protesters, along with their supporters in Russia and Europe, have faced off in a confrontation over the fate of this fractured country of 46 million. |
| The truce agreement was announced after indications — including the deployment of paratroopers to help protect military bases — that the Ukrainian authorities were concerned about maintaining control, particularly in the country’s west. | The truce agreement was announced after indications — including the deployment of paratroopers to help protect military bases — that the Ukrainian authorities were concerned about maintaining control, particularly in the country’s west. |
| “In many regions of the country, municipal buildings, offices of the Interior Ministry, state security and the prosecutor general, army units and arms depots are being seized,” Oleksandr Yakimenko, the head of the state security service, the S.B.U., said in a televised statement. | “In many regions of the country, municipal buildings, offices of the Interior Ministry, state security and the prosecutor general, army units and arms depots are being seized,” Oleksandr Yakimenko, the head of the state security service, the S.B.U., said in a televised statement. |
| “Military servants of the armed forces of Ukraine might be used in antiterrorist operations on the territory of Ukraine,” the Defense Ministry said, raising the prospect that Mr. Yanukovych could call on the armed forces to try to restore order and keep himself in office. | “Military servants of the armed forces of Ukraine might be used in antiterrorist operations on the territory of Ukraine,” the Defense Ministry said, raising the prospect that Mr. Yanukovych could call on the armed forces to try to restore order and keep himself in office. |
| That statement brought a quick response from President Obama and other Western leaders, who sought to defuse the crisis even as their differences with Russia hardened in an escalating East-West struggle redolent of the Cold War. | That statement brought a quick response from President Obama and other Western leaders, who sought to defuse the crisis even as their differences with Russia hardened in an escalating East-West struggle redolent of the Cold War. |
| It was not clear how the military could be legally deployed for what would be a domestic policing mission unless the authorities first declared a state of emergency, a step that Mr. Yanukovych has previously shied away from and for which the military has shown no enthusiasm. That was why the firing of the pro-European chief of the Ukrainian general staff, Volodymyr Zaman, set off alarms in the West. | It was not clear how the military could be legally deployed for what would be a domestic policing mission unless the authorities first declared a state of emergency, a step that Mr. Yanukovych has previously shied away from and for which the military has shown no enthusiasm. That was why the firing of the pro-European chief of the Ukrainian general staff, Volodymyr Zaman, set off alarms in the West. |
| Also raising concerns was the fact that American officials have sought to contact senior Ukrainian military officials by phone and “nobody is picking up,” a senior State Department official said. The United States has been warning against the imposition of a state of emergency “for months and months,” the official said. | Also raising concerns was the fact that American officials have sought to contact senior Ukrainian military officials by phone and “nobody is picking up,” a senior State Department official said. The United States has been warning against the imposition of a state of emergency “for months and months,” the official said. |
| Throughout the day on Wednesday, thousands of Kiev residents braved the riot police and roaming bands of pro-government supporters to visit the besieged protest encampment in Independence Square, now a harrowing vista of charred buildings and smoldering debris. | Throughout the day on Wednesday, thousands of Kiev residents braved the riot police and roaming bands of pro-government supporters to visit the besieged protest encampment in Independence Square, now a harrowing vista of charred buildings and smoldering debris. |
| The residents brought supplies to the young men in masks and helmets who, for the authorities, are now the only true face of the country’s political tumult. | The residents brought supplies to the young men in masks and helmets who, for the authorities, are now the only true face of the country’s political tumult. |
| With the subway system shut down, they walked, carrying bags of groceries, tires and scrap wood for the protesters’ protective ring of burning barricades, and jerrycans of gasoline. Two middle-aged women walked nonchalantly down a central street toward Independence Square, known as Maidan, pushing a shopping cart rattling with ready-made firebombs. | With the subway system shut down, they walked, carrying bags of groceries, tires and scrap wood for the protesters’ protective ring of burning barricades, and jerrycans of gasoline. Two middle-aged women walked nonchalantly down a central street toward Independence Square, known as Maidan, pushing a shopping cart rattling with ready-made firebombs. |
| The protesters are a hodgepodge of groups, some radical enough to alarm some European diplomats, who have been arguing for weeks over whether to impose sanctions on Ukrainian leaders, many of whom have assets outside the country. But few, if any, share Mr. Yanukovych’s — and also Russia’s — view that the government is simply a victim. | The protesters are a hodgepodge of groups, some radical enough to alarm some European diplomats, who have been arguing for weeks over whether to impose sanctions on Ukrainian leaders, many of whom have assets outside the country. But few, if any, share Mr. Yanukovych’s — and also Russia’s — view that the government is simply a victim. |
| “Yanukovych claims to be the victim of the radicals of the Maidan, and that he did not want such violence. We accept that the opposition made a mistake,” said Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, who traveled to Kiev to see the Ukrainian president on Thursday morning, along with the with French and German foreign ministers. But in an interview before the truce deal, Mr. Sikorski, said the “president’s credibility with everyone is now zero.” | “Yanukovych claims to be the victim of the radicals of the Maidan, and that he did not want such violence. We accept that the opposition made a mistake,” said Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, who traveled to Kiev to see the Ukrainian president on Thursday morning, along with the with French and German foreign ministers. But in an interview before the truce deal, Mr. Sikorski, said the “president’s credibility with everyone is now zero.” |
| In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday, Mr. Yanukovych said opposition leaders had “crossed the limits when they called people to arms” and demanded that they “dissociate themselves from the radical forces that provoke bloodshed.” | |
| The protest movement certainly contains extremist elements but, at least in Kiev and many other cities, particularly in the western regions, it has a wide base of public support. After talks with Mr. Yanukovych late Tuesday as violence spun out of control, the opposition leader Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk complained that the president had only a single offer: “that we surrender.” | |
| Adding to the Ukrainian leadership’s alarm on Wednesday were a string of reports from the west of the country, a longstanding bastion of antigovernment sentiment, that the offices of governors, prosecutors, the police and the state security service had been stormed by protesters and, in several cases, set on fire. | Adding to the Ukrainian leadership’s alarm on Wednesday were a string of reports from the west of the country, a longstanding bastion of antigovernment sentiment, that the offices of governors, prosecutors, the police and the state security service had been stormed by protesters and, in several cases, set on fire. |
| In Lviv, near the border with Poland, what had been a peaceful blockade of a sprawling compound housing barracks and the Interior Ministry’s western command turned early Wednesday into the seizure of a major military installation. | |
| Andriy Porodko, 29, a businessman who had commanded the earlier blockade, said the “soldiers all surrendered” without a fight and had allowed protesters to take control of the compound, including an armory full of weapons. | Andriy Porodko, 29, a businessman who had commanded the earlier blockade, said the “soldiers all surrendered” without a fight and had allowed protesters to take control of the compound, including an armory full of weapons. |
| Ihor Pochinok, the editor in chief of a Lviv newspaper, Ekspres, said the city was bubbling with fury at the assault on Tuesday on Independence Square but “was functioning normally, except for state authorities.” | Ihor Pochinok, the editor in chief of a Lviv newspaper, Ekspres, said the city was bubbling with fury at the assault on Tuesday on Independence Square but “was functioning normally, except for state authorities.” |
| Protesters, he said, had also stormed the offices of the regional governor, a Yanukovych appointee, resuming an occupation that had ended just three days earlier, and raided the local headquarters of the state prosecutor, the state security service and several district police stations. Around 140 guns were seized from a police armory. | Protesters, he said, had also stormed the offices of the regional governor, a Yanukovych appointee, resuming an occupation that had ended just three days earlier, and raided the local headquarters of the state prosecutor, the state security service and several district police stations. Around 140 guns were seized from a police armory. |
| Beyond Lviv, antigovernment activists besieged or seized police stations and administrative buildings in the western cities of Uzhgorod, Lutsk and Khmelnitsky and the eastern city of Poltava. | |
| In Lutsk, protesters attacked the regional police department, which responded with stun grenades and other fire. The building was then set on fire by protesters throwing gasoline bombs. |