19/02/2014 18:44
Ukraine crisis: EU sanctions push over Kiev bloodshed
Europe's leaders are to consider urgent sanctions against Ukraine after the worst violence in months of unrest claimed at least 26 lives, the BBC reported.
Violence that began on Tuesday continued through the night as police tried to uproot the protest stronghold in the capital Kiev.
President Viktor Yanukovych blamed opposition leaders and Russia spoke of an attempted coup.
But the EU said it expected measures to target those behind the "repression."
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso spoke of the responsibility of "the political leadership" while several EU countries said they had no doubts that the Ukrainian authorities were to blame.
Police launched two assaults on Kiev's Independence Square, also known as the Maidan, in an attempt to regain control of the sprawling area that has been in the hands of protesters for several months.
As police gained ground in the Maidan, stones and petrol bombs were met with tear gas. The protesters tried to hold their defence lines, burning tyres on the barricades and more anti-government activists were said to be on their way to join the camp.
By morning, the BBC's Daniel Sandford said police had taken control of a corner of the square.