Ukraine's Leader Blames Opposition for Deadly Clashes 2014

KIEV, Ukraine—As thick black smoke rose from the barricades encircling the protest camp in central Kiev on Wednesday, the Ukrainian president blamed opposition leaders for the deadly violence that erupted between riot police and protesters in the capital in which at least 25 people died and 241 were injured.

The violence on Tuesday was the worst in nearly three months of antigovernment protests that have paralyzed Ukraine's capital in a struggle over the identity of a nation divided in loyalties between Russia and the West, and the worst in the country's post-Soviet history. The Heath Ministry on Wednesday said 25 people were killed in the clashes.

Photos: Kiev Violence

A protester takes cover during a rally in Independence Square in central Kiev on Wednesday. David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters

Amid cries of "Glory to Ukraine!" and with flaming tires lighting up the night sky, thousands of riot police armed with stun grenades and water cannons attacked the sprawling protest camp in the center of Kiev. With the boom of exploding stun grenades and fireworks nearly drowning out his words at times, opposition leader Vitali Klitschko overnight urged the 20,000 protesters to defend the camp on Independence Square that has been the heart of the protests.

"We will not go anywhere from here," Mr. Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing champion, told the crowd, speaking from a stage in the square as tents and tires burned around him, releasing huge plumes of smoke. "This is an island of freedom and we will defend it," he said.

 I am not going to sit and wait while they kill me," said 32-year-old Anton Rybkovich. "I'm going to attack. The more force the government uses, the more harsh our response will be."

About 10,000 people remained on the square as piles of rubber tires continued to burn. A large building that the protesters had used as a headquarters caught fire and had been abandoned during the night, as police used loudspeakers to urge women and children to leave the square because an "antiterrorist" operation was under way.President Viktor Yanukovych said that opposition leaders "crossed a line when they called people to arms."

 I again call on the leaders of the opposition…to draw a boundary between themselves and radical forces which are provoking bloodshed and clashes with the security services," the president said in a statement. "If they don't want to leave [the square]—they should acknowledge that they are supporting radicals. Then the conversation with them will already be of a different kind."

His defiant tone left few with hope of compromise after a night of violence.

As the street battles grew to a fever pitch late on Tuesday, the protesters appeared to sense that Ukraine's political standoff was reaching a critical turning point. Waving Ukrainian and opposition party flags, they shouted "Glory to Ukraine!" and sang the Ukrainian national anthem.

Shortly before midnight, Mr. Klitschko headed to Mr. Yanukovych's office to try to resolve the crisis. He returned to the square early on Wednesday without reaching any agreement on ending the violence. Mr. Klitschko told reporters that he had asked the president to stop the police action to clear the square and prevent further deaths, but Mr. Yanukovych's only proposal was that the demonstrators have to go home and stop the protests.

"I am very unhappy because there was no discussion," Mr. Klitschko said. "They don't want to listen."

Mr. Klitschko urged the protesters and police to stop the escalation of violence, and said opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk was trying to arrange for more negotiations with Mr. Yanukovych later Wednesday, although Mr. Yanukovych's statement made no mention of an imminent meeting with opposition leaders.

The violence began Tuesday when protesters attacked police lines and set fires outside parliament, accusing Mr. Yanukovych of once again ignoring their demands. Parliament, dominated by his supporters, was stalling on taking up a constitutional reform to limit presidential powers.

Tensions had soared after Russia said on Monday that it was ready to resume providing the loans that Mr. Yanukovych's government needs to keep Ukraine's ailing economy afloat. This raised fears among the opposition that Mr. Yanukovych had made a deal with Moscow to stand firm against the protesters and would choose a Russian-leaning loyalist to be his new prime minister.