Residents of Kiev, Ukraine, awoke this morning to a scene of frozen destruction. Police buses that had been attacked by protesters Sunday evening on Hrushevskoho Street were bathed in ice — the consequence of water cannons that law enforcement used to douse fires.
Those fires had been by Molotov cocktails in what was clearly the most violent day of clashes between police and protesters since the Ukrainian uprising began in November.
See also: 20 Incredible Images of Massive Protests in Ukraine
So far, Monday has been quieter than Sunday, yet police continue to fire rubber bullets and stun grenades at protesters, according to Ukrainian Radio, NRCU.
The main focus of today's clashes seemed to be Dynamo Stadium near Mariinsky Park, according to the English-language news organization Kyiv Post. Protesters have hurled Molotov cocktails and bricks.




The Kyiv Post described the skirmishes as something of a "schoolyard rumble." The two sides seem to be far enough apart so that neither suffers injury.
Sometimes the standoff between police and protesters looks more like a schoolyard rumble, with a lot of posturing on both sides and a reluctance to engage in violence for understandable reasons (nobody wants to get hurt). The rocks and Molotov cocktails the protesters hurl at police from a distances are not likely to cause serious injury, considering that the police are standing usually out of range and protected by shields and helmets. And many of the protesters' shots didn't hit their mark. he protesters, on the other hand, are understandably wary of police, who could strike with batons or guns.
The violence on Sunday erupted after the Ukraine government enraged many citizens with the enactment of a sweeping set of laws intended to curb public protest. The new laws banned protesters from wearing helmets, pitching tents and using bullhorns. Violators face steep fines and prison sentences of up to 15 years. The new laws also created stiff penalties for slander and libel.
Protesters use doors of portable toilets as shields in Day 2 of #Hrushevskogo Street clashes in #Kiev. pic.twitter.com/VODLzvLY35
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) January 20, 2014
The toll of Sunday's clashes became clearer on Monday. The Interior Ministry said 70 police officers had been injured, four of them seriously. In addition, the Institute of Mass Information said 26 journalists were injured in the street fighting, including Evgeny Feldman , a Russian photojournalist for Nova Gazeta.
http://t.co/8Em98WWNWh second day of clashes in Kiev pic.twitter.com/qBhdCQd87A
— Feldman (@EvgenyFeldman) January 20, 2014
A number of other journalists were detained by the police, including two with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. In addition, the Interior Ministry says it has detained 20 activists who were "witnessed to take active part in unlawful actions."
Protest organizers said 200 protesters had been hurt, many of them with head and leg injuries.
Two @RFERL journalists after being released by police in Kyiv
pic.twitter.com/go0a7Cg8pk
via @gkates
— Maxim Eristavi (@MaximEristavi) January 20, 2014
Also on Monday, several hundred activists gathered in front of the European Union offices in Kiev, urging sanctions against the government of President Viktor Yanukovych, according to the Kyiv Post. Hanna Hopko, one of the organizers, said, “These days Ukraine’s civil community unites and we have one clear message — dictatorship will be established if EU keeps silence, especially after the events of Jan. 19 in Kiev.”
Sanctions are also being considered in Washington, according to a statement by the U.S. National Security Council.
"The increasing tension in Ukraine is a direct consequence of the government failing to acknowledge the legitimate grievances of its people. Instead, it has moved to weaken the foundations of Ukraine's democracy by criminalizing peaceful protest and stripping civil society and political opponents of key democratic protections under the law."
On Sunday, signs indicated that the Yanukovych government might take steps to negotiate an end to the crisis that has engulfed the country for more than two months. Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko tweeted that the president had pledged to set up a commission to resolve the political crisis.
But Monday afternoon, it was unclear whether a planned meeting between opposition leaders and aides to the president would take place. Klitschko said the opposition would only meet with Yanukovych directly to discuss the crisis.