Opposition activists took over the justice ministry in Kiev on Sunday night. Protests are now spreading to other parts of Ukraine.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
Opposition leaders have refused President Viktor Yanukovich’s offer of top government posts, triggering a new showdown with authorities.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
Kiev’s Independence Square, also known as Maidan, has come to resemble a battlefield in recent weeks, strewn with the burnt-out shells of police vehicles.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
Protesters reinforce barricades on Independence Square, the nerve centre of the Kiev protests, by spraying them with water which quickly freezes in the -15 ° C temperatures.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
Behind the thick smoke of burning tyres, protesters prepare to throw Molotov cocktails at the police.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
With helmets and masks to protect themselves from tear gas, protesters have built a giant catapult to defend Independence Square from police assaults.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
An icy wind has swept the centre of Kiev bringing with it freezing conditions, contrasting with the flames from Molotov cocktails.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
Police protect the street leading to the Ukraine parliament building in Kiev.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
The charred shells of vehicles, covered with ice, have become part of the barricades protecting Independence Square.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
The smoke from burning tyres stops security forces from monitoring the opposition activists.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
A man gazes at the frozen, rubble-strewn streets in Kiev’s city centre.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
A protester is supported by other activists after being hit by a water cannon. Protesters have been braving the cold since November 21.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
A man feeds one of the tyre fires blazing behind the barricades on Independence Square.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
An opposition activist, leaning on a barricade, waves the flag of the Ukrainian extreme-right Svoboda party.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
A rare moment of truce between police and demonstrators. Clashes between opposition activists and security forces have killed at least five protesters in the past week.
Mehdi Chebil / FRANCE 24
