KYIV. Jan 20 (Interfax) - Last night saw trench warfare between the protesters and the police on Hryshevsky Street near the Dynamo stadium.
The police sporadically launched offensives and retreated a several dozen meters under the pressure of the demonstrators.
The situation basically stabilized as of 7 a.m. Kyiv time (9 a.m. Moscow time), an Interfax correspondent reported.
Over 100 people remain near the Dynamo stadium on Hryshevsky Street, where the confrontation with the police has been on for more than 15 hours. The police have moved about 100 meters back from the line of burned buses and are standing there under the protection of shields. The area between the burned buses and the police cordons is covered with foam.
The sides are exchanging pinpoint attacks.
Mobile groups of protesters run forward from time to time to the accompaniment of metal rods hitting empty barrels to throw rocks and Molotov cocktails at the police.
The police start firing rubber bullets when they see the activists approaching. The police also toss stun grenades from time to time irrespective of the activity. Tear gas has been used, too. There are no active offensive operations at present.
Water is pouring from a fire hose that lies under the police's feet.
Burned buses block the traffic on Hrushevsky Street. Because of the water pouring from the fire hose the buses are frozen to the ground. It's minus ten degrees Celsius in Kyiv at present.
There are light barricades on Parkova Street. The protesters have taken the sidewalk to pieces in many places.
There are not many activists, about 1,500, on European Square. They are scattered around and some occupy positions on nearby hills.
As reported earlier, over 70 police officers were hurt in the clashes and 49 of them were taken to a hospital. Four buses and two cars were burned. Several dozen protesters sustained injuries. About ten activists who attacked the police were taken into custody.