Police use water cannon against protesters in Kyiv, confrontation escalates

19:18, 19.01.2014 1 min read

Police have used a water cannon against the people who are involved in clashes on Hrushevskoho Street in the center of Kyiv on Sunday evening.

Police officers used a water cannon against the protesters in the front rows, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported.

After the water cannon was launched, the protesters moved backwards from the cordon, however they still remained in the street.

It was -7 degrees Celsius in Kyiv at that moment. In response to the work of the water cannon, people began to chant "Epiphany!" [The Orthodox Churches perform the Great Blessing of Waters on Theophany, or Epiphany, which is celebrated in Ukraine on January 19th].

After the protesters moved away from the cordon, the water cannon stopped operating, but police started throwing stun grenades.

The confrontation is still under way. Radical protesters in masks are beating drums.

Almost nothing could be seen because of thick smoke.