KIEV — Thousands of anti-government demonstrators clashed for hours with riot police in Ukraine's capital Sunday, attacking officers with sticks, stones and flares after new laws were passed to stifle protests. Dozens of people, including more than 20 police, were injured.
The protesters, many wearing hard hats and gas masks in defiance of the new legislation, also used stun grenades and fire extinguishers on officers. A police bus was set on fire, and some activists broke pavement into chunks.
Police responded by using tear gas and stun grenades of their own. Water cannons were also fired at the protesters in temperatures of 18 degrees, but the clashes continued.
The violence seriously escalated Ukraine's political crisis, which erupted two months ago after President's Viktor Yanukovych's decision to freeze ties with the European Union and seek a huge bailout from Russia.
The decision set off round-the-clock protests in Kiev's center, where demonstrators built a large tent camp. The protests have been mostly peaceful, but anger rose sharply after Yanukovych on Friday approved laws sharply limiting Ukrainians' rights to protest, civic activism and free speech. The U.S. called that legislation "undemocratic."