Police move in on protest camp in Ukraine capital
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian security forces have begun dismantling barricades at the protest camp in downtown Kiev where demonstrators and police have been facing off for two days.
Police detained some protesters and tore down barricades on Kiev's central square early Wednesday during a heavy snowfall, in what could mark a more determined move against the demonstrators.
The two-month standoff, which has attracted hundreds of thousands of protesters to rallies in central Kiev, began after President Viktor Yanukovych spurned a pact with the European Union in favor of close ties with Russia.
Prospects for an agreement to end the conflict dimmed on Tuesday, when Yanukovych refused to personally meet with leading members of the opposition who were invited for talks.
