Ukrainian Violence Erupts After Peaceful Weekend

An eruption of violence in the Ukraine has left seven people dead and more than 100 injured. It was the worst violence in weeks.

Anti-government protestors marched on the Ukrainian parliament demanding constitutional reforms. Demonstrators were met by police who used rubber bullets, stun grenades, tear gas and batons to hold surging crowds back.

The latest violence followed attempts by Russia and the European Union to gain influence in the country.

The weekend brought a brief repose from the fighting. Protestors vacated a government building they had occupied for two months, and officials released jailed activists.

"After weekend progress in Kyiv, sorry to see renewed violence," U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey R. Pyatt said in a Twitter post. "Politics needs to happen in the Rada [parliament], not on the street."
 
Since last November, tens of thousands of Ukrainians have taken to the streets demanding the resignation of the country's president.