As Violence Escalates in Kiev, Lithuania Tells EU to Consider Sanctions

A video from the RT news service shows emergency workers tending to injured protesters in the heart of Ukraine’s capital, Kiev.

In the video, the opposition is holding a protest on a stage, and there are reports of snipers shooting rubber bullets at the presenters. The riot police are throwing stun grenades and tear gas into the crowds while protesters are throwing Molotov cocktails. Eighteen people are dead, including eleven protesters and seven policemen. 

People in Kiev are using Twitter to tell what is going on in Independence Square.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said the European Union should start considering sanctions against Ukrainian government officials to force them to stop the violence against anti-government protesters:

“The chance is diminishing every day, the chance to find a rational, peaceful solution is diminishing,” Linkevicius, 53, said in an interview in Bloomberg‘s Washington office.

The protests started in early December after Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovich decided not to sign a trade deal with the EU and opted for a $15 billion bailout from Russia.