ukraine lockdown
© REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
En stor demonstration mod koronavirusrestriktioner, arrangeret af ukrainske iværksættere og små forretningsmænd i landets hovedstad Kiev, voksede ude af kontrol tirsdag med sammenstød mellem politiet og demonstranterne.

Handlingen, der hedder 'Stop lockdown!' af dets arrangører, startede uden for landets parlamentsbygning og trak tusinder af deltagere. Publikum råbte kortvarigt slogans uden for præsident Volodymyr Zelenskys kontor, inden de flyttede til Kievs traditionelle proteststed, Maidan eller Independence Square.

Ifølge lokale medier begyndte sammenstød ved Maidan, efter at politiet forsøgte at forhindre demonstranterne i at opføre telte på pladsen.


Kommentar: Delvist oversat af Sott.net fra * 'Stop lockdown!': Thousands protest in Kiev, 40 police officers suffer chemical burns during clashes


Footage from RT's Ruptly video agency showed officers and protesters shoving each other as tensions escalated. Police clad in full riot gear used tear gas against the crowd, who responded by tossing foreign objects and what looked like handmade smoke bombs at the law enforcers.


The police department later said that one of its servicemen was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head, while 40 of his colleagues sustained chemical eye burns from gas during the unrest. There were also wounded among the demonstrators, with ambulances filmed taking people away for medical care.

Covid-19 cases have recently been on the rise in Ukraine, with the country already seeing more than 925,000 cases of the disease and almost 15,800 deaths.

In order to stem the spread of the virus, the government has announced a strict lockdown between January 8 and 24. Cafes, restaurants, fitness clubs, and non-essential shops have been ordered to close, though many owners insist the decision will put them out of business.