Ukraine was on Tuesday reeling after fierce clashes in Kiev killed two policemen and wounded 140 people outside parliament as tensions flared over controversial legislation giving more autonomy to Moscow-backed rebels.
It was the worst unrest in the Ukrainian capital since a bloody uprising ousted Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014, unleashing a separatist insurgency in the industrial east.
The clashes erupted on Monday when hundreds gathered outside the parliament to protest after legislators gave initial backing to a bill granting a degree of autonomy to Kremlin-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.