In Pictures: Storm of Maidan and Kyiv city council
At about 1 a.m. on December 11, the Ukrainian authorities attacked Maidan. After several hours of resistance, the protesters managed to keep feet.
Barricades blocked the way for Berkut fighters, who destroyed them by any means
Berkut started demolishing the tents when they got to Maidan
The police set the barricades on fire, trying to chase the protesters away
Up to three thousand policemen participated in Maidan storm
Berkut used force, although with no batons
The number of protesters grew throughout the night, people arrived from all Kyiv districts
The authorities used tear gas and smoke pellets
Communal services took the remnants of tents and barricades away
Berkut failed to force all the protesters away. In the daytime, they left the square due to the great number of protesters.
Berkut at the place where the protesters used to be
At about 9 a.m., Berkut attempted to storm the Kyiv city council building, occupied by the revolutionaries
However, the demonstrators seized a police bus
At a certain moment, the police were in danger
One of their buses was set on fire
After half an hour of failed storm, the police left the building