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Ukrainian riot police clash with protesters in Kiev square

Elite riot police and Interior Ministry forces clashed with opposition supporters in the Ukrainian capital Kiev early Wednesday, dismantling barricades that protesters put up in the streets to disrupt access to government buildings, RIA Novosti reports.

Most barricades were removed from the downtown Independence Square, but a crowd estimated by opposition leaders at some 25,000 resisted attempts to disperse them.

At least 10 Interior Ministry troops were injured in the clashes, the ministry said.

Media reported several injured among the protesters, who managed to retake the square after losing ground in the initial police assault.

The police denied reports that Berkut riot police officers beat up elderly people on Independence Square.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and the EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton denounced the overnight crackdown.

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