Anti-government protester clashes with riot police on Kiev's Independence square on February 19, 2014. in Kiev, Ukraine. Violent clashes erupted yesterday following renewed anti-government protests, with the death toll rising to 25. Protesters braced for a fresh assault by riot police in central Kiev after a day of clashes the worst violence since the start of Ukraine's three-month political crisis. Ukraine's security service announced a nationwide "anti-terrorist" operation in response to deadly anti-government protests.