Ukraine points finger at ultra-nationalists after deadly Kiev clash

A member of Ukraine’s National Guard was killed and scores of people were injured in clashes between police and nationalist protesters in Kiev as lawmakers gave initial backing to a contested bill boosting autonomy in the country’s breakaway regions.

Major powers voiced deep concern at Monday’s bloodshed, which the Ukrainian government blamed on ultra-nationalists.

It was the worst unrest in the capital since a popular uprising ousted Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovych early last year, unleashing a separatist insurgency in Ukraine’s industrial east.

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk pointed the finger at ultra-nationalists for the violence, which left 125 injured, six seriously, according to the interior ministry.

“At a time when Russia and its bandits are seeking to destroy the country but are unable to do this on the front line, the so-called pro-Ukrainian political forces are trying to open a second front inside the country,” Yatsenyuk said in a nationwide address.

President Petro Poroshenko branded the violence a “stab in the back” and said the perpetrators deserved “severe” punishment.