Ukrainian demonstrators set Russian flag ablaze outside parliament in Kiev
Earlier on Tuesday, the Ukrainian parliament began the second and final reading of a bill on the reintegration of Donbass
KIEV, January 16. /TASS/. Security forces and protesters calling to pass a law on the so-called Donbass reintegration got entangled in a mass brawl on Tuesday outside the parliament building in Kiev.
The demonstrators, who are members of the Liberation movement, burnt a Russian flag and car tires near one of the entrances to the Verkhovna Rada, a TASS correspondent reported.
Police attempted to disperse the protesters using tear gas, but were pelted with stones and tires, resulting in one police officer being injured. A protester was detained for violating public order, the city police press service said.
"The situation near the Rada is now under control," it said. Local firefighters have extinguished the blaze.
Meanwhile, members of the Liberation movement, led by Ukrainian MPs Semen Semenchenko and Yegor Sobolev, do not intend to put an end to the rally outside the parliament. Reinforced units of nearly 4,000 police and National Guard members have been deployed to the scene.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Ukrainian parliament began the second and final reading of a bill on the reintegration of Donbass that classifies the region as "occupied territories," and labels Russia as an "occupier."