Over 170 Still in Hospital After Kiev Unrest

KIEV, March 12 (RIA Novosti) – More than 170 people remain in Kiev hospitals since last month’s deadly clashes in the Ukrainian capital, the health ministry said Wednesday.

"A total of 1,241 people sought medical assistance when the unrest in downtown Kiev turned violent, and 812 of them were admitted to hospitals. As of 06:00 Kiev time [04:00 GMT] on March 12, 173 people remain in Kiev healthcare facilities,” the ministry said in a statement.

According to the latest data, 102 people have been killed in street demonstrations since November 30, 2013, when President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to reject an association agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties to Russia triggered massive anti-government protests.

Though the demonstrations were mostly peaceful to begin with, clashes between protesters and police intensified in January and peaked on February 18, when dozens of people were killed. Many of them, including some police officers, had been fatally shot.

Rioters throw rocks and molotov cocktails at riot police in Kiev, January 22, 2014

© RIA Novosti . Andrei Stenin

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On February 22, the Ukrainian parliament impeached Yanukovych and called for an early presidential election in May. The ousted president has called the move an illegal coup and insisted that he remains the country’s lawful head of state.