Russia's Sergei Lavrov: Ukraine getting 'out of control'

He described violent clashes between anti-government protesters and police as "scary" and accused EU politicians of stirring up the situation, BBC News reports. Tuesday saw an uneasy standoff on the street of the capital after a second consecutive night of clashes. Young men threw fireworks and petrol bombs at police guarding the road leading up to the Ukrainian parliament. Police beat some protesters. Protesters have been camped out in Kiev since late November, angered by the government's turn to Moscow and its rejection of a planned treaty with the EU. New anti-protest laws, hastily passed by parliament last week, will come into force on Wednesday. Mr Lavrov's warning came after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Monday said the violence threatened the country's stability. 'Indecent' "Members of several European governments rushed to the Maidan without any invitation and took part in anti-government demonstrations," Mr Lavrov said, referring to the square in which protesters have been encamped. "This is simply indecent." He did not name names, but EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and the then German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle visited the protesters in December. Warning that the "situation is getting out of control", Mr Lavrov added: "We have information that much of this is being stimulated from abroad," and condemned the violence as a "complete violation of European standards of behaviour". Clashes continued throughout Monday night, with police using tear gas and stun grenades against several hundred young men who ranged against them. At times, thousands of people cheered from the sidelines. Read more