Ukraine to introduce anti-protest legislation

Tension escalated in Ukraine with anti-government protesters resuming a tense stand-off with police following Monday's violence. 

In a few hours, new regulations are due to come into effect in Ukraine, designed to clamp down on demonstrations.

They are part of a package of measures rushed through which some experts warn are too vague.

“All the definitions we do have in this set of regulations are very much unclear, what is extremism, what is political activity, what is a foreign agent. No lawyer in the country could give you a clear understanding of what these laws are about,” said Roman Romanov, Rule of Law Director at the International Renaissance Foundation.

A group of alleged provocateurs was paraded around the central square by protesters before being escorted out.

One opposition leader has accused the government of paying thugs to discredit the demonstrators by causing trouble.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged European governments not to interfere in the crisis.

Two opinion polls in Ukraine have suggested around half of people support the protesters, with just over a quarter backing the government.

In the western city of Lviv, hundreds of activists blocked military units in an attempt to stop them from travelling to Kyiv. Similar scenes were said to be happening in other towns.