In Kiev, Ukraine, thousands of protesters are battling with police in some of worst anti-government violence in weeks

In Kiev, Ukraine, thousands of protesters are battling with police in some of worst anti-government violence in weeks

KIEV, Ukraine - Ukrainian police are moving in on a large protest camp in the center of Kiev after nine people were killed in violent street clashes between anti-government demonstrators and police in Kiev.

Riot police advanced toward protesters late Tuesday using a water cannon and stun grenades after shutting down nearby subway stations. Thousands of protesters had filled Independence Square earlier in the day, sensing that Ukraine's political crisis was reaching a critical turning point.

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In response to the move, protesters have ignited barracades of tires and wood, hoping to keep riot police away, Reuters reports.

The government shut down subway stations in the center of the capital and threatened to restore order earlier Tuesday.

Olha Bilyk, spokeswoman for the Kiev city police, told The Associated Press that two policemen were killed, likely by gunshot wounds, and 7 civilians died, including three who were shot. The clashes outside parliament erupted after the opposition accused the government of ignoring its demands in the nearly three-monthlong protests.

As darkness fell, opposition leaders warned that security forces may be preparing to clear a sprawling protest tent camp on Kiev's Independence Square.

Law enforcement agencies had given the demonstrators a deadline of 6 p.m. (1600GMT) to stop the confrontations and vowed to restore order.

Dozens of protesters and police were injured in the clashes Tuesday, which broke out after opposition leaders accused pro-government factions in parliament of dragging their feet on a constitutional reform that would limit presidential powers - a key opposition demand.

The clashes dimmed hopes for an imminent solution to the political crisis.

Tensions also soared following new steps by Russia and the European Union to gain influence over this former Soviet republic.

The protests began in November after President Viktor Yanukovych froze ties with the EU in exchange for a $15 billion bailout from Russia, but the political maneuvering continued and Moscow later suspended its payments. On Monday, however, while opposition leaders were meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russia offered a fresh infusion of the billions of dollars that Ukraine needs to keep its ailing economy afloat.

As parliament delayed Tuesday's session to take up the issue, thousands marched toward the parliament building to put pressure on lawmakers. Shouting "Shame!" the demonstrators hurled stones at police and set trucks blocking their way on fire.

Riot police retaliated with stun grenades and fired what appeared to be small metal balls, as smoke from burning tires and vehicles billowed over Kiev, the capital.

Three protesters died in the clashes, Oleh Musiy, a top medic for the protesters, told The Associated Press. Opposition lawmaker Lesya Orobets made the same statement on Twitter.

About 150 protesters were injured, the protesters' medical unit said, while the Interior Ministry said about 40 officers had been hurt.

Justice Minister Olena Lukash, a close Yanukovych aide, accused the opposition of violating earlier agreements with the government and blamed protest leaders for the violence.

Earlier in the day, protesters stormed the office of the president's Party of Regions, but police pushed them away. When firefighters arrived to put out a fire, they discovered the body of an office employee, Kiev's emergency services said in a statement.

Tuesday's confrontations came two days after the government and the opposition reached a shaky compromise, with protesters vacating a government building in Kiev they had been occupying since Dec. 1 after the government released of scores of jailed activists.

But tensions rose after Russia's finance minister offered to resume financial aid to Ukraine on Monday, just as Yanukovych was expected to nominate a new prime minister, prompting fears among the opposition that he would tap a Russian-leaning loyalist.

"After weekend progress in Kyiv, sorry to see renewed violence," U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey R. Pyatt said in a Twitter post. "Politics needs to happen in the Rada (parliament), not on the street."

Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko called on Yanukovych to agree to the reforms and to call an early election or face a serious escalation of the crisis.

"We are talking minutes, not hours," Klitschko told reporters.

Yanukovych still remains popular in the Russian-speaking eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, where economic and cultural ties with Russia are strong. But western Ukraine is keen to pursue closer ties to the 28-nation EU and move away from Russia's orbit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Yanukovych $15 billion in loans in December, but after purchasing Ukrainian bonds worth $3 billion Russia put the payments on hold. The Russian finance minister said Monday that $2 billion more would be purchased this week.