Violent clashes erupt in Kiev
Clashes have broken out in Ukraine's capital, Kiev, as police stormed barricades in a protest area.
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At least one person has been shot dead, says a BBC correspondent in the city.
Protests have been staged in Kiev since late November, in anger at the government's rejection of a planned treaty with the EU in favour of Moscow.
Prime Minister Mykola Azarov had warned that police would use force if the unrest seen on the fringes of the protest in recent days continued.
The violence has been restricted to a small area around Hrushevskyy Street, close to the main protest encampment at Maidan (or Independence Square), with most of the rest of the city functioning normally, say correspondents.
Hundreds of people have been injured during two nights of clashes, though peaceful protesters have blamed a little-known far-right group, Right Sector, for carrying out the violence.
Fire bombs
Mr Azarov told state broadcaster Russia 24 late on Tuesday: "If the provocateurs do not stop, then the authorities will have no other choice but to use force under the law to protect our people."
Shortly after 0600 GMT on Wednesday - after a relatively peaceful night - police stormed protesters' barricades on Hrushevskyy Street.
Fresh clashes broke out as police arrested protesters, amid heavy snowfall.
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Protesters could be seen on live TV coverage throwing rocks and fireworks towards police. At least one police officer threw a firebomb towards a burned bus.
Officials have confirmed that one person was killed and said it was not yet clear how.
Many of the protesters wore red helmets, in defiance of the news laws which ban protective head gear and masks at protests.
The laws also prescribe jail terms for anyone blockading public buildings, and outlaw unauthorised tents in public areas.
The BBC's Duncan Crawford in Kiev says police have now fallen back and protesters are returning to the square.
The stand-off is continuing, he said, with the potential for further violence later in the day.