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Interfax-Ukraine reports that a scuffle broke out earlier today as protesters attempted to break through a riot police cordon outside the Verkhovna Rada.
Around 500 protesters have gathered, Intefax-Ukraine reports.
The news agency reports that the protesters are calling for the government to refrain from increasing excise duties and other taxes in the new budget, with one placard reading: “Take money from offshore accounts, not from business.”
Intefax-Ukraine reoports that some of the participants are members of the Volya (freedom) party and also the “financial Maidan” group.
UNIAN reports that the Ukrainian military ATO press centre has announced that, while no shots were recorded after 00:30 (22:30 GMT) last night, there were several attacks made by Russian-backed forces earlier yesterday.
According to the military, fighters made “provocative” attacks five times throughout the evening, using small arms, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and artillery.
The Interpreter translates:
“Militants shelled he new terminal at Donetsk Airport and the settlements of Beryozovoye and Peski with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. Illegal armed groups shelled Nikolaevka with artillery.”
There were also a small arms attack in Stanitsa Luganskaya.
Here is a map indicating the locations of these reported incidents:
Meanwhile after 18:00 (16:00 GMT), a reconnaissance drone was spotted flying near Sartana, a village just to the north-east of Mariupol.
— Pierre Vaux