West sanctions on Kiev blackmail

Russia has said the threat of sanctions against Ukraine is an attempt to blackmail Kiev by the West, accusing Ukrainian opposition hardliners of seeking a civil war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the statements on Thursday, as tensions remain high in the Ukrainian capital Kiev after renewed violence.

Lavrov also accused the European Union and the United States of having double standards on Ukraine by laying the blame on the Ukrainian government and not criticizing the actions of “extremists.”

This comes as European officials say they are considering targeted sanctions against the Ukrainian government over the violence.

Meanwhile, deadly clashes between anti-government protesters and Ukrainian police continued on Thursday.

According to the country’s Health Ministry, at least 28 people, including police officers, have died since the beginning of the week when the violence broke out.

The opposition, however, put the death toll much higher, saying 60 people were killed on Thursday alone.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said protesters have taken 67 police officers hostage. The ministry also said the demonstrators have tried to storm the presidential administration building in Kiev.

The latest deadly clashes come despite a truce between President Viktor Yanukovych and the main opposition leaders, being announced just before midnight on Wednesday in a bid to end the turmoil in the country.

The deadly violence erupted on February 18 after the deadline set by security authorities to end the protests expired.

Ukraine has been rocked by anti-government protests since Yanukovych refrained from signing an Association Agreement with the European Union on November 29, 2013, in favor of closer ties with Russia.