The casualties came from both sides. Witnesses, including members of the international media, state that at least sixteen of the dead protesters were shot by snipers. Thursday also marked the first time the opposition responded with guns of their own.
Sixty-seven police were captured by protesters and Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko vowed to rescue them and ordered the issuing of "combat weapons" to police. At this point, the military has taken no involvement in the crisis, though Colonel Genera Volodymyr Zamana, the head of Ukraine's military, was replaced and forced to retire, on Wednesday.
In Lviv, a western region of Ukraine, the regional assembly declared itself no longer under the government of President Viktor Yanukovych. It is yet unclear how the national government will react to Lviv's announcement.
The foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Poland met with opposition leaders and President Yanukovych attempting to bring some sort of reconciliation. However, the EU is backing the protesters and has put sanctions in place against the government. The US government has blocked travel visas for members of the Ukrainian government and is considering sanctions.
Russia accuses the opposition of trying to stage a bloody cue. They also condemn the EU and US decisions as attempts to influence the situation from the outside.
Protests began in November, when the president backed away from a deal to join the EU, and instead turned to Russia. Things had seemed to be calming down, with both sides make gestures of conciliation. Then on Tuesday, the violence began again and became the worst seen.
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