--- description: The latest unrest has left the center of Kiev aflame and hundreds injured as they count the dead title: Photos: Deadly Clashes in Kiev, Ukraine, As Allies Abandon Yanukovych image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6363f379543d425a/6986837855a8591f4aa7f7db/ukraine-kiev-protest-fire-sequence-002.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Battleground Kiev: 'Halfway Between a War and A Protest'  by [Andrew Katz](/author/andrew-katz/)  ## Andrew Katz Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 20, 2014 2:35 PM CUT  Protesters burn as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine's embattled leader announced a "truce" with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an "attempted coup" by the Kremlin. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILICBULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Protesters burn as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine's embattled leader announced a "truce" with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an "attempted coup" by the Kremlin. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILICBULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty ImagesBulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images  by [Andrew Katz](/author/andrew-katz/)  ## Andrew Katz Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 20, 2014 2:35 PM CUT Bulent Kilic, an Istanbul-based photojournalist with Agence France-Presse, is hunkered down in Kiev as clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces intensify for a third day. At least 22 people [have been killed](http://world.time.com/2014/02/20/ukraine-closer-to-civil-war/ "undefined") Thursday, bringing this week’s total to at least 45\. Kilic [spoke with AFP](http://blogs.afp.com/correspondent/?post/Kiev-explodes "undefined") on Thursday morning after photographing this sequence of three men who were set ablaze—and quickly extinguished. “It seems like protesters are used to dealing with this type of situation—no one seemed at all shocked. The guy in the background of the photo who is burning the most ran to the back of the barricade where some people took care of him.” Kilic said the gunfire across Independence Square reminded him of the sounds from when he covered Syria’s civil war in Aleppo: “It now feels like halfway between a war and a protest.” * TIME’s Simon Shuster from Kiev: [Allies Abandon Ukrainian Leader](http://world.time.com/2014/02/20/ukrainian-presidents-allies-start-to-abandon-him/ "undefined") * **PHOTOS**: [Ukraine’s Protesters Face Violent Crackdown in Kiev](http://world.time.com/2014/02/18/kiev-ukraine-protests-crackdown/ "undefined") * [What You Should Know About Ukraine](http://ideas.time.com/2014/02/19/what-you-should-know-about-ukraine/ "undefined")  Protesters try to protect themselves from fire as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine's embattled leader announced a "truce" with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an "attempted coup" by the Kremlin. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILICBULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images  Protesters burn as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine's embattled leader announced a "truce" with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an "attempted coup" by the Kremlin. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILICBULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images  Protesters burn as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine's embattled leader announced a "truce" with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an "attempted coup" by the Kremlin. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILICBULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images  Protesters burn as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine's embattled leader announced a "truce" with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an "attempted coup" by the Kremlin. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILICBULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images  Protesters burn as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine's embattled leader announced a "truce" with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an "attempted coup" by the Kremlin. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILICBULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images  Protesters burn as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev. Ukraine's embattled leader announced a "truce" with the opposition as he prepared to get grilled by visiting EU diplomats over clashes that killed 26 and left the government facing diplomatic isolation. The shocking scale of the violence three months into the crisis brought expressions of grave concern from the West and condemnation of an "attempted coup" by the Kremlin. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILICBULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/11219/ukraine-kiev-protest-photo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/11219/ukraine-kiev-protest-photo/"},"headline":"Battleground Kiev: 'Halfway Between a War and A Protest'","datePublished":"2014-02-20T14:35:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:08:36.780Z","description":"The latest unrest has left the center of Kiev aflame and hundreds injured as they count the dead","url":"https://time.com/11219/ukraine-kiev-protest-photo/","keywords":["Ukraine","protest","Kiev","Viktor Yanukovych"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6363f379543d425a/6986837855a8591f4aa7f7db/ukraine-kiev-protest-fire-sequence-002.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Andrew Katz","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/andrew-katz/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6363f379543d425a/6986837855a8591f4aa7f7db/ukraine-kiev-protest-fire-sequence-002.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Protesters try to protect themselves from fire as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev.","caption":"Protesters try to protect themselves from fire as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014 in Kiev.","creditText":"Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/11219/ukraine-kiev-protest-photo/","name":"Battleground Kiev: 'Halfway Between a War and A Protest'"}}]}] ```