烏克蘭暴力衝突造成至少九人喪生

Weeks of stalemate between the government and Western-leaning protesters in Ukraine were shattered Tuesday by an outburst of violence that killed at least nine people. Authorities responded by storming encampments held by activists in the center of the capital for the past two months.

烏克蘭政府與抗議者之間持續了數週的僵持於週二打破，一場暴力衝突造成至少九人死亡。在過去兩個月被抗議者佔領的市中心地帶，雙方發生了激烈對抗。

The number of dead and wounded--the worst one-day casualty toll on the streets of Ukraine since its independence from the Soviet Union--will make it harder for either side to pull back from the political confrontation that is threatening to split the country.

這是烏克蘭脫離前蘇聯以來街頭抗議中傷亡最慘重的一天。如此多的傷亡數量將使任何一方都更難從這場可能導致國家分裂的政治對峙中抽身而退。

Opposition officials said seven protesters were killed, some from gunshot wounds. Authorities said two police officers were killed from gunshot wounds, apparently in fighting early in the day with protesters, who had hurled stones and Molotov cocktails.

反對派領導人說，有七名抗議者喪生，其中有些人死於槍傷。烏克蘭政府方面說，有兩名警察死於槍傷，他們明顯是當天早些時候在與投擲石塊和燃燒彈的抗議者發生衝突時受的傷。

The fighting began when the protesters, angry that President Viktor Yanukovych wasn't moving forward with constitutional changes to surrender some powers to the prime minister, tried to march on parliament.

這場衝突的起因是抗議者們不滿總統亞努科維奇(Viktor Yanukovych)在修改憲法上寸步不前，不肯將一些權力分給總理，因而試圖向國會進軍。

They were met by large numbers of riot police and fighting quickly ensued.

他們中途遭到大批防暴警察的攔截，雙方很快爆發了衝突。

Protesters ranging from elderly women to young men formed bucket brigades to pass broken paving stones to people nearer the police, who hurled them into their ranks. Police responded with concussion grenades and rubber bullets.

抗議者們組成接力隊，傳遞破成碎塊的鋪路石，由靠近對手的前排人向警方陣營投擲。警方則以震撼手雷和橡膠子彈回應。

Although police managed to clear some protesters from central Kiev later in the day, others appeared to be girding for a longer fight. Some took back Kiev's city hall, which they had vacated over the weekend, and in western Ukraine at least three regions said they would send buses of reinforcements to Kiev.

雖然警方當日晚些時候成功將部分抗議者逐出基輔中心地帶，其他人則似乎準備打場長久戰。一些人又重新佔領了上週末撤離的市政廳。烏克蘭西部，至少有三個地區的抗議者表示將向基輔增援。

Authorities, who shut down the city's subway system earlier in the day, announced they would restrict all transport into the city starting at midnight.

有關部門當天早些時候關閉了基輔的地鐵，宣佈將從午夜開始限制一切進入該市的交通。

By nightfall police, supported by armored personnel carriers and water cannons, rumbled slowly forward through barricades to the edge of the main encampment at Independence Square.

夜幕降臨前，配備了裝甲車和高壓水槍的警察緩緩通過路障，來到基輔獨立廣場(Independence Square)主要營地的邊緣。

Protesters tossed burning debris--construction materials, spare tires, a discarded Christmas tree--in their path to try to stop them, and threw rocks and fireworks as opposition leaders led them in singing Ukraine's national anthem.

抗議者不斷投擲建築材料、備用輪胎和丟棄的聖誕樹等燃燒雜物，試圖阻止警察的行進，而且還扔石塊和鞭炮，反對派領袖帶着他們唱起了烏克蘭國歌。

Some had welded together what appeared to be a massive blow torch, consisting of pipe hooked up to a propane tank, that they dragged towards police lines. Some tents on Kiev's main thoroughfare were also on fire.

一些人將管子和丙烷罐連接起來，焊接成一個巨大的噴槍，並往警察隊伍那裏拖。基輔主要大街上的一些帳篷也在燃燒。

Western capitals repeated calls for calm and denounced the violence, without specifying who had started it.

西方國家不斷呼籲有關方面保持冷靜，並對暴力表示譴責，但沒有具體指出誰是始作俑者。

But Moscow, which on Monday announced it was restoring a financial lifeline to Mr. Yanukovych's government, squarely blamed the protesters. It has long pushed the president to crack down on them.

不過，俄羅斯政府將指責矛頭直接對準了抗議者。俄羅斯政府週一宣佈，將恢復對亞努科維奇政府至關重要的資金援助。長期以來，俄羅斯一直鼓勵亞努科維奇打擊抗議活動。

Russia's foreign ministry also laid blame on Western officials, who it said 'from the very start of the crisis have been closing their eyes to the aggressive actions of radical forces in Ukraine.'

俄羅斯外交部也對西方官員進行了譴責，說他們從危機一開始便對烏克蘭激進勢力的好鬥行爲視而不見。