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A portrait of slain separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko hangs outside the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theatre on September 2.
A portrait of slain separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko hangs outside the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theatre on September 2.
Ukraine Live Blog

Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

-- EDITOR'S NOTE: We have started a new Ukraine Live Blog as of September 3, 2018. You can find it here.

-- Tens of thousands of people gathered on September 2 in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine to mourn a top rebel leader who was recently killed in a bomb attack.

-- Prominent Ukrainian historian Mykola Shityuk has been found dead in his home city of Mykolaiv, police said on September 2.​

-- Ukraine says it has imprisoned the man it accused of being recruited by Russia’s secret services to organize a murder plot against self-exiled Russian reporter and Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko.

-- Ukraine and Russia are trading blame for the killing of a top separatist leader in eastern Ukraine.

-- Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the head of the head of the breakaway separatist entity known as the Donetsk People’s Republic, was killed in an explosion at a cafe in Donetsk on August 31.

-- The United States is ready to widen arms supplies to Ukraine to help build up the country's naval and air defense forces in the face of continuing Russian support for eastern separatists, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine told The Guardian.

-- The spiritual head of the worldwide Orthodox Church in Istanbul has hosted Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill for talks on Ukraine's bid to split from the Russian church, a move strongly opposed by Moscow.

*Time stamps on the blog refer to local time in Ukraine

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17:06 6.10.2017

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15:20 6.10.2017

Today's scuffle in the Verkhovna Rada is not the first time fisticuffs have broken out in Ukraine's parliament. RFE/RL's Amos Chapple has been looking back at previous debates that also descended into violence.

Ukrainian Politics: The Greatest Hits

A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew. (CLICK IMAGE TO OPEN GALLERY)

Ukrainian Politics: The Greatest Hits

A scuffle breaks out in the Ukrainian parliament on October 6, 2017. The melee erupted over a law regarding Ukraine's state sovereignty in separatist-held territory in the east of the country.
1/14 A scuffle breaks out in the Ukrainian parliament on October 6, 2017. The melee erupted over a law regarding Ukraine's state sovereignty in separatist-held territory in the east of the country.
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
Communist politician Adam Martynyuk (right) holds Oleh Lyashko in a leftist death-grip in May 2011. 
2/14 Communist politician Adam Martynyuk (right) holds Oleh Lyashko in a leftist death-grip in May 2011. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
One year later, Lyashko took hot, sweet revenge when he doused Adam Martynyuk with tea. There's no word on the fate of that laptop. 
3/14 One year later, Lyashko took hot, sweet revenge when he doused Adam Martynyuk with tea. There's no word on the fate of that laptop. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
Punches, a headlock, and a weaponized water bottle during a brawl in Kyiv's parliament in April 2010. The fighting erupted over Ukraine's decision to extend Russia's lease of a naval base in Crimea. 
4/14 Punches, a headlock, and a weaponized water bottle during a brawl in Kyiv's parliament in April 2010. The fighting erupted over Ukraine's decision to extend Russia's lease of a naval base in Crimea. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
A hard rain fell inside parliament during the April 2010 uproar, but Russia's lease of the Crimean base ultimately became a secondary issue when Moscow illegally annexed the entire peninsula in 2014. 
5/14 A hard rain fell inside parliament during the April 2010 uproar, but Russia's lease of the Crimean base ultimately became a secondary issue when Moscow illegally annexed the entire peninsula in 2014. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
It was peak Ukraine in December 2012 as politicians brawled inside parliament while topless Femen activists shouted anticorruption slogans outside.
6/14 It was peak Ukraine in December 2012 as politicians brawled inside parliament while topless Femen activists shouted anticorruption slogans outside.
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
Riot police grapple with an opposition deputy trying to enter the Kyiv city council through a window in August 2013. 
7/14 Riot police grapple with an opposition deputy trying to enter the Kyiv city council through a window in August 2013. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
A brawl erupts among balding politicians inside Kyiv's parliament in May 2012 during a "hearing" on a bill dealing with the use of the Russian language in Ukraine's east. 
8/14 A brawl erupts among balding politicians inside Kyiv's parliament in May 2012 during a "hearing" on a bill dealing with the use of the Russian language in Ukraine's east. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
A policeman steps aside as father and son Andriy and Oleksandr Tabalov are driven out of Kyiv's parliament chamber under a hail of fists and insults. The pair were accused of preparing to switch sides and join the ruling party in December 2012. 
9/14 A policeman steps aside as father and son Andriy and Oleksandr Tabalov are driven out of Kyiv's parliament chamber under a hail of fists and insults. The pair were accused of preparing to switch sides and join the ruling party in December 2012. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
Smoke bombs and a giant flag made Ukraine's parliament look more like a gathering of football ultras than an assembly of politicians during the debate on Russia's Crimea base in April 2010. 
10/14 Smoke bombs and a giant flag made Ukraine's parliament look more like a gathering of football ultras than an assembly of politicians during the debate on Russia's Crimea base in April 2010. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
Deputies of Ukraine's parliament going at it before the annual speech by then Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in February 2006. The fighting erupted after Communist Party members attempted to attach a placard to the speaker's platform.
11/14 Deputies of Ukraine's parliament going at it before the annual speech by then Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in February 2006. The fighting erupted after Communist Party members attempted to attach a placard to the speaker's platform.
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
In a good candidate for the <a href="https://imgur.com/gallery/BehNF" target="_blank">accidental renaissance</a>&nbsp;photography genre, a brawl erupts during a debate on a Russian-language bill in March 2012.&nbsp;
12/14 In a good candidate for the accidental renaissance photography genre, a brawl erupts during a debate on a Russian-language bill in March 2012. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
A right hook from the far-right as&nbsp;Mykhaylo Holovko from the Svoboda party clashes with members of the Communist Party in April 2014.&nbsp;
13/14 A right hook from the far-right as Mykhaylo Holovko from the Svoboda party clashes with members of the Communist Party in April 2014. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
Things moved fast between Oleh Barna and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in December 2015. Barna handed Yatsenyuk a bunch of roses before picking him up by the groin. During the brawl that followed, the prime minister could be seen trying to find a safe place for the flowers.&nbsp;
14/14 Things moved fast between Oleh Barna and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in December 2015. Barna handed Yatsenyuk a bunch of roses before picking him up by the groin. During the brawl that followed, the prime minister could be seen trying to find a safe place for the flowers. 
A brawl in Kyiv's parliament on October 6 was just the latest case of Ukraine's politicians opting to bust heads rather than filibuster. A dip into the archives reveals 14 of the (many, many) times when dialogue broke down and fists, eggs, and smoke bombs flew.
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