The Canadian embassy in the Ukraine has been shut down after protesters entered the embassy amid a violent crackdown on opposition demonstrators outside, the Associated Press reported.
Adam Hodge, a spokesman for Canada's foreign affairs minister, said Wednesday the government closed the embassy after protesters entered the reception center on Tuesday, according to the AP.
Hodge says as a security precaution to ensure the protection of staff the embassy will remain closed until further notice, the AP reported.
James Bezan, a Canadian Parliament member of Ukrainian descent, said he is disgusted by what he sees as the callous behavior of Yanukovych and his regime, and is angered by the force used by government authorities, according to the AP.
More than 1 million people of Ukrainian descent live in Canada, the AP reported. And with at least 25 people dead due to the protests, Canada is threatening with sanctions.
The opposition and President Viktor Yanukovych's government are locked in a deep struggle over the identity of their nation of 46 million people, divided in its loyalties between Russia and the West, according to the AP.
Protesters have been dying the streets of Kiev and Ukrainians living in the United States and Canada are voicing anger and calling for a stronger response by the U.S. and the European Union, the AP reported.
A handful of anti-government protesters took shelter inside the Canadian embassy in Ukraine's capital after riot police barged into a large opposition camp with stun grenades and water cannon, according to the AP. Fewer than a dozen protesters sought refuge Tuesday in the reception area of the embassy in Kyiv.
