Ukrainian journalist dies after Kiev attack: Paper

KIEV - A Ukrainian reporter died of gunshot wounds after masked men attacked him on his way home in central Kiev, his newspaper said Wednesday, after a night of deadly violence in the Ukrainian capital.

"Early in the morning, the Kiev correspondent Vyacheslav Veremyi died in the hospital," said Vesti, a Russian-language daily with pro-government views.

"The night before, unknown masked individuals opened fire on our journalist." Veremyi was returning home in a taxi but was ambushed by "unknown men with bats and weapons, in hard hats, camouflage and black masks" when the car stopped at a traffic light, the newspaper said.

The attack occurred about 800 metres away from Independence Square where riot police continued to clash with protesters.

The men pulled him, his colleague and the driver from the car and beat them, the paper said.

"Vyacheslav received a bullet wound to the chest. He died due to blood loss and his injuries," it said.

Vesti said Veremyi was a "leading journalist" on the paper who had been reporting on the protests on Kiev's Independence Square over the past three months.

Vesti is distributed free in cafes and metro stations in Kiev. It is considered close to Sergei Arbuzov, the acting prime minister.