KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ferocious street battles between protesters and police in the Ukrainian capital have left dozens dead and hundreds wounded in the past few days, raising fears that the ex-Soviet nation, whose loyalties are split between Russia and the West, is in an uncontrollable spiral of violence.

Following a shaky truce Wednesday, fighting flared up again with renewed fervor. Both the government and the opposition blame each other for widely using firearms. The opposition said the government used snipers to shoot protesters from roofs of buildings around Independence Square, known as the Maidan, which has been the epicenter of the anti-government protests.