Ukrainians have been mourning their dead after more than 70 were killed in clashes between riot police and protesters.

In Kyiv’s Independence Square, occupied by anti-government activists since November and where most of the deadly fighting took place, coffins with dead bodies were carried through the crowds and laid out on stage.

Thousands of people in the crowd held up lighters and phones in the dark as the priest read out prayers on stage.

The violence over the last week is the worst Ukraine has seen since gaining independence from the Soviet Union.