Two Injured in Grenade Blast near Kiev's Independence Square

Ukrainian police on Friday detained a man after a grenade blast injured two people close to Kiev's Independence Square, the interior ministry said.

The man hurled the explosive device at the director of an exhibition center where some demonstrators from the remains of the protest movement that toppled president Viktor Yanukovych in February are still squatting, it said in a statement said.

An AFP photographer saw a white blast mark on the pavement outside the Ukrainian House complex and law enforcement officers inspecting some shrapnel damage to the front of the building.

Dozens of demonstrators camped out on the square hurled paving stones and set fire to tyres on Thursday to stop attempts by city authorities to clear some of the remaining tents and barricades.

The fate of the symbolic site, the epicenter of months of bloody protests that saw some 100 demonstrators gunned down by police, is a hotly debated topic in the strife-torn country.

Since Yanukovych's fall, the encampment -- known as "Maidan" -- has dwindled to a fraction of its original size and Kiev authorities accuse those still there of turning increasingly to petty crime.

The protestors reject those allegations and say the new authorities are looking for an excuse to get rid of the potent symbol of people power.