Guardsman killed in protests as Ukraine MPs back more autonomy for rebel regions

Demonstrators, who are against a constitutional amendment on decentralization, clash with police outside the parliament building in Kiev, Ukraine, August 31, 2015. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KIEV (Reuters) - A national guardsman was killed and nearly 90 others protecting Ukraine's parliament were wounded by grenades hurled from a crowd of nationalist protesters on Monday as lawmakers backed reforms to give more autonomy to rebel-held areas.

The violence, which Interior Minister Arsen Avakov blamed on the main nationalist party, and division in the pro-Western camp in parliament suggested President Petro Poroshenko faces an uphill battle to push through key parts of a faltering peace agreement reached in February for eastern Ukraine.