August 31, Verkhovna Rada gathered for an extraordinary meeting to consider the first reading of the adoption of amendments to the Constitution regarding decentralization. These amendments became a cornerstone for Ukrainian MPs; Poroshenko's Bloc, Narodnyi Front, and Opposition Bloc supported changes, while parliamentarians from Radical party of Lyashko (PRL), Svoboda, Ukrop, Samopomich, and Batkivshchyna had another position.
In the morning, the session hall was closed for deputies and journalists. One of the back room's version was that such measures had been taken to prevent opponents from blocking the presidium and the rostrum. Hence the MPs of RPL managed to block the tribune.
Verkhovna Rada had been encircled by those who did not support so-called "concessions to Donbas militants". Activists of Svoboda, PRL, Ukrop, and Pravyi Sektor flocked to the parliament buildings. Сrowd of police forces and the National Guard came to serve peace.
Speaker of the parliament Volodymyr Hroysman announced opening the session at 12 am. His speech was chorded with Lyashko's radicals shouting "Shame"; the tribune was already blocked. The speaker put the bill to vote, and it was adopted by 265 MPs. The opponets kept on chiming "Shame".
Meanwhile, the activists near the Rada started to rock the metal fence around the building. Law enforcers were targeted with bottles with water and other things. They used rubber batons in turn. Severe clashes began.
An explosion occured in the epicenter of the crowd. Anton Herashchenko, MP from Narodnyi Front, wrote in his Facebook that the guardsmen were attacked with a grenade. "Several National Guard soldiers were seriously wounded. Their lives are in danger", he said.
Later it was reported about 131 human casualties. 122 people were hospitalized, three guadrsmen died. Among the victims were deputy Minister of Internal Affairs (MIA) Vasyl Pascal and two French journalists. MIA started the investigation on this case. About 30 people were arrested. Suspected "grenade thrower" was also detained.