Troops Pour Into Kiev As Tensions Worsen

Thousands of troops were pouring into Kiev yesterday, exacerbating the tensions that have been building in Ukraine between President Viktor Yushchenko and the Prime Minister, Viktor Yanukovych.

The deployment of the soldiers to back the President represents the latest chapter in the drama of the two men, who represent the two opposing strands in Ukraine - its Catholic, pro-European west, represented by Yushchenko, and its Orthodox Russian-leaning east, represented by Yanukovych - that has seen an Orange Revolution in 2005, street violence and the poisoning of Yushchenko.

Months of infighting, however, have turned more dangerous in the past few days as the country's security forces have been drawn in to the political stalemate. Tensions between Yushchenko and Yanukovych have been building since Yushchenko ordered parliament disbanded in April and called new elections. His move last week to fire the nation's chief prosecutor and take control of Interior Ministry troops escalated the standoff.

The ministry's 32,000 troops answer to the Interior Minister, a Yanukovych ally, but the troops' commander is a Yushchenko ally who defied the ministry by calling troops into Kiev.

Yanukovych and Yushchenko, along with other top political leaders, met late on Friday for talks that stretched into yesterday. They ended without any visible progress.

Yushchenko dissolved parliament on 2 April, saying Yanukovych and his majority coalition were trying to usurp presidential power. But Yanukovych's supporters have defied the order, calling it unconstitutional, leading to weeks of debate and competing demonstrations.