Yuschenko fuels tension by taking control of troops

UKRAINIAN President Viktor Yushchenko yesterday said he was taking command of Interior Ministry troops, but a ministry spokesman rejected the order in a move of defiance that escalated the country’s political turmoil.

Tensions between Mr Yushchenko and his rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, have been building for weeks, and the president’s order, reflecting doubt on the loyalty of servicemen under the ministry’s command, appeared to suggest rising concern over possible clashes.

On Thursday, the ministry, led by a Yanukovych ally sent police to surround the office of prosecutor general Svyatoslav Piskun, a Yanukovych ally whom Mr Yushchenko had fired.

A statement on the presidential website said Mr Yushchenko’s order for the troops to be under his command was necessary “to prevent using Interior Ministry troops in the interest of some political forces that cause a threat for Ukraine’s national security”.

In rejecting the order, Interior Ministry spokesman Konstantin Stogniy said it was illegal However, Interfax news agency quoted Yushchenko aide Viktor Bondar as saying command was ready to follow Mr Yushchenko’s order. The 32,000 troops are led by General Oleksandr Kihtenko, a Yushchenko ally.