KIEV, October 11 (Itar-Tass) — Unprecedented security measures were taken in the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday because of the coming pronouncement of a verdict to ex-Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko on the so-called “gas case.” The building of the Pechersky District Court was surrounded by dozens of buses with policemen inside by both sides of the street. The buses were put close to each other, so that no one can pass between them. It is impossible to say how many policemen are deployed in the area. They are everywhere, even peeping from under the gates at the Pushkin and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Streets, which are situated nearby. Numerous tents were put up in the area both by the supporters and opponents of Yulia Timoshenko.
A column of people without emblems of any of the political parties is staying at the Taras Shevchenko Boulevard, from the railway terminal to the Bessarabian Square. A massive concentration of people was noticed near the Arsenalnaya metro station, which is within a 15-minute walk from the Kreshchatik Street. The Batkivshchina (Fatherland) Party, of which Yulia Timoshenko is the leader, urged on Monday “all the people, who are not indifferent to what is going on” to get together outside the court building. Opponents of Timoshenko, who are demanding “fair trial,” also expect reinforcement. According to unofficial reports, they were promised money for taking part in the Tuesday action in the Kreshchatik Street.
The police tightened the guarding of the court building, fearing possible acts of terrorism, said Vladimir Polishchuk, head of the press service of the chief department of the Kiev branch of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. According to his information, the court building is surrounded by some 1,000 policemen.