KIEV, July 27 — Prosecutors asked a Kiev court Wednesday to arrest former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko for “hindering” her trial stemming from a controversial 2009 natural gas deal with Russia, but the judge rejected the motion, adding there were other ways to discipline the defendant.

Lilia Frolova, the prosecutor, argued that Tymoshenko has been “hindering the process of determining the truth.” She did not elaborate.

The arrest of Tymoshenko would most likely trigger a major international reaction, and that’s why the authorities are believed to have so far stayed away from the move.

But the motion shows the authorities may now be flirting with the idea as Tymoshenko has been winning a PR battle, describing the case as politically ordered by President Viktor Yanukovych.

“Yanukovych got scared of arresting me now, and has given an order to his police this time to let me go,” Tymoshenko wrote on her Twitter account.

The surprise motion was submitted a day after special police troops, called by Judge Rodion Kireyev, broke into a courtroom and dragged out all supporters of Tymoshenko, marking a serious escalation of tensions at the trial.

The supporters, mostly lawmakers, were ejected from the court after engaging in a brief confrontation with the judge and after chanting “Shame!” in the courtroom.

These moves signal tensions have been escalating one month into the trial and without any significant progress by prosecutors despite a major effort.

The trial has been also increasingly turning Tymoshenko into a figure that is Yanukovych’s only target and whose public support may start to increase just ahead of parliamentary elections in October 2012.

For many the developments increasingly paint a picture of rising political repression against the leading opposition figure, and that may quickly become a liability for Yanukovych.

The U. S. has already criticized the Tymoshenko trial and other corruption probes involving her and her top allies as having "the appearance of politically-motivated prosecutions."

A speedy trial – and a guilty verdict - would benefit Tymoshenko’s political opponents by making her ineligible for running for a seat in Parliament in October 2012.

Delaying the trial – perhaps by the fall - would give Tymoshenko greater political clout as undecided political and legal figures may switch allegiances betting that her party would win many seats in Parliament.

A seat in Parliament gives any lawmaker immunity from prosecution in Ukraine.

Prosecutors will try to prove that Tymoshenko, as the prime minister, had exceeded her authority by ordering Naftogaz Ukrayiny in January 2009 to sign the gas deal with Gazprom.

The deal set gas prices for Ukraine at a level higher than other European countries pay Gazprom, according to Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.

Ukraine has been seeking for the past 12 months to change the agreement, but Russia has flatly refused to discuss the issue. (nr/ez)