KIEV, Aug. 29 – Police on Monday confirmed they arrested two unnamed protesters who had joined an opposition march in Kiev on the Independence Day, also questioning three opposition figures who led the march.

The two protesters are facing up to five years in prison if convicted of violating a court ruling that had banned the march, and of allegedly attacking police.

Oleksandr Turchynov, the second in command at imprisoned former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s party, and Viacheslav Kyrylenko, a lawmaker from Our Ukraine group, were questioned by the police for allegedly violating a court ruling banning the march.

“If the violators expect that police will be speaking delicately and very nice to them, they are mistaken,” Volodymyr Polishchuk, the head of interior ministry’s press service, told Kommersant. “Let them get ready for some tough questions.”

The latest developments underscore an increasingly tough line that the authorities have been taking to ban or to suppress any protest action by opposition groups.

Ukraine’s opposition groups are already facing heavy pressure from the authorities, especially after Tymoshenko, the most popular opposition leader, had been arrested on August 5.

Tymoshenko is currently on trial for negotiating controversial agreement with Russia in January 2009 that had led to high natural gas prices for Ukraine.

But the pressure has been rising on Turchynov too, and his arrest may potentially disrupt the Tymoshenko’s party’s campaign ahead of the next parliamentary election in October 2012.

About 3,000 protesters rallies in downtown Kiev on the Independence Day on August 24, but later attempted to march towards the administration of President Viktor Yanukovych to hand him a resolution of the rally.

But the march was stopped by massive riot police force only few blocks from the place of the rally, essentially blocking the protesters on the route that had been earlier approved by court.

Turchynov called on the protesters to join the march, which was led by a number of opposition figures.

A senior source at police said over the weekend that a criminal case will be opened against Turchynov on Monday, but he had been only questioned by police as a witness.

“Turchynov will be summoned for questioning as a witness as one of the organizers of the march,” Polishchuk said. “He ordered protesters to line up and to march towards Bankova [Street], violating the court ruling.”

Police used tear gas against protesters, a fact that had been denied by police for two days until a picture and a video had been discovered proving the case. Police later confirmed the use of the tear gas. (tl/ez)