KIEV, Feb. 21 ??“ Parliament??™s work was disrupted on Wednesday after a group of opposition lawmakers had locked themselves in the building??™s main power supply room to force the government coalition to support legislation reducing utility prices.

Lawmakers loyal to former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko seized the room and shut the power supplies after the pro-government coalition had refused to debate the bill aimed at cutting the prices.

The action underscores a mounting pressure on the coalition as Tymoshenko had also summoned up hundreds of her supporters to take to the streets in many Ukrainian cities demanding to lower prices.

???The government has been urgently looking into what can be done to amend the budget,??? Oleksandr Turchynov, a senior member of the Tymoshenko group, said shortly after the power supplies were shut. ???They have been also working on a bill to reduce the prices. We welcome this.???

The standoff in Parliament shows that political crisis in Ukraine has been deepening and now involving the Tymoshenko group, the largest opposition group in Parliament.

The crisis has so far been centering on a confrontation between the pro-Russian government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, and pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko.

Yanukovych has been since September 2006 seeking to diminish Yushchenko??™s powers in order to change the country??™s foreign policy, in particular to slow down Ukraine??™s accession to NATO.

The joining of the Tymoshenko group into play, coupled with coordinated actions throughout the regions, adds mounting pressure on Yanukovych, whose popularity has been waning due to steep rise in utility prices since January 1.

Yanukovych apparently fears the coordinated action between Yushchenko and Tymoshenko may create conditions for the president to dismiss Parliament and to call early election.

Tymoshenko, who strongly backs the early election, believes that Yanukovych??™s waning popularity could lead to the collapse of his Regions Party at the election and would eventually change the government.

Yushchenko badly needs to change the government to a more loyal one in order to continue his pro-Western foreign policy, including his plans to speed up accession to NATO.

Yushchenko??™s party, Our Ukraine, the second largest opposition group in Parliament, has recently signed a deal with Tymoshenko to coordinate their actions in the standoff with Yanukovych.

Tymoshenko, who has been traveling throughout the regions over the past two days seeking to stir up the protests against the Yanukovych government, on Wednesday returned to Kiev apparently for a meeting with Yushchenko.

???I don??™t rule out that she will have the meeting with the president,??? Turchynov said.

Tymoshenko??™s traveling throughout the regions join similar actions by other popular politicians, such as Yuriy Lutsenko, a former internal affairs minister, who has been mustering thousands of supporters for a march on Kiev.

Lutsenko, an ally of Yushchenko, pledged to summon up thousands of protesters for the march later this year to put pressure on Yanukovych for his apparent refusal to speed up reforms.

The developments on Wednesday forced the Yanukovych government to issue a statement that accuses the presidential office of attempts to destabilize the situation in Ukraine. (tl/ez)