KIEV, April 15 – Riot police on Monday dispersed a rally of protesters in front of President Viktor Yanukovych’s residence outside Kiev, days after police arrested two activists in a similar rally.

The protest was organized by Democratic Alliance, a pro-democracy party, which called for the immediate release of the two activists.

“We came here to show that we can fight our fear, to get arrested. But we have achieved our goals,” said a member of the Democratic Alliance.

The overwhelming response by the authorities with the deployment of riot police against a group of 50 peaceful protesters shows Yanukovych has been increasingly unwilling to tolerate protests outside his residence.

“Fifty activists from the Democratic Alliance party did the society a favor,” Serhiy Leshchenko, an Ukrayinska Pravda reporter wrote in his blog. “They showed the real face of President Yanukovych and his maniacal fear for his personal heaven.”

“The response like this has only one explanation – fear,” he said. “Fear, because if this virus of protests in front of [Yanukovych’s] residence is not stopped, one day instead of 50 Democratic Alliance activists 50,000 angry citizens will show up.”

“Then neither Berkut riot police nor Grosser security firm nor anti-aircraft complex [on duty in the area] will be able to save [Yanukovych],” Leshchenko said.

“You don’t believe that? Ask the Romanians,” he said in reference to the execution of Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu in December 1989 during protests that had led to the collapse of the Communist rule in the country.

The development comes a week after Yuriy Lutsenko, a jailed opposition leader who was pardoned by Yanukovych earlier this month, said it will take millions of people on the streets to oust Yanukovych following the next presidential election in March 2015.

Ukraine’s three main opposition parties are currently holding rallies across Ukrainian regions seeking to energize supporters ahead of the election. The rallies, dubbed ‘Rise Ukraine!’ are supposed to culminate in May with a massive rally in Kiev.

The plans for massive protests show that opposition politicians do not expect Yanukovych to surrender power even if he loses the election, and prepare plans for a potential clash.

But Yanukovych’s tough response to the protest in front of his residence shows that he indeed may be prepared to use force against protesters.

Lutsenko, who was pardoned by Yanukovych under pressure from the U.S. and the European Union, said he will work to organize a massive movement this year that would support a single opposition candidate against Yanukovych.

Lutsenko, who as a ‘field commander’ played an important role during the Orange Revolution, a popular uprising against election fraud in December 2004, said he will train thousands of ‘field commanders’ ahead of March 2015.

“I have experience and I have the plan,” Lutsenko said. (tl/ez)