Ukrainian police prevented thousands of opposition supporters marching to the presidential administration building on Wednesday during a protest against the trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
The crowd was locked in a standoff with hundreds of special forces equipped with riot gear after marching only about 100 metres (yards) from a park in the centre of the capital Kyiv, a Reuters witness said.
The march, on the 20th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, was led by Olexander Turchynov, an aide to Tymoshenko.
She is on trial on charges of abuse of office while prime minister, but supporters say she is the victim of a vendetta by President Viktor Yanukovich.
The flag-waving crowd chanted, "Down with the gang," a reference to Yanukovych and his team.
A court refused on Tuesday to release Tymoshenko from police custody during her trial.
Her detention was ordered by the judge on Aug. 5 because of her alleged disruptive behaviour in court.
