Tensions rise in Ukraine over troops

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Friday he was taking command of Ukraine's Interior Ministry troops, but a ministry spokesman rejected the order in a move of defiance that dramatically escalated the country's political turmoil.

Tensions between Yushchenko and his rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, have been building for weeks, and the president's order, reflecting doubt on the loyalty of servicemen under the ministry's command, appeared to suggest rising concern over possible clashes.

On Thursday, the Interior Ministry, led by an ally of Yanukovych, sent police to surround the office of the prosecutor-general, whom Yushchenko had just fired.