Russia hopes the February 7 Ukrainian presidential...
square - the site of the popular protests from late November 2004 to January 2005.However, Ukrainian acting Interior Minister Yuri Lutsenko refused to rule out in an interview with the Zerkalo Nedeli paper the possibility of clashes between Tymoshenko and Yanukovych supporters if turnout was high in both candidate"s strongholds.
"If turnout reaches 95-98% in Donetsk and Lvov, then neither of their supporters will recognize the result. In this case, anything could happen," he said, adding however that he was counting on the "common sense" of both candidates to avoid cashes.
Earlier this week, a court in Kiev banned rallies at the square throughout February.
The Russian Foreign Ministry source also said that Moscow hoped that its relations with Ukraine would improve after the polls
"The main thing for the Russian side is a stable situation in Ukraine," he said, adding that Russia would respect any choice made by the Ukrainians.