Okay, here’s a revised and fact-checked biography of Yulia Tymoshenko, based on the provided text and updated with current information as of today, January 14, 2024. I will discard and replace any inaccuracies found in the original text.
Yulia Tymoshenko: A Political Biography
Yulia Tymoshenko is a prominent Ukrainian politician who has played a notable role in the country’s political landscape since the late 1990s. Her career has been marked by periods as Prime Minister, imprisonment, and consistent participation in presidential and parliamentary elections.
[Image of Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko in 2009 – AFP via Getty Images.caption: Yulia Tymoshenko was prime minister twice during the presidency of Viktor Yushchenko. This photo was taken in 2009.]
Early Career and Initial Challenges:
Tymoshenko first gained prominence in the 1990s as a successful businesswoman, initially involved in the natural gas trade.During the presidency of Leonid Kuchma (1994-2005), she faced criminal charges, including accusations of fraud and smuggling. She was arrested in 2000 and spent time in pre-trial detention. Tymoshenko and her supporters consistently maintained that these charges were politically motivated, stemming from her opposition to Kuchma’s government.
The Orange Revolution and Premiership (2005-2010):
tymoshenko became a key figure in the 2004 Orange Revolution, a series of protests against widespread fraud in the presidential election. Following the annulment of the initial results and a rerun election, Viktor Yushchenko became President. Tymoshenko subsequently served as Prime Minister twice under Yushchenko: from February to September 2005, and again from December 2007 to March 2010. her tenures were often marked by political infighting with Yushchenko, notably over energy policy and the distribution of power.
Imprisonment Under Yanukovych (2011-2014):
Following her defeat by Viktor Yanukovych in the 2010 presidential election, Tymoshenko faced renewed legal challenges. In 2011, she was convicted of abuse of power related to a 2009 gas deal with Russia and sentenced to seven years in prison. The conviction was widely condemned internationally as politically motivated. She spent time in prison,including periods in a hospital for health reasons. Her imprisonment became a major point of contention in Ukraine’s relations with the European Union.She was released in February 2014, following the Revolution of Dignity, which led to Yanukovych’s ouster. The charges against her were subsequently dropped.
Post-2014 Political Activity:
After her release, Tymoshenko returned to active politics.During the presidencies of Petro Poroshenko (2014-2019) and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (2019-present), she led the faction of her party, batkivshchyna (Fatherland), in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament).
She has been a perennial presidential candidate, achieving the following results:
* 2010: Lost to Viktor Yanukovych in the runoff election.
* 2014: Lost to Petro Poroshenko in the runoff election.
* 2019: Finished third in the first round of the presidential election, failing to advance to the runoff.
Recent Criticism and Current Position:
In recent years, Tymoshenko and her party have been vocal critics of the Ukrainian anti-corruption efforts, particularly those involving the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP). She has questioned their effectiveness and impartiality.
As of late 2023 and early 2024, Tymoshenko continues to be a