Yulia Tymoshenko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yulia Tymoshenko
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Юлія Тимошенко
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Tymoshenko in 2018
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| Prime Minister of Ukraine | |
| In office 18 December 2007 – 4 March 2010 |
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| President | Viktor Yushchenko |
| Deputy | Oleksandr Turchynov |
| Preceded by | Viktor Yanukovych |
| Succeeded by | Oleksandr Turchynov (acting) |
| In office 24 January 2005 – 8 September 2005 Acting: 24 January 2005 – 4 February 2005 |
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| President | Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Yanukovych |
| Deputy | Anatoliy Kinakh |
| Preceded by | Mykola Azarov |
| Succeeded by | Yuriy Yekhanurov |
| Deputy Prime Minister for Energy and Coal Mining |
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| In office 30 December 1999 – 19 January 2001 |
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| President | Leonid Kuchma |
| Prime Minister | Viktor Yushchenko |
| People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
| Assumed office 27 November 2014 |
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In office
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| Personal details | |
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Yulia Volodymyrivna Hrihyan
27 November 1960 Dnipropetrovsk, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Batkivshchyna (since 1999) |
| Other political affiliations |
Hromada (1997–1999) Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (2001–2012) Dictatorship Resistance Committee (2011–2014) |
| Spouse |
Oleksandr Tymoshenko
(m. 1979) |
| Children | Eugenia Tymoshenko |
| Alma mater |
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Yulia Tymoshenko
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| Deputy |  People's Deputy of Ukraine |
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko (born 27 November 1960) is a well-known Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine twice, in 2005 and from 2007 to 2010. She was the first and only woman to hold this important position in Ukraine.
Tymoshenko has also served as a member of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) many times. She was also the First Deputy Prime Minister for energy from 1999 to 2001. She holds a PhD in economics.
She leads the Batkivshchyna political party. Tymoshenko supports Ukraine joining the European Union and the NATO military alliance. She played a key role in the Orange Revolution. In 2005, Forbes magazine listed her as one of the world's most powerful women.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Yulia Hrihyan was born on 27 November 1960, in Dnipropetrovsk, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Her mother was Lyudmila Telehina. Yulia's father, Volodymyr Hrihyan, left the family when she was very young. She then used her mother's last name.
School and University
In 1977, Yulia finished high school in Dnipropetrovsk. She later studied at the Dnipropetrovsk Mining Institute in 1978. In 1979, she moved to Dnipropetrovsk State University. She studied cybernetic engineering and graduated with honors in 1984.
In 1999, she earned her PhD in economics from Kyiv National Economic University. Her research focused on how the government manages the tax system.
Business Career
Before becoming a politician, Yulia Tymoshenko was a successful businesswoman. She worked in the gas industry. Some people believed she was one of the richest people in Ukraine.
Starting Businesses
After university, Tymoshenko worked as an engineer-economist at a machine-building plant until 1988. In 1988, she and her husband, Oleksandr Tymoshenko, started a video-rental business. This was part of the new perestroika reforms in the Soviet Union.
From 1989 to 1991, they ran their video-rental company called "Terminal." In 1991, Tymoshenko helped create "The Ukrainian Petrol Corporation." This company supplied fuel to farms in Dnipropetrovsk.
Leading United Energy Systems
In 1995, her company became United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU). Tymoshenko was the president of UESU until 1997. This company was a main importer of Russian natural gas to Ukraine. During this time, she became known as the "gas princess."
Under her leadership, UESU helped Ukraine pay off a large debt for Russian natural gas. Ukraine also started more international trade. Tymoshenko claimed her company helped solve big economic problems. She was considered one of Ukraine's wealthiest businesspeople during this period.
When she entered politics, her company faced pressure. Many charges against UESU's top management were later seen as politically motivated. By 1998, Tymoshenko was a leading politician in Ukraine.
Political Career
Yulia Tymoshenko began her political journey in 1996. She was elected to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, with a very high number of votes.
Early Political Steps
In parliament, Tymoshenko joined a group called the Constitutional Centre. In late 1997, she called for early presidential elections. The General Prosecutor of Ukraine tried to remove her parliamentary protection, but lawmakers voted against it.
She was re-elected in 1998 and became an important figure in parliament. She was chosen to lead the Budget Committee of the Verkhovna Rada. In 1999, she formed the All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" political group. This group later became a political party.
Deputy Prime Minister for Energy
From late 1999 to early 2001, Tymoshenko served as Deputy Prime Minister for the energy sector. She worked in the government of Viktor Yushchenko. During her time, Ukraine's income from the electricity industry grew significantly. She made sure that industrial customers paid for electricity with money, not by trading goods. Her changes helped the government pay civil servants and increase salaries.
In 2001, President Leonid Kuchma dismissed Tymoshenko. Many saw this as a political move. After her dismissal, she became a leader in the Ukraine without Kuchma protests. These protests were against President Kuchma.
Fighting Corruption and 2002 Election
On 9 February 2001, Tymoshenko was arrested. She was accused of forging customs documents and smuggling gas in 1997. Her supporters protested her arrest. She said the charges were made up by Kuchma's government.
In March 2001, a court in Kyiv found the charges baseless and released her. In 2003, all criminal cases against her and her family were cancelled. In 2005, all charges were officially declared groundless and dropped. The Supreme Court of Ukraine also ruled that all criminal cases against her were invalid.
After the charges were dropped, Tymoshenko continued her campaign against Kuchma. She became known as a passionate leader. She wanted to hold a national vote to remove Kuchma from office.
In January 2002, Tymoshenko was in a car accident but only had minor injuries.
Role in the Orange Revolution
In late 2001, Tymoshenko and Viktor Yushchenko worked to create a strong opposition group. Their goal was to win the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election. Tymoshenko decided not to run for president herself. Instead, she supported Yushchenko.
On 2 July 2004, Yushchenko's party and Tymoshenko's group formed a coalition called Force of the People. They promised that if Yushchenko won, Tymoshenko would become prime minister. Tymoshenko actively campaigned for Yushchenko across Ukraine.
When the election results were questioned due to fraud, Tymoshenko called on people to protest. She asked them to wear orange symbols, the color of Yushchenko's campaign. On 22 November 2004, huge protests began in Kyiv's Independence Square. These protests became known as the Orange Revolution.
Tymoshenko led protesters to the President's Administration building. Her speeches on the square kept the protests going strong. Her popularity grew, and she was sometimes called the "Ukrainian Joan of Arc" or "Queen of the Orange Revolution."
On 3 December 2004, Ukraine's Supreme Court cancelled the election results. A new election was held on 26 December 2004. Yushchenko was elected president.
First Term as Prime Minister (2005)
On 24 January 2005, Yulia Tymoshenko became acting prime minister. On 4 February, parliament approved her appointment with many votes. She made history as the first woman to become Prime Minister of Ukraine.
In July 2005, Forbes magazine named Tymoshenko the third most powerful woman in the world. She was behind only Condoleezza Rice and Wu Yi.
However, her government faced internal conflicts. On 8 September 2005, President Yushchenko dismissed her government. He said her work had slowed the economy and caused political problems. Tymoshenko blamed Yushchenko's close advisors for working against her. She said he had "ruined our unity."
At this time, Tymoshenko's popularity grew quickly, while Yushchenko's went down. This was shown in the 2006 parliamentary elections. Her party won more seats than Yushchenko's party. Tymoshenko was replaced by Yuriy Yehanurov as prime minister.
Opposition and 2006 Election
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After being dismissed, Tymoshenko began traveling the country. She aimed to win the 2006 Ukrainian parliamentary election as the leader of her political group. She wanted to become prime minister again.
Her group came in second place, winning 129 seats. Many thought she would form a new government with Yushchenko's party. However, negotiations were difficult. The parties struggled to agree on positions.
On 21 June 2006, a coalition agreement was announced. But trust issues quickly appeared among the coalition members. The Party of Regions, a rival group, blocked parliament sessions.
Eventually, the Socialist Party of Ukraine left the "Orange coalition." They joined an alliance with the Party of Regions and the Communist Party. This led to Viktor Yanukovych becoming prime minister. Tymoshenko called this a "betrayal." In September 2006, she announced her political force would be in opposition.
In March 2007, Tymoshenko visited the United States. She met with high-level officials like Vice President Dick Cheney. On 31 March 2007, she organized a large protest. She wanted to push the president to call early parliamentary elections.
On 4 April 2007, Yushchenko called for early elections. Tymoshenko and her supporters in parliament resigned their seats. This made the parliament invalid and cleared the way for new elections.
2007 Parliamentary Election
An early parliamentary election was held on 30 September 2007. Tymoshenko's party and Yushchenko's party won a majority of votes. On 15 October 2007, they agreed to form a new government.
On 11 December 2007, parliament tried to appoint Tymoshenko as prime minister. She missed approval by just one vote. On 18 December, she was elected prime minister again. She received the minimum number of votes needed. This began her second term as prime minister.
Second Term as Prime Minister (2007–2010)
On 11 July 2008, the Party of Regions tried to remove Tymoshenko's government. But they did not have enough votes.
Her government faced challenges due to the 2008 South Ossetia War between Georgia and Russia. Yushchenko's office accused her of being too soft on Russia. Tymoshenko's party said these were unfair attacks.
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Tymoshenko's party voted with other groups to change laws. These changes would limit the president's power and increase the prime minister's. Yushchenko's party then left the government coalition. This led to a political crisis in 2008. Yushchenko called for an early parliamentary election.
Tymoshenko was strongly against a snap election. She said it would harm Ukraine during the financial crisis of 2007–2008. The election was delayed. In December 2008, a new coalition was formed. It included Tymoshenko's party.
On 5 February 2009, opponents tried to dismiss her government again, but failed. Tymoshenko's second term as prime minister happened during the global financial crisis. Her government worked to prevent Ukraine's economy from collapsing. She also launched a campaign against corruption.
Gas Dispute with Russia (2009)
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A gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine happened in 2009. This was partly because Ukraine had been buying Russian gas through a middleman company. Tymoshenko wanted to stop using middlemen and have direct gas deals with Russia.
The conflict started because there was no gas contract for 2009. Ukraine also had a large debt for gas received in 2008. Tymoshenko said the middleman company was responsible for the debt. She pushed for direct contracts to end corruption in the gas trade.
On 1 January 2009, Russia stopped sending gas to Ukraine. This affected countries in Central and Eastern Europe. On 18 January 2009, after long talks, Prime Ministers Putin and Tymoshenko reached an agreement. They agreed to direct contracts between their gas companies. They also set a new price for gas and transit fees. This helped resolve the crisis.
2010 Presidential Election
Tymoshenko ran for president in the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election. She lost to Viktor Yanukovych. She received 45.47% of the votes in the final round.
Her relationship with President Yushchenko remained difficult. She said the election struggle had already begun. Tymoshenko announced her candidacy on 7 June 2009. She also said she would not challenge the results if she lost.
On 24 October 2009, her party officially supported her as their candidate. Many other Ukrainian politicians also supported her.
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In the first round of the election on 17 January 2010, Tymoshenko came in second place. Yanukovych was first. They both went to a final run-off vote.
Before the run-off, parliament changed election laws. Tymoshenko's party warned these changes could lead to vote rigging. She asked President Yushchenko to veto the law, but he signed it. This caused international criticism.
In the run-off on 7 February 2010, Yanukovych won. Tymoshenko claimed there was widespread fraud. She said Yanukovych was not truly elected. She challenged the results in court but later withdrew her appeal. She stated that the court was biased.
On 22 February 2010, Tymoshenko said she did not recognize the election results. She called on democratic groups in parliament to unite against Yanukovych.
In Opposition After 2010 Election
On 22 February, Tymoshenko spoke on national television. She accused Yanukovych's team of wanting cheap labor and Ukraine's resources. She also blamed outgoing President Yushchenko for allowing election rigging.
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On 3 March 2010, the Ukrainian Parliament voted to remove Tymoshenko's government. She had asked for this vote herself. She then resigned as prime minister on 4 March 2010. Her party member, Oleksandr Turchynov, took over temporarily.
Tymoshenko called for all national groups to unite against Yanukovych. She was against a treaty with Russia about a naval base. She believed it harmed Ukraine's interests.
On 12 May 2010, Ukraine's prosecutor's office re-opened a criminal case against Tymoshenko. This case had been closed in 2005. Tymoshenko said President Yanukovych personally ordered this. She believed it was a political move.
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See also
In Spanish: Yulia Timoshenko para niños
