The Ukrainian opposition leader, Yulia Tymoshenko, has been seen leaving prison in the eastern city of Kharkiv. The BBC reports that one of its correspondents saw Tymoshenko driven away in a car after leaving hospital:
Yulia Timoshenko has left the prison dep. of Kharkiv hospital in a cavalcade, no statements #euromaidan pic.twitter.com/gIwC8BH0VC
— Jüri Maloverjan (@MaloverjanBBC) February 22, 2014
Tymoshenko, who was Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005 and then again from 2007 to 2010, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2011 after she was found guilty of abuses of power relating to the activities of the Russian gas company Gazprom in her country. Her imprisonment was widely considered to be political revenge by President Yanukovych, her main rival. As the leader of Ukraine’s largest opposition party, the All-Ukrainian Union “Fatherland”, Tymoshenko’s release was one of a number of demands made by opposition activists and protestors.
In the Ukrainian parliament, 328 MPs have voted to impeach Yanukovych, and hold early elections on 25 May. The current whereabouts of the president are unknown, but his spokeswoman has said that he “does not accept” the decision to remove him from power.
Foreign secretary William Hague has indicated that the UK would support a new government in Ukraine. In a statement, he said:
Today I am in close touch with key partners over the extraordinary developments in Ukraine. Events in the last 24 hours show the will of Ukrainians to move towards a different future, and ensure that the voices of those who have protested courageously over several months are heard.
We will work closely with our EU partners in support of a new government in Ukraine, as and when that is formed. In the meantime it is important that Ukraine’s political leaders respond to events calmly and with determination to harness the united efforts of all Ukrainians to work together for a successful future.
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