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Yuliya TimoshenkoPolitical and statesman of Ukraine
Date of Birth: 27.11.1960
Country:  Ukraine |
Biography of Yulia Tymoshenko
Childhood and YouthYulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko (maiden name Hrihyan) was born on November 29, 1960, in Dnipro, Ukraine. Her parents divorced when she was three years old, and she was raised by her mother, Lyudmyla Mykolayivna Telehina, who worked as a dispatcher in a taxi park. Tymoshenko's nationality is still a subject of debate, as her father's side of the family was Latvian, while her mother's side was Ukrainian. Despite financial difficulties, Tymoshenko's childhood was filled with love and care from her mother. She attended school but was not an exceptional student. In her youth, she pursued artistic gymnastics and even considered a career in sports. In her later years of high school, she changed her surname to her mother's, becoming Yulia Telehina. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute, but was expelled due to her poor academic performance. She then switched to the Economics faculty of Dnipropetrovsk State University, where she graduated with honors. In 1999, Tymoshenko defended her dissertation on "State Regulation of the Tax System" and obtained a candidate of economic sciences degree.
Business
In her youth, Tymoshenko began to show an interest in business. She started working as an engineer-economist at the Dnipropetrovsk Machine-Building Plant. Around the same time, she opened a video rental store with borrowed money from acquaintances. With her first earnings, she established the youth center "Terminal," which was involved in the sale of petroleum products. The initial capital for this venture came from her father-in-law, and it marked Tymoshenko's entry into the business world during the economic collapse of the early 1990s. In 1995, the cooperative "Terminal" transformed into the Ukrainian-British industrial and financial corporation "United Energy Systems of Ukraine" (UESU) with a turnover of $10 billion. Tymoshenko became the head of this corporation and gained a monopoly on the sale of Russian gas in Ukraine.
In 1996, UESU faced significant political and financial difficulties, which prompted Tymoshenko to enter the political arena.
Politics
In 1997, Tymoshenko became a member of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) and held a leading position in the "Hromada" party. In 1999, she founded the All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" and became the head of the party. She was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister for Fuel and Energy Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko. Tymoshenko quickly made enemies among politicians and businessmen with her strong actions. In 2000, her husband, Oleksandr Tymoshenko, was arrested, followed by her own arrest a year later. The couple was accused of smuggling Russian gas into Ukraine and tax evasion. However, the Kyiv Court later declared the charges against Tymoshenko to be unfounded, leading to her release from custody. Tymoshenko continued her political activities and in 2005, she gained popularity among the population as a leader of the opposition movement "Ukraine without Kuchma." She also played a crucial role in supporting the future President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, during the "Orange Revolution." This allowed her to become the Prime Minister of Ukraine. However, in September 2005, Yushchenko dismissed Tymoshenko's government, leading to mixed reactions among Ukrainian politicians. Despite this, her reputation continued to grow, and she was named the third most influential woman in the world by Forbes magazine.
In 2006, Tymoshenko's party, "Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko," surpassed the "Party of Regions" in the parliamentary elections, becoming the largest party in the Verkhovna Rada. Tymoshenko became the leader of the opposition. In 2007, her party improved its position in early parliamentary elections, allowing Tymoshenko to once again become the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
During her second term as Prime Minister, Tymoshenko faced the global economic crisis but managed to prevent major economic disasters. Her actions helped avoid a default, support the mining and metallurgical complex and production, ensure the timely payment of salaries to state employees and social benefits to pensioners, stabilize tariffs for housing and communal services, conduct land privatization, and shut down illegal gambling businesses.
During this period, Tymoshenko also became the central figure in the gas conflict between Russia and Ukraine. She was the only member of Yushchenko's government who could resolve the crisis, which eventually led to her imprisonment. Tymoshenko was accused of signing a gas contract with Russia on unfavorable terms and an excessively high price. After spending time in prison, she continued her political activities and ran for president in 2010, narrowly losing to Viktor Yanukovych. Following her defeat, Tymoshenko's government was dismissed, and Mykola Azarov became the Prime Minister.
In May 2010, Tymoshenko faced legal difficulties, and several criminal cases were initiated against her. The most significant case involved a gas contract with Russia, as well as the purchase of vehicles for rural medicine and the alleged misuse of "Kyoto money," resulting in damage to the state amounting to €380 million. In October 2011, the Pechersk District Court in Kyiv sentenced Tymoshenko to seven years in prison with restitution of $189 million to the state. The decision received international criticism, as many believed the prosecution of Tymoshenko to be politically motivated. She served her sentence at the Kachanivska Penal Colony in Kharkiv.
After the Euromaidan protests in February 2014 and the removal of President Yanukovych from power, Tymoshenko was released from prison. She immediately joined the presidential race but finished in second place, losing to Petro Poroshenko. Despite not winning the presidency, Tymoshenko continued her political activities, reforming her party "Fatherland" and becoming a vocal critic of the Ukrainian government. In 2017, she remained active in politics, with the hope of reaching the highest levels of power once again. She has positioned herself as an advocate for lowering utility tariffs, fighting corruption, ensuring transparency in the energy sector, and improving social standards.
In 2018, Tymoshenko participated in the presidential election, where she emerged as a leading candidate. Her campaign focused on economic and political issues, promising a moratorium on utility price increases and an end to the war in Donbass. She remains one of the key figures in Ukrainian politics, with a significant following and support among the population.
Personal Life
Throughout her life, Yulia Tymoshenko has been accompanied by only one partner. She married Oleksandr Tymoshenko while still a student, and they began their journey to the heights of power together. They have a daughter named Yevhenia, who was born in 1980. Later, Yevhenia was married to British rock musician Sean Carr, but their marriage ended in divorce after eight years. After the divorce, Yevhenia married Ukrainian businessman Arthur Chechetkin, and they have a daughter together.
In terms of Tymoshenko's appearance, her iconic hairstyle and elegant business suits have become her trademark. She is known for her tightly braided hair encircling her head, which she often showcases in her Instagram and Twitter photos. However, in February 2016, she changed her look, letting her famous braid loose and presenting a new image in the parliament.
Tymoshenko's income has also garnered attention. In her 2014 declaration, after her release from prison, it was revealed that she earned 600,000 hryvnias, with 107,000 hryvnias coming from her salary as a member of parliament. She owns a 600-square-meter house and rents an apartment for which she pays 200,000 hryvnias. She does not own a personal vehicle, but her spouse owns a 1983 Chaika and a Mercedes-Benz GL 350 CDI.
In 2016, Tymoshenko's financial status was made public as part of the declaration of state officials' income. It was revealed that her income for 2015 amounted to 75,616 hryvnias from her salary as a member of parliament, while an additional 80,559 hryvnias came from performing her parliamentary duties. She stated that she held 485,971 hryvnias in a bank account and had 318,000 hryvnias in cash. Tymoshenko also listed a house of 588 square meters in the village of Kozyn, Kyiv Oblast, and a land plot of 1,862 square meters near the house.
Tymoshenko continues to play an active role in Ukrainian politics, and her positions may be strengthened by her meetings with international leaders, such as her meeting with US President Donald Trump. She remains a prominent figure in Ukrainian politics, with a strong chance of being elected as the country's president in the future.
