Today, the Kiev Pechersk District Court sentenced Yuliya Timoshenko (1960- ) to seven years imprisonment. In addition, the court decided that the former prime minister must pay 1.5 billion Gryvnia (5.83 billion Roubles. 187 million USD 135.7 million Euros. 118.7 million UK Pounds) in damages to Naftogaz Ukraina.
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Judge Rodion Kireyev decided, “Yuliya Timoshenko admitted her guilt of an offence under article 365 part 3 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code, so, we assess against her a sentence of deprivation of liberty for a term of seven years, with the deprivation of the right to hold posts in government bodies associated with the implementation of organisational-administrative functions for a further period of three years”.
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During sentencing, Judge Kireyev said that after signing a contract in 2009, the price of gas rose 53.8 percent. In the image above, Timoshenko’s daughter Yevgenia Karr supports her mother in the courtroom.
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After the judge read the verdict, Yuliya Timoshenko said, in an obvious ploy to her supporters, “You must be strong in order to build a free country”.
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Timoshenko disagrees with the court’s verdict and will a file an appeal of the sentence soon. The ex-premier intends to fight to defend her name. In the image above, her husband Aleksandr hugs her at the time of sentencing.
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Maya Kosančić, an official representative of the European Court of Justice in Brussels, said that this decision would have ramifications for the development of relations between the EU and the Ukraine.
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Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Timoshenko faced charges of exceeding her official powers for signing an agreement between Gazprom and Naftogaz concerning gas supplies to the Ukraine in 2009.
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During the court session, supporters of the Yuliya Timoshenko Bloc rallied in their leader’s defence on Kreshchatik Street, but the «Беркут» (Berkut: Golden Eagle) Ukrainian MVD OMON SWAT group contained them.
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11 October 2011
Voice of Russia World Service
Voices from Russia 
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