In October 2011, in a court in Kiev, Ukraine, a woman was facing the interrogation in court with a serious face. On the one hand, it seems that her skin has been taken care of very well, and her daily living standards must be the same. However, her whole person revealed a powerful aura.
"Vladimirovna. Tymoshenko, according to the evidence provided by the prosecution. You will face 7 years of fixed-term imprisonment . Do you have anything to say about this?" The judge looked serious. asked her.
"I have nothing to say. Because these accusations are completely slander. This is a political persecution. I was the leader of this country Ukraine ! The people of Ukraine will never let such a result happen. History will give me a A fair verdict!" The woman was not afraid of the judge's words. Obviously, she was ready to fight to the death.
So, who is this Tymoshenko? Why, as a leader, would she face court judgment and possibly even prison? How did her life begin and where will it go?
A "weird girl" with a strong personality
In 1960, Tymoshenko was born in Dnepropetrovsk along the Dnieper River . Most of the buildings here today have become a mess due to the war in Ukraine. However, at the time when Tymoshenko was born, this was one of the key cities under construction in the Soviet Union. Several heavy industry factories are located near the city.
Tymoshenko's parents are both workers in local state-owned factories. Because his parents divorced when Tymoshenko was more than three years old, Tymoshenko did not have much impression of his father when he was a child. At home, my mother rarely mentioned my father's stories, and the family's life became very difficult.
However, the hard life did not make Tymoshenko bow his head. In school, she has a very strong personality and doesn't look like a girl at all. You always have to compete with your classmates for everything. This not only made Tymoshenko the jealous object of some small groups, but also made her among the best in gymnastics, academics and other aspects. At the age of 14, Tymoshenko took the initiative to join the school football team and served as a forward in order to hone his will and ability.
Later, Tymoshenko's football team went through many obstacles. She herself has become a "good student" with excellent academic performance in the eyes of her teachers. According to this script in the Soviet Union at that time, Tymoshenko was likely to become a female engineer or scientist in the future. Because in the Soviet Union at that time, the salary of engineers was several times that of ordinary people. Being able to become an engineer is already a ceiling for many ordinary workers’ children. However, in Tymoshenko's eyes, an "engineer" is far from satisfying her appetite.
The unique "dark horse in the business world"
In the 1980s, some people within the Soviet Union made ideological mistakes. As a result, a large amount of state-owned assets were misappropriated by private individuals in disguised form, or even directly appropriated for themselves. These people were generally called " oligarchs " in later history.
In 1991, with the sudden disintegration of the Soviet Union, the red empire. All the previously shady things were put on the table. At this time, Ukrainians were surprised to find that their largest domestic gasoline company, "Ukrainian Gasoline Company", was actually controlled by a woman. This woman is Tymoshenko.
It turns out that Tymoshenko had already smelled the atmosphere of business as early as the 1980s. Although she worked honestly as an engineer for a few years at first, relying on her husband's family's connections within the Soviet government, Tymoshenko was first transferred by her father-in-law to work in the industrial sector, and then resigned. He went to sea and became one of the few "businessmen" in the Soviet Union at that time. It can be said that every step of Tymoshenko's life is in line with the rules, and everything is planned by her.
In 1991, as soon as the Soviet Union collapsed, Tymoshenko immediately inherited the entire company from his father-in-law and became the largest automotive oligarch in the new country of Ukraine. However, compared to other ugly oligarchs, Tymoshenko appears to be more "gentle". Normally, she would design an exquisite look for every appearance to leave a good image to the public. This will not only help the development and growth of your own business, but also will not leave the impression of being "unkind" to others.
In just a few years, Tymoshenko has used overt or covert means to defeat his competitors one by one. Because the "Ukrainian Petrol Company" that Tymoshenko took over at that time was originally a state-owned enterprise. Even if those newly established small companies have some business acumen and management skills, it is absolutely impossible to fight against such a "behemoth". They were quickly defeated, and nearly 30% of Ukraine's gasoline market was controlled by Tymoshenko and his husband.
In 1995, under the auspices of Tymoshenko, the original Ukrainian Petrol Company was reorganized into the "United Energy Group of Ukraine". Because Tymoshenko has successively obtained the operating and mining rights for domestic oil, natural gas, minerals and other resources before. Therefore, this business reorganization was actually arranged long ago. The purpose is to pave the way for her own entry into politics.
Under the political system of Western society, there is a set of almost impeccable rules. That is: as long as the person's family or the forces behind him are rich enough, it is only a matter of time before he takes over state power. As for people's happiness and personal abilities, these can all be put aside. And Tymoshenko is also the product of this "law".
"Strong Woman" in the political arena
In 1997, Tymoshenko became a member of the Ukrainian Parliament . This is of course not because of how outstanding her abilities are, but purely because of her "money ability" that is beyond the reach of most people.
As early as 1992, when Tymoshenko took over the Ukrainian Petroleum Company, she worked hard to make friends with local government officials. Because post-independence Ukraine was influenced by the Soviet Union, various nepotism and exchange of interests are still tacit norms in people's hearts. As a "domineering female president", Tymoshenko first bribed the leaders of the region where her company was located, and then climbed up the ladder step by step through this relationship, and met the then governor Lazarenko.
Lazarenko is also a person with great energy within Ukraine. Like Tymoshenko, he relied on some ulterior connections to obtain some privileges and became Ukraine's "new aristocrat", and then transformed into a politician in this country. Therefore, when Tymoshenko came to him, Lazarenko also understood what the other party meant.
Tymoshenko has money, Lazarenko has power. When two people cooperate, doesn't it mean "each gets what he needs"? As a result, Lazarenko guaranteed Tymoshenko to serve as a member of the parliament, and Tymoshenko devoted himself to Lazarenko and became his follower and "sponsored partner."
At that time, Tymoshenko was extremely popular. Not only was she often photographed appearing in various major state affairs occasions, but she even visited the United States across the ocean as a "representative of the Ukrainian people". However, everyone understands that "vampires" like Tymoshenko cannot represent the vast majority of the Ukrainian people at all.
After returning to China, Lazarenko, who had provided great help to Tymoshenko, became the Prime Minister of Ukraine. As a result, Tymoshenko has access to more sources of good information that ordinary members of Congress have no access to. Therefore, in future political activities, Tymoshenko will be able to hit the hot spots and pain points of the current situation just right every time, and stand out. In the final analysis, this is all because of the role of the dollars in her hands.
In 1999, Tymoshenko, who had been struggling in the political arena for more than two years, finally couldn't stand it anymore.She made a direct and high-profile public announcement that she would establish a new political party to better "serve" the Ukrainian people.
In front of the media, Tymoshenko did not hide her political ambitions at all, "I just want to be the first female prime minister of Ukraine. The United States has not had a female president so far, and the former Soviet Union has not had a female leader. And If I win, it will mean great progress for Ukraine's democracy and political cause!"
Indeed, with her glamorous appearance and status as a "female politician", Tymoshenko's newly established "Motherland" The party group suddenly became a hot "political star" in the entire parliament. Countless people took to the streets to cheer for Tymoshenko. It seems that once this female politician comes to power, she will bring new hope to the country.
In so-called "Western-style democracy" countries, there is often a situation where " populist " ideas prevail. People do not ask about the abilities of politicians, nor do they look at the feasibility of their governance goals. In a word: Anyone who can fan the flames and shout slogans can win the final election. This is true for Korea, and so is Ukraine.
At that time, Tymoshenko put forward several proposals for governance, including following Russia's example, attacking the original oligarchs and limiting their property. Improve basic livelihood issues such as prices and transportation. As a result, Tymoshenko relied on her political influence to become the deputy prime minister and minister of national energy of the new government. The "Motherland" group she led also became a key member of the "ruling coalition" of the new government.
This time, Tymoshenko relied on his superb acting skills and ability to shout slogans to get one step closer to the center of power. She herself was naturally delighted, but Ukrainians seemed to have forgotten that Tymoshenko himself was one of the country's "energy oligarchs." hopes that one oligarch will defeat another group of oligarchs. This is undoubtedly a huge "joke". However, Ukrainians really believe it.
Although at the beginning of his administration, Tymoshenko did take action to rectify the oligarchs. But the effect is still quite limited. For example, she once ordered that Ukraine’s domestic oil exploration rights be promoted to the outside world through public bidding. This seems to be conducive to further prosperity of the market. However, the price increases brought about by public tenders were ultimately imposed on ordinary Ukrainian consumers by the oil and other energy oligarchs.
As the saying goes, "The wool comes from the sheep." Tymoshenko is not Putin after all, and it is impossible for her to become a female version of Putin. Putin leaves little room for war against the oligarchs. However, Tymoshenko's economic reforms are only scratching the surface. Nowadays, many people like to call Tymoshenko the "Iron Lady of Ukraine ", but what she has done is far from worthy of such a title.
The unscrupulous "female madman"
As the saying goes: "There is no impermeable wall in the world." How did Tymoshenko get to where he is today step by step. She knows it better than anyone else. Finally, in 2001, Tymoshenko was taken to court for the first time. The reason is that she has participated in many criminal activities such as bribery, smuggling, and organized tax evasion.
Suddenly, Tymoshenko became the target of public criticism. It was only then that the media discovered with hindsight that the bags, cosmetics and clothes Tymoshenko used were all produced by a Paris luxury goods company. So, how did a female politician who claimed to be a "servant of the people" have so many luxury goods all of a sudden?
In the face of everyone's accusations and inquiries, Tymoshenko was also very calm: "I earned these things by relying on my own personal ability! If you have any objections or doubts about me and my personal life, you are welcome to contact us. Let the authorities check!"
However, the results of the investigation showed that there is no problem with Tymoshenko and her political group. All charges are baseless.Therefore, after being detained for more than forty days, Tymoshenko was released by the Ukrainian authorities. The reason is still very simple. Tymoshenko continued to display his "money ability". Ukraine's national anti-corruption agency was abruptly pulled down by Tymoshenko, and everyone became a grasshopper on a rope.
Just when everyone thought that Tymoshenko would put away his edge from now on and retire from politics quietly. In the second half of 2004, Tymoshenko suddenly launched a "big move": she wanted to impeach President Yanukovych.
At that time, according to Ukrainian law, Yanukovych received more votes than another presidential candidate Yushchenko in the election. He is about to become the new president of the Ukrainian government. However, when the election results came out, Yushchenko's supporters and political allies, led by Tymoshenko, insisted that there was "fraud" in the election. demands a new election in accordance with Ukraine's national constitution. Otherwise they will march in the streets. Exchange opinions with Yanukovych supporters on the street. This method is simply the female version of Trump . Of course, the final result said that the election results were overturned and Yushchenko became president. In return, Tymoshenko was nominated by Yushchenko as prime minister. And this is the second time she has stood in this position.
The "Prison Troubles" of the Female Prime Minister
In essence, the various political forces in Ukraine are just clowns. The reason why they get together is because they have the same interests. Therefore, when the distribution of benefits becomes uneven, their alliance ceases to exist.
In September 2005, Yushchenko, who came to power relying on Tymoshenko, decisively engaged in a drama of "burning bridges across the river". He directly said that Tymoshenko's government did not cooperate with his work and lacked "team spirit" as the reason for forcibly disbanding the government led by Tymoshenko.
is a former teammate of Tymoshenko. Yushchenko naturally has a lot of "dirty information" about Tymoshenko. This time, as a political opponent, Yushchenko must kill Tymoshenko at once. So, people saw the trial at the beginning.
During this trial, Tymoshenko was accused of multiple crimes such as bribery, abuse of power, and corruption. This time, despite her impassioned speech in court, she hoped to win sympathy from others with her speech. But her political opponents had expected this. In the end, Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison and was sent to prison in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city.
Speaking of which, Ukraine is really a strange country. Because here people like Tymoshenko who have been in prison can still openly engage in politics. In 2014, another political crisis broke out in Ukraine, and Tymoshenko was acquitted.
After his release, Tymoshenko excitedly addressed the crowd who came to watch. She called the incident a great "revolution." In the future, he will continue to lead the Motherland Party of Ukraine and be active on the political stage of this country.
However, after being released from prison, Tymoshenko lost the help and support of his former political allies. In addition, she was accused of uncovering so much genuine "black material" in court. Her political power and influence are far less than they once were. At this time, although Tymoshenko had plans to launch an attack on Ukraine's presidential throne, he was already unable to do so.
In 2020, local media in Ukraine broke the news that Tymoshenko was forced to stop all normal political activities because he was infected with the "new coronavirus pneumonia" and stayed at home to work honestly. Perhaps Tymoshenko has turned his back on power at this time, or he is completely desperate for his political future. This time Tymoshenko is no longer as enthusiastic about political elections as before.
A Ukrainian student studying in China once said frankly: "In our country, politicians are all liars. Yushchenko is a liar, and Poroshenko is also a liar.And Tymoshenko is more like a thief. She stole our natural gas energy and stole many things that originally belonged to us. "
Perhaps, it is only now that Ukraine has recovered. They are just a poor pawn in the game between great powers. They cannot control their own destiny at all. Only self-improvement is the best way out. And today's Ukraine Abandoning everything from the former Soviet Union and fully embracing the United States and the West, "stealers of the country" like Tymoshenko will continue to be brought to the forefront. can only say this. Everything is time and destiny!
References:
"The ups and downs of the political arena of Ukraine's "Female Prime Minister" Tymoshenko" Characters
"Tymoshenko: From national hope to "public enemy"" European stories
"The collapse of the Soviet Union and “Oligarchy” in Eastern Europe” Bi Yelin, Northeast Normal University
