The day of her arrest was a turning point in the history of modern
Ukrainian politics, which until then had managed to steer clear of
head-on clashes and hopeless conflicts. The opposing sides tried to
avoid passing the point of no return even when tensions were running
very high during the crisis of 2004. The Tymoshenko case proved to be
the proverbial Rubicon.
Yulia Tymoshenko
RIA Novosti: Sick and tired of Ukraine
Former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was arrested for “interfering with witness questioning” on August 5, 2011, during her trial for abuse of power. Tymoshenko may have been openly provoking the court, but the decision to place her under arrest still came as a surprise. Two months later, she was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison. Even many of her opponents were stunned by the harsh sentence.
