Eastern European politics is known to be a rough and tumble business. Torn between the pull of the Eurozone and the lingering grip of the Russian Federation, countries such as Ukraine must walk a constant tight rope between the modernity of the west and the remnants of a paternal empire in Moscow. As the ostensive gateway between the two, Ukraine is a conduit for Russian energy and influence throughout the continent.

All of these factors have impacted and molded the political career of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Elected to parliament in 1996, Tymoshenko quickly made her way up the ranks of Ukrainian government. Groomed in the industry of natural gas, she and her controversial husband, Oleksandr Tymoshenko, built a substantial wealth off the vital gas trade in Ukraine.

Appointed Prime Minister in 2005, Tymoshenko served as a visual figurehead during the so-called Orange Revolution of the previous year. Not shy of controversy, she quickly became a divisive figure in Ukrainian politics. Frequently accused of exploiting her position for personal vendettas and gain, Tymoshenko's political style would soon collide with her one-time co-revolutionary - Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko.

This rivalry boiled over in the summer of 2008, when the politically nimble and opportunistic Tymoshenko used the summertime conflict between Russia and Georgia to place a wedge between Yuschenko and herself. With a possible presidential collision course set for 2010, Ms. Tymoshenko has used the recent gas row with Moscow to trump her likely opponent, President Yuschenko.

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