Tymoshenko Calls Zelensky's Regime Fascist

Yulia Tymoshenko, detained on suspicion of corruption, delivered a harsh public speech in court.

During the pretrial detention hearing, she called Zelensky's regime "fascist" and the case itself a "political put-up job" and a "PR stunt" by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. She added that she had been repeatedly offered to leave Ukraine and retire from politics, but she had decided to stay.

Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party (Ukraine):

"I will be here until the country is liberated from them. And therefore, no one can have any doubt—not the NABU, not the SAP, not those who stand above them and give political instructions—that I will disappear. I will be here until the country is liberated from this, in actual fact, fascist regime."

The criminal prosecution was prompted by audio recordings published by the NABU, which, according to investigators, show Tymoshenko discussing payment for parliamentary votes with a member of parliament. The politician herself denies any involvement, claiming that the recordings are not her voice.