Editing History of Ukraine (section)

==== Period of political turbulence ====
{{Main|2010 Ukrainian presidential election|2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election}}
{{See also|Party of Regions|Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform|Svoboda (political party)}}

By the time of [[2010 Ukrainian presidential election|Ukraine's 2010 presidential election]], the alliance between [[Viktor Yushchenko]] and [[Yulia Tymoshenko]], key figures of the [[Orange Revolution]], had disintegrated. Tymoshenko competed against both Yushchenko and [[Viktor Yanukovych]] in a tightly contested three-way race.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 March 2022 |title=The Orange Revolution |url=https://www.uawarexplained.com/orange-revolution/?version=sixty-minutes/ |access-date=29 March 2022 |website=UaWarExplained.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="BBCprofileUkraine"/> With Yushchenko’s approval rating drastically weakened, many pro-Orange voters abstained, leading to a runoff between Tymoshenko and Yanukovych.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100215041206/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1963613,00.html Ukraine's New President: Is the Orange Revolution Over?], [[Time.com]] (11 February 2010)</ref> In the final round, Yanukovych secured the presidency with 48% of the vote, while Tymoshenko received 45%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 March 2022 |title=The Orange Revolution |url=https://www.uawarexplained.com/yanukovych/?version=sixty-minutes/ |access-date=29 March 2022 |website=UaWarExplained.com |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Kharkov - 21 April 2010-9.jpeg|thumb|Signing of the Kharkiv Pact on 21 April 2010]]
Upon taking office, Yanukovych and his [[Party of Regions]] swiftly moved to consolidate power.<ref>[http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/andreas-umland/ukraine-right-wing-politics-is-genie-out-of-bottle Ukraine right-wing politics: is the genie out of the bottle?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014083516/http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/andreas-umland/ukraine-right-wing-politics-is-genie-out-of-bottle |date=14 October 2017 }}, [[openDemocracy.net]] (3 January 2011)<br />[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12171740 Ukraine viewpoint: Novelist Andrey Kurkov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011223832/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12171740 |date=11 October 2018 }}, [[BBC News]] (13 January 2011)<br />[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12042561 Ukraine ex-PM Tymoshenko charged with misusing funds] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201225215/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12042561 |date=1 December 2017 }}, [[BBC News]] (20 December 2010)<br />[http://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/osw-commentary/2010-09-29/party-regions-monopolises-power-ukraine#_ftn5 The Party of Regions monopolises power in Ukraine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903124818/http://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/osw-commentary/2010-09-29/party-regions-monopolises-power-ukraine#_ftn5 |date=3 September 2011 }}, [[Centre for Eastern Studies]] (29 September 2010)<br />[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12219712 Ukraine launches battle against corruption] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321003502/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12219712 |date=21 March 2017 }}, [[BBC News]] (18 January 2011)<br />[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11549381 Ukrainians' long wait for prosperity] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321004648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11549381 |date=21 March 2017 }}, [[BBC News]] (18 October 2010)<br />[http://pulitzercenter.org/blog/news-points/ukraine-press-censorship-journalists-uncertain-future Ukraine:Journalists Face Uncertain Future] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005204055/http://pulitzercenter.org/blog/news-points/ukraine-press-censorship-journalists-uncertain-future |date=5 October 2011 }}, [[Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting]] (27 October 2010)<br />{{cite news |date=25 May 2011 |title=Our Ukraine comes to defense of Tymoshenko, Lutsenko, Didenko, Makarenko in statement |publisher=[[Interfax-Ukraine]] |url=http://www.interfax.com.ua/eng/main/69573/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603124713/http://www.interfax.com.ua/eng/main/69573/ |archive-date=3 June 2012}}</ref> In March 2010, the newly formed parliamentary majority, the "Coalition of Stability and Reforms", dismissed Tymoshenko as Prime Minister, replacing her with Yanukovych’s longtime ally, [[Mykola Azarov]].<ref name=newPMAZ>{{cite news|url=http://unian.net/eng/news/news-366879.html|date=11 March 2010|title=Azarov became Prime Minister|agency=[[Ukrainian Independent Information Agency|UNIAN]]|access-date=11 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314085313/http://unian.net/eng/news/news-366879.html|archive-date=14 March 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> His administration pursued closer ties with Russia, notably signing the controversial [[Kharkiv Pact]], which extended Russia’s [[Black Sea Fleet]] lease in [[Sevastopol]] until 2042 in exchange for discounted gas prices. The deal sparked protests from pro-European and nationalist groups, who saw it as a threat to Ukraine’s sovereignty.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2010/05/14/5040281/ |script-title=uk:"Харківський пакт" не гарантує, що з ЧФ РФ не буде проблем |date=14 May 2010 |publisher=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]] |language=uk |access-date=11 June 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100619110246/http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2010/05/14/5040281/| archive-date= 19 June 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=cnn21410>{{cite news|title=Russia, Ukraine agree on naval-base-for-gas deal|date=21 April 2010|work=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/21/russia.ukraine/index.html}}</ref>

In the [[2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election|2012 parliamentary elections]], the Party of Regions further strengthened its grip on power, securing the largest number of seats despite widespread allegations of vote-rigging, administrative pressure, and misuse of state resources. The opposition remained fragmented, though it made notable gains. The newly formed [[Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform|UDAR]] party, led by heavyweight boxing champion [[Vitali Klitschko]], positioned itself as a pro-European force, while the nationalist [[Svoboda (political party)|Svoboda]] party, previously on the political margins, unexpectedly surpassed the electoral threshold, capitalizing on growing dissatisfaction with Yanukovych’s rule.<ref name="CESOlszańskiUKel12">[https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2012-11-07/after-parliamentary-elections-ukraine-a-tough-victory-party-regions After the parliamentary elections in Ukraine: a tough victory for the Party of Regions], [[Centre for Eastern Studies]] (7 November 2012).</ref>

The largest opposition bloc, Batkivshchyna, led by [[Arseniy Yatsenyuk]] in Tymoshenko’s absence, struggled to counterbalance the ruling party’s dominance. By this time, [[Criminal cases against Yulia Tymoshenko since 2010|Tymoshenko had been imprisoned]] since 2011 on charges of abuse of office, a case widely condemned by Western governments and human rights organizations as politically motivated. Her imprisonment, along with the selective prosecution of other opposition figures, was cited as a key reason for the [[European Union]]'s reluctance to deepen ties with Ukraine under Yanukovych’s leadership.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Government Statement of Concern about Arrest of Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko |url=http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/government-statement-tymoshenko.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025646/http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/government-statement-tymoshenko.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=8 February 2016}} [[Embassy of the United States, Kyiv|US Embassy, Kyiv]], (24 September 2011)<br />{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14459446 |title=Q&A;: Ukraine's Yulia Tymoshenko on trial|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021141928/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14459446 |archive-date=21 October 2018|work= [[BBC News]]|date= 11 October 2011}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Viktor Yanukovych official portrait.jpg|Official portrait of Viktor Yanukovych, the 4th president of Ukraine
File:Dmitry Medvedev in the United States 14 April 2010-2.jpeg|Yanukovych, [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] and [[Dmitry Medvedev]] before the beginning of the [[Nuclear Security Summit]], 2010
File:Bronisław Komorowski and Viktor Yanukovych 03 - 20110203.jpg|Yanukovych with Polish president [[Bronisław Komorowski]], 3 February 2011
</gallery>