In these elections he presented himself as the man who saved the Ukrainian economy.

BBC: [ image: Leonid Kuchma points to the record]

While Uefa could not, perhaps, have predicted the collapse of the Ukrainian economy, it certainly ought to have been well aware of the evidence of corruption and links to organised crime.

BBC: Ukrainian football's dark side

Still, given the desperate state of the Ukrainian economy which is fast running out of money to pay public wages and pensions, Ms Tymoshenko did better than might have been expected.

ECONOMIST: Ukraine's presidential election

Transdniestria's smugglers and arms salesmen the backbone of the economy, along with a big Ukrainian-owned steelworks trade through Ukraine, especially via Odessa.

ECONOMIST: Troubled Moldova