Yanukovich appears to have won, not least because outgoing president Yuschenko played his cards against Tymoschenko.

I prefer to call those players by their names, instead of adding ‘tags’ to them. The Western coverage of the Ukraine elections appears rather simplistic, with Tymoshenko portrayed as strongly pro-European and Yanukovich - as a Kremlin puppet.

I am not sure about Tymoshenko’s credentials. I think that this time, both candidates were quite suitable for Moscow, and the Kremlin could afford the luxury not to directly support any of them.

As long as the EU will be unable to make ‘an offer’ to Ukraine, as it did for ten East European countries who already joined and for the Western Balkans, no pro-European political force in Ukraine would be credible.