Ukraine Leaders Face Off Over Georgia War

Russia’s war with Georgia has dangerously exacerbated tensions in Ukrainian politics, with President Viktor Yushchenko slamming Russia’s actions while Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has kept mum, the Los Angeles Times reports. Standing firm for Georgia, Yushchenko called the prime minister's lack of action “high treason and political corruption." Tymoshenko’s supporters say the outspoken president is aggravating political tensions and alienating Ukrainians with strong Russian ties.

National sentiment seems increasingly to favor Russia over the West, analysts say. Some suggest Moscow has stoked the flames of discord to help drive out the president—and “slowly adapt Ukraine to their liking," said one expert. Tymoshenko, meanwhile, has been called in for questioning in the president’s 2004 poisoning. Continuing strife between the factions is likely to officially end their tenuous coalition this week.
(More Ukraine stories.)