Ukraine ex-PM Tymoshenko goes on trial

Tymoshenko, wearing a cream-colored suit and holding a pink rose, entered the courtroom to the cries of "Yulia, Yulia" and applause from her supporters.

"This is a farce and circus and not a court hearing," Tymoshenko, known for her penchant for theatrics, told the judge.

Around a thousand supporters gathered outside central Kiev's Pechersk Court, some holding white flags with red hearts, Tymoshenko's party symbol.

"Yulia's voice is the voice of people," read one of the placards brandished by her supporters.

Scores of police, some wearing anti-riot protective gear, ringed the courthouse.

The stuffy courtroom was bursting at the seams from the volume of journalists, supporters and all others wishing to attend the trial.

Tymoshenko is accused of causing a loss to the former Soviet republic's budget of 1.5 billion hryvnia ($190 million) when she signed a new energy contract with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after a brief interruption of gas deliveries in early 2009.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011