Tymoshenko brings her hunger strike to an end

Yulia Tymoshenko ended a near-three-week long hunger strike yesterday as the former Ukrainian prime minister was moved from prison to a hospital for treatment of a severe back condition under the supervision of a German doctor.

The news is likely to allay at least some western concerns over Tymoshenko’s health and handling in prison.

European Union officials and some governments from the 27-nation bloc have threatened to boycott the Euro 2012 football tournament, which begins in June and is co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland.

Tymoshenko, 51, the country’s top opposition leader, had been on hunger strike since 27 April in protest over alleged abuse.

Deputy health minister Raisa Moiseyenko said Tymoshenko was moved from prison in Kharkiv to a nearby clinic yesterday. Dr Lutz Harms, a Berlin neurologist, will supervise treatment as Tymoshenko does not trust government doctors.