Tymoshenko is the Queen when it comes to corruption.  Those in the know are aware of the fact that Tymoshenko's rise to power is primarily because of her control of the country’s energy resources.  She is ruthless, and incredibly intelligent.  She strategically made her way up the ranks of Ukrainian politicians, and is now easily the most powerful person in Ukraine. 

Just to give a taste of how much money this woman makes, let’s start by taking a look at a Russia Today video:

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You may be thinking, "Natural Gas?"  ... The article mentions that Ukraine has a markup of 100% on natural gas.  What the article doesn't mention is that, unlike in the USA, if you want gas run to your house or business, it is your job to buy the pipes and pay for installation labor.  There are times where you are also required to re-lay pipes that are thicker than the existing pipes, or worse install pumps, in order to get gas to your house in a manner which doesn't negatively affect those that are on the existing line.  Furthermore, if there is a problem with the pipes or pumps, it is the collective duty of those connected to it to fix it.  In short, aside from some labor, Gazprom, and her subsidiaries, has substantially less overhead than her western counterparts.

So now the question, where is all the money?  $2.4 Billion in debt assume $4.8 Billion in net earnings.  Rest assured that the people of Ukraine pay their gas bills, those that don't are quickly disconnected.  This money is simply stolen.  Taken out of the bank accounts and put directly into pockets.  Timoshenko, being the ring-leader, takes the biggest piece for herself. 

To make matters more interesting, the electric companies share the same problems.  Tymoshenko runs them too.