Yushchenko dismissed Tymoshenko and her cabinet

Ukraine's president Viktor Yushchenko sacked the cabinet headed by Yulia Tymoshenko on Thursday, appointing instead a loyal and moderate ally to take over as prime minister. The former premier Yulia Tymoshenko was accused of setting endless conflicts with other members of his political team.

Mr Yushchenko said Ms Tymoshenko and his national security chief Petro Poroshenko, who had earlier resigned, had "lost their team spirit and trust" and it had forced him to play the role of arbiter between competing institutions within his own administration.

The president shouldn't be a nanny," Mr Yushchenko told at a press conference.

A long-simmering politics conflict involving Ms Tymoshenko and Mr Poroshenko had reached crisis point after the surprise resignation earlier this week of Olexander Zinchenko, the president's chief of staff, who on Monday accused Mr Poroshenko of corruption and interference in the media and justice system.

The move made clear that Mr Yushchenko would take direct personal control over government policy for the next six months until parliamentary elections due at the end of March. But his dismissal of Ms Tymoshenko was likely to lead to a damaging confrontation with her and her political team which could further bog down reforms.

Ms Tymoshenko is expected to announce soon that she will form a separate political bloc and run against Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party, the FT reports.

Yulia Tymoshenko was born on November 27, 1960 in the city of Dnipropetrovsk. She received university education as an economist-cyberneticist and earned a candidate of economic science degree.

1995 to 1997 – president of the Corporation “United Energy System of Ukraine”.

In 1997 elected people’s deputy of Ukraine.

In 1998 elected people’s deputy to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, head of the Budget Committee.

In 1999 elected a head of the political party - All-Ukrainian “Batkivschyna” party.

December 1999 to January 2001 – vice Prime Minister of Ukraine. Author of “Energetic Conception of Ukraine” and anticorruption programs “Pure Energy”, “Ukrainian coal”.

People’s deputy of three convocations. During elections to the Parliament headed the political parties bloc - Block of Yulia Tymoshenko” (BYT). After winning the elections – headed faction of the “Block of Yulia Tymoshenko” in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine”.

In July 2004 became co-chairman of the electoral commission “People's Strength” (Syla Narodu).

Yulia Tymoshenko was one of the leaders of the Orange Revolution as a protest against falsification of results of the Presidential elections.

Former Prime Minister of Ukraine.