granted asylum in the Czech Republic that he had requested at the end of the previous year. He stated that the "decision was made so that we should not give the authorities additional opportunities to exert pressure on my wife". He also claimed he could not return to Ukraine because he would be immediately arrested upon arrival. Since 2000 Tymoshenko owned 33% share of International Industrial Projects, s.r.o., a small company in Ústí nad Labem. The company did not have any web presence and no contact could be found on the internet. It failed to publish information mandated by the Czech law and was liquidated in February 2012. Tymoshenko also has lasting contacts with several top Czech politicians. It was alleged that he had owned a house in Lidice since 2000, but he denied this accusation in a post in his wife's blog, stating that his asylum in the Czech Republic was temporary. On 24 February 2014, just after the "Maidan revolution" and his wife's release from prison, he returned to Ukraine. See also Family of Yulia Tymoshenko References 1960 births Living people Spouses of national leaders Businesspeople from Dnipro Oles Honchar Dnipro National University alumni Eastern Orthodox Christians from Ukraine