MOSCOW, Dec. 27 - The criminal case against former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko has been dropped because the statute of limitations on corruption charges against her has expired.

She was accused of bribing Russian defense officials in the mid-1990s when she headed United Energy Systems of Ukraine, the country's main gas distributor. According to Alexander Savenkov, Russia's Military Prosecutor-General, "Tymoshenko was recognized as a person who violated the law, availing herself of the legitimate possibility to avoid punishment." Experts are inclined to see the decision of the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office as a pre-election gamble.