KIEV, Sept. 18 – The alliance of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s group and Ukraine’s two pro-Russian opposition parties was evident Thursday when the groups jointly approved another bill aimed against President Viktor Yushchenko.

The bill, approved overwhelmingly with the help of the Communist Party and the Regions Party in the first reading, imposes up to a 12-year jail sentence on the president for “illegally” dismissing Parliament.