The trial in Kyiv of Ukraine's former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, on allegations that she exceeded her authority when concluding a deal with Russia to end a natural gas price standoff, was scheduled to resume on September 27 2011.

If found guilty of the charges, Tymoshenko - who rejects the charges as politically-motivated - could be jailed for up to 10 years.

Tymoshenko is a rallying figure for opposition to Ukraine's president Viktor Yanukovych, who narrowly defeated her in the most recent presidential elections. Another implication of a guilty verdict in her trial would be to neutralise her as a potential challenger in the next presidential elections.

Ukrainian police reportedly were moving into position in the area around the court building, after previous court appearances saw protests in solidarity with her.

The European Union and the United States have been attempting to pressure Kyiv to drop the charges against Tymoshenko, with senior EU figures reportedly warning Yanukovych that proceeding with the trial could put at risk a trade deal between the bloc and Ukraine.

As the Tymoshenko trial was due to resume, Ukraine's prime minister Mykola Azarov said that Russia had agreed to review the 2009 contract, which brought to an end a massive cutoff of natural gas supplies to a number of European countries but which current authorities in Kyiv allege led to Ukraine having to pay exorbitant prices, but the BBC said that Russian gas giant Gazprom said that no new deal had been struck.