Press sees Orange leader pipped

President Yushchenko (right) is widely seen as weakened

Newspapers in Ukraine are united in seeing the nomination of Viktor Yanukovych as prime minister as a defeat for President Viktor Yushchenko and the "Orange Revolution" that brought him to power.

But the press is divided in its interpretation: some argue that Mr Yushchenko had little choice, while others decry the move as a "betrayal" of the revolution.

"It's a pity, but we have to say that the Maydan is dead," the pro-Western nationalist Ukrayina Moloda says, referring to the Kiev square in which tens of thousands protested in 2004 against Mr Yanukovych's election victory.

Reminding its readers that the new prime minister was jailed for violent crimes in his youth, the paper accuses President Yushchenko of breaking his promise to put "bandits into prison".

Comeback

The liberal Gazeta Po-Kiyevski says Mr Yanukovych's comeback was made possible by the row between Mr Yushchenko and his main Orange Revolution ally and former Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko.

"Yanukovych is finally back - not as a result of a coup or storming of the cabinet by miners, but after elections, having capitalised on the incessant squabbles in the orange camp," the paper says.

Accusing Mr Yushchenko of "treachery and incompetence", the paper, which sided with Ms Tymoshenko, believes he has now shown his true political colours in allying himself with Mr Yanukovych.

'Lesser evil'

Among the pro-Yanukovych press, the Russian-language Segodnya betrays a hint of triumph.

"In the small hours of 3 August, Viktor Yushchenko drew a line under the Orange Revolution," the paper says.

But in a conciliatory note, it adds that Mr Yushchenko made the right decision in backing his old rival, instead of dissolving parliament and prolonging the political uncertainty.

"Mr Yushchenko chose the lesser evil."

Another pro-Yanukovych paper, the Russian-language Kiyevskiye Vedomosti agrees.

"If Mr Yushchenko dissolved parliament, the situation would have slipped out of his control," it believes.

According to the website ProUA, the new deal gives almost everyone something.

"The Ukrainian people will take a break from politics, the president will go and relax at his Crimean dacha, and Yanukovych and [Socialist Party leader Oleksandr] Moroz will get the hang of running the country.

"Only Yulia Tymoshenko has been left without a prize," the website says.

Back to Russia?

In Russia - where President Putin gave strong support to Viktor Yanukovych in the 2004 election - commentators are impressed with his comeback.

"In the end, he got his premiership - this time round, it appears, without any help from Russia," the popular tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda says.

But the paper warns that Mr Yushchenko may have set a trap for his old rival.

"If all the prime minister does is humour the pro-Western president, his appeal in the eyes of the electorate will quickly dwindle," the paper argues. "If, on the other hand, he is confrontational, he will be dismissed."

Krasnaya Zvezda - the newspaper published by Russia's defence ministry - is clear about what it expects from Mr Yanukovych's cabinet.

"Let us hope that the Russian aspect of Ukraine's foreign policy will become more defined," it says.

But Novyye Izvestiya doubts whether this will happen.

"There should be no illusions that the future cabinet's policy will be vectored towards Russia", the paper says, pointing out that, as part of his deal with Mr Yushchenko, Mr Yanukovych promised to work for Nato membership.

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.