KIEV, January 21 - RAPSI. The Ukrainian Supreme Economic Court has ruled that Ukraine must repay Russia about $390 million in debt owed by the United Energy Systems of Ukraine.

The court has thus rejected the Ukrainian government's cassation appeal against the previous court ruling. The Supreme Economic Court's verdicts are final and cannot be appealed.

On September 19, the Kiev Economic Court partially ruled in favor of the Russian Defense Ministry in its lawsuit, obligating Ukraine to pay over 3.2 million hryvnas ($390 million) in United Energy Systems of Ukraine debt to the ministry.

The debt dates back to the 1990s when former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko headed the corporation.

Russia has maintained that the debt stems from the corporation's failure to execute its 1997 agreement to supply goods to the ministry.

The Kiev Economic Appeals Court upheld in early December the first-instance court ruling to recover the debt from Ukraine.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers said the government's guarantees were not duly executed and asked to dismiss the ruling on debt recovery in the appeals hearings.

In October 2011, Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison for abuse of power based on a 2009 gas contract signed with Russia.

She is serving her sentence in a Kharkiv women's prison. She has been receiving treatment at a local hospital as of May 2012, after being diagnosed with a spinal disc herniation. In late March, a second case bringing further charges against Tymoshenko was filed with Kharkiv's Kievsky District Court. The case deals with her activity at the corporation. She is accused of misappropriating funds.