Ukraine ? Ousted Prime Minster Yulia Tymoshenko – the beloved blond-braided heroine of Ukraine’s mass protests – signaled Friday she will join the opposition, making her a formidable challenger to the president who fired her government.

In her first public comments since her dismissal Thursday, Tymoshenko said she and President Viktor Yushchenko, who protested side by side last year in the Orange Revolution that swept them to power, are no longer allies.

“Today we are two different teams,” she said in a live televised speech. “I think these two teams will go their own way.”

Ukrainians growing disillusioned with Yushchenko have been waiting to hear whether the popular Tymoshenko would challenge him in upcoming elections.