Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia...

The inauguration ceremony is scheduled for February 25. However, it may be delayed over a legal appeal by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who lost the February 7 runoff by 3.48%.

Tymoshenko has refused to concede defeat, and appealed to Ukraine"s Supreme Administrative Court on Tuesday, claiming election fraud and demanding ballots be recounted in three Ukrainian regions.

The court on Wednesday suspended the Central Electoral Commission"s official announcement that Yanukovych had won the presidential elections.

Tymoshenko addressed the court on Friday, but despite the hearing continuing into the evening, the court has yet to rule on her appeal.

Patriarch Kirill was one of the first to congratulate Yanukovich on the victory, even before all the ballots had been counted. He urged the new Ukrainian leader to assume "responsibility to God, people and history."

MOSCOW, February 19 (RIA Novosti)