Within minutes of being freed from her Kharkiv prison hospital, Yulia Tymoshenko said she was running for president. Within hours, she flew to Kiev and spoke at Independence Square. By Sunday, it was back to business as usual as she met US and EU ambassadors.

Though she appears much older and frailer than when she was last seen in public, Tymoshenko lives for politics and, after more than two years behind bars, is back being the centre of attention. The problem is that not everyone wants her there.

When she appeared on Independence Square on Saturday evening, she was received politely, but by no means rapturously. She has a band of dedicated followers, some of whom have been camping out in central Kiev in a small line of protest tents for two years – a precursor of the vast tent city that has sprung up over the past three months.

But for many protesters, she is a tainted figure. A group of around 200 people gathered outside parliament on Sunday to protest at the appointment of a Tymoshenko ally, Oleksandr Turchinov, as acting president. They carried signs saying, "Freedom for Yulia, but not politics", and "We were not fighting for Yulia".

"We need to check absolutely everyone who has been in power for corruption and crimes," said Serhiy Danilev, one of those protesting. "Tymoshenko had her chance, she is no better than the rest. We need new people in power."

Internationally, opinion is similarly split. There are a group of European politicians who view Tymoshenko almost as a modern-day saint, while there are others who privately admit they find her just as unpalatable as Yanukovych.

But whatever people think of her, there is no doubting she is a skilled political manipulator and is likely to play a major role in the coming months. Even when she was in prison, and largely peripheral to most of the people standing on Independence Square, her supporters made sure she was never forgotten. Members of her party hung huge portraits of their leader around the square, and despite being behind bars, she was also present at meetings with European diplomats.

"Her people always bring a bust of her head into negotiations, so that she can watch on," said one European who spent time in negotiations with the various political forces around the protest late last year. "Frankly, it's a bit creepy, like you're dealing with a cult."