Tymoshchuk's former club Shakhtar Donetsk from his native Ukraine take on Germany's Werder Bremen in Istanbul on Wednesday, vying to become the third former Soviet club in five years to win Europe's second-tier club competition.
Despite CSKA Moscow's UEFA Cup triumph in 2005 and Zenit St Petersburg's last year, no club from Russia or Ukraine has progressed beyond the Champions League group stage since 2004 when Lokomotiv Moscow fell in the first knockout round.
"The achievements in Europe (UEFA Cup) are the result of the attitude and growing rivalry in the (domestic) championships," Tymoshchuk, a distinctive figure on the field with long blond hair held back by a headband, said in an e-mail interview.
"Such victories are important; the clubs need them for development. But they need new efforts to step up to the next level -- I mean the Champions League.
"If you want to be successful in the long term, it's necessary to develop the sporting process and organisation. The club must show ambition and commitment to be successful in the Champions League."
Zenit beat Champions League winners Manchester United to win last year's European Super Cup, while Shakhtar beat Champions League finalists Barcelona 3-2 in a group game in December albeit with the Spaniards fielding a second-string side.
Ukraine international Tymoshchuk, who spent a decade at Shakhtar before joining Zenit in 2007, said the achievement of his national team in reaching the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup had helped the game improve at club level. "Participating in the World Cup gave confidence and experience to players and it helped them develop their abilities," the 30-year-old defensive midfielder said. "It had a positive influence on the future of Ukrainian football.
"We felt the support of the whole country. All the players are doing their best to be successful in the current qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup."
