View source for Viktor Yushchenko

{{short description|President of Ukraine from 2005 to 2010}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Viktor Yushchenko
| native_name         = {{nobold|Віктор Ющенко}}
| caption             = Official portrait, 2008
| native_name_lang    = uk
| image               = Портрет 3-го президента України Віктора Ющенка.jpeg
| office              = 3rd [[President of Ukraine]]
| primeminister       = {{ubl|[[Yulia Tymoshenko]]|[[Yuriy Yekhanurov]]|[[Viktor Yanukovych]]|[[Yulia Tymoshenko]]}}
| term_start          = 23 January 2005
| term_end            = 25 February 2010
| predecessor         = [[Leonid Kuchma]]
| successor           = [[Viktor Yanukovych]]
| office1             = 7th [[Prime Minister of Ukraine]]
| president1          = [[Leonid Kuchma]]
| deputy1             = [[Yuriy Yekhanurov]]
| term_start1         = 22 December 1999
| term_end1           = 29 May 2001
| predecessor1        = [[Valeriy Pustovoitenko]]
| successor1          = [[Anatoliy Kinakh]]
| office2             = Governor of the [[National Bank of Ukraine]]
| term_start2         = January 1993
| term_end2           = 22 December 1999
| predecessor2        = [[Vadym Hetman]]
| successor2          = [[Volodymyr Stelmakh]]
| office3             = [[People's Deputy of Ukraine]]
| constituency3       = [[Our Ukraine Bloc]], No. 1
| term_start3         = 14 May 2002
| term_end3           = 23 January 2005
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1954|2|23|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Khoruzhivka]], [[Sumy Oblast]], Soviet Union
| party               = {{ubl|[[Our Ukraine (political party)|Our Ukraine]]<br />(2002–2003, 2005–present)}}
| otherparty          = [[Communist Party of Ukraine (Soviet Union)|Communist Party of Ukraine]] (1980–1991)<br />[[Independent politician|Independent]] (1991–2002, 2004–2005)
| spouse              = {{ubl|Svitlana Kolisnyk (divorced)|[[Kateryna Yushchenko]]}}
| children            = 5
| alma_mater          = {{ubl|[[Ternopil National Economic University]]|[[Ukrainian Academy of Banking of the National Bank of Ukraine|Academy of Banking]]}}
| signature           = Viktor Yushchenko's signature.svg
| website             = {{URL|http://www.razom.org.ua/}}
| allegiance          = [[Soviet Union]]
| branch              = [[Soviet Border Troops]]
| serviceyears        = 1975–1976
| rank                = [[Captain (armed forces)|Captain]]
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Viktor Yushchenko voice.ogg|title=Viktor Yushchenko's voice|type=speech|description=Yushchenko on [[European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement|association agreement]] negotiations between Ukraine and the European Union<br />Recorded 9 September 2008}}
}}
'''Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko'''<!--Following WP:UKR-->{{family name footnote|Andriyovych|Yushchenko|lang=Eastern Slavic}} ({{langx|uk|Віктор Андрійович Ющенко}}, {{IPA|uk|ˈwiktor ɐnˈd⁽ʲ⁾r⁽ʲ⁾ijowɪtʃ ˈjuʃtʃenko|IPA|Juschtschenko.ogg}}; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third [[president of Ukraine]] from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards [[Western world|the West]], [[European Union]], and [[NATO]].

Yushchenko's first career was in the banking industry. In 1993, he became governor of the [[National Bank of Ukraine]], presiding over their response to [[hyperinflation]] and the introduction of [[Ukrainian hryvnia|a national currency]]. From 1999 to 2001 he was [[Prime Minister of Ukraine|prime minister]] under President [[Leonid Kuchma]]. After his dismissal as prime minister, Yushchenko went into opposition to President Kuchma and founded [[Our Ukraine Bloc]], which at the [[2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election|2002 parliamentary election]] became Ukraine's most popular political force.

As an informal leader of the Ukrainian opposition coalition, he was one of the two main candidates in the [[2004 Ukrainian presidential election]], the other being Prime Minister [[Viktor Yanukovych]]. During the election campaign in late 2004, Yushchenko became the victim of an assassination attempt when he was poisoned with [[2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin|dioxin]]. He suffered disfigurement as a result of the poisoning, but survived. The [[runoff election]] in November 2004, won by Yanukovych, was marred by widespread accusations of [[Electoral fraud|election fraud]], leading to the [[Orange Revolution]] and an order by the [[Supreme Court of Ukraine|Ukrainian Supreme Court]] to repeat the vote. Yushchenko won the revote 52% to 44%.

Yushchenko's influence declined soon after assuming the presidency, especially after falling out with his prime minister and leading political ally [[Yulia Tymoshenko]], as did his and his party's popularity and electoral standing. The rest of his presidency was marked by infighting, legislative deadlock and coalition crises [[2007 Ukrainian political crisis|in 2007]] and [[2008 Ukrainian political crisis|in 2008]]. He lost re-election to Yanukovych in the [[2010 Ukrainian presidential election]], finishing in fifth place in the first round with 5.5% of the vote. Yushchenko again led [[Our Ukraine (political party)|Our Ukraine]] in the [[2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election|2012 parliamentary election]], but they failed to win representation.

==Early life==
Yushchenko was born on 23 February 1954, in [[Khoruzhivka]], [[Sumy Oblast]], [[Ukrainian SSR]], [[Soviet Union]], into a family of teachers. His father, Andriy Andriyovych Yushchenko (1919–1992) fought in the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Second World War]], was captured by German forces and imprisoned as a [[POW]] in a series of [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]] in the German Reich, including [[Auschwitz-Birkenau]]. His father survived the ordeal, and after returning home taught English at a local school.<ref name="BBCProfileYushchenko"/>

Viktor's mother, Varvara Tymofiyovna Yushchenko (1918–2005), taught physics and mathematics at the same school. The Sumy Oblast region where he was born is predominantly Ukrainian-speaking, and this differentiated him in later life from his political counterparts, for whom Russian was the mother tongue.<ref name="BBCProfileYushchenko">{{cite news| title=Profile: Viktor Yushchenko| author=BBC| publisher=BBC| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4035789.stm| date=13 January 2010| archive-date=12 April 2005| access-date=21 December 2004| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050412080707/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4035789.stm| url-status=live}}</ref>

Yushchenko graduated from the [[Ternopil National Economic University|Ternopil Finance and Economics Institute]] in 1975. He began work as an accountant, as a deputy to the chief accountant in a [[kolkhoz]]. From 1975 to 1976, he served as a [[conscript]] in the [[Transcaucasian Military District]] on the Soviet–[[Turkey|Turkish]] border.

==Central banker==
{{see also|1996 Ukrainian monetary reform}}
{{BLP unsourced section|section|date=January 2014}}
In 1976, Yushchenko began a career in banking.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/orange-revolutionary/|title=Orange Revolutionary|last=Cronin|first=David|date=5 March 2005|website=Politico Europe|access-date=17 December 2018|archive-date=18 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218010400/https://www.politico.eu/article/orange-revolutionary/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1983, he became the Deputy Director for Agricultural Credit at the Ukrainian Republican Office of the Soviet Union State Bank.<ref name=":0" /> From 1990 to 1993, he worked as vice-chairman and first vice-chairman of the JSC Agroindustrial Bank ''Ukraina''. In 1993, he was appointed Governor of the [[National Bank of Ukraine]] (Ukraine's [[central bank]]).<ref name=":0" /> In 1997, [[Verkhovna Rada]], the parliament of Ukraine, re-appointed him.

As a central banker, Yushchenko played an important part in the creation of [[Ukraine]]'s national [[currency]], the [[hryvnia]], and the establishment of a modern regulatory system for commercial banking. He also successfully overcame a debilitating wave of [[hyper-inflation]] that hit the country—he brought inflation down from more than 10,000 percent to less than 10 percent—and managed to defend the value of the currency following the [[1998 Russian financial crisis]].

In 1998, he wrote a thesis entitled "The Development of Supply and Demand of Money in Ukraine" and defended it in the [[Ukrainian Academy of Banking of the National Bank of Ukraine|Ukrainian Academy of Banking]]. He thereby earned a doctorate in economics.

==Prime minister==
[[File:Viktor_Yushchenko_in_Polish_parliament..jpg|thumb|Yushchenko as prime minister visiting Poland in 2000]]
In December 1999, [[President of Ukraine|Ukrainian President]] [[Leonid Kuchma]] unexpectedly nominated Yushchenko to be the [[Prime Minister of Ukraine|prime minister]] after the parliament failed by one vote to ratify the previous candidate, [[Valeriy Pustovoitenko|Valeriy Pustovoytenko]].

Ukraine's economy improved during Yushchenko's cabinet service. However, his government, particularly Deputy Prime Minister [[Yulia Tymoshenko]], soon became embroiled in a confrontation with influential leaders of the [[coal mining]] and [[natural gas]] industries. The conflict resulted in a [[no-confidence vote]] by the parliament on 26 April 2001,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/apr/27/iantraynor|title = Ukraine's popular PM forced out|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = 27 April 2001}}</ref> orchestrated by the [[Communist Party of Ukraine]], who opposed Yushchenko's economic policies, and by centrist groups associated with the country's powerful "[[Business oligarch|oligarchs]]." The vote passed 263 to 187 and resulted in Yushchenko's removal from office.

=="Our Ukraine" leader==
[[File:Moroz Yushchenko.jpg|thumb|Yushchenko with fellow opposition leader [[Oleksandr Moroz]] during the [[Orange Revolution]], 2004]]
[[File:Yushchenko approval rating.PNG|thumb|Yushchenko's approval rating stood at 7% as of October 2009 according to [[FOM-Ukraine]] polling results.<ref name="Ref_d">[http://bd.fom.ru/report/map/ukrain/ukrain_eo/du091015 Yushchenko approval rating] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727124804/http://bd.fom.ru/report/map/ukrain/ukrain_eo/du091015 |date=27 July 2011 }} [[FOM-Ukraine]] Retrieved on 18 October 2009</ref>]]

In 2002, Yushchenko became the leader of the ''[[Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc|Our Ukraine]]'' (''Nasha Ukrayina'') political [[coalition]], which received a plurality of [[Constituency|seats]] in the year's [[Elections in Ukraine|parliamentary election]]. However, the number of seats won was not a majority, and efforts to form a majority coalition with other [[parliamentary opposition|opposition]] parties failed. Since then, Yushchenko has remained the leader and public face of the Our Ukraine parliamentary [[Political factions|faction]]. {{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

In 2001, both Yushchenko and Tymoshenko broached at creating a broad opposition bloc against the incumbent President Kuchma in order to win the [[2004 Ukrainian presidential election|Ukrainian presidential election 2004]].<ref name=CarnIP/>

In late 2002 Yushchenko, [[Oleksandr Moroz]] ([[Socialist Party of Ukraine]]), [[Petro Symonenko]] (Communist Party of Ukraine) and Tymoshenko ([[Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc]]) issued a joint statement concerning "the beginning of a state revolution in Ukraine". Though the communists stepped out of the alliance and though Symonenko opposed having one single candidate from the alliance in the 2004 presidential election, the other three parties remained allies<ref name="Ref_e">[https://books.google.com/books?id=Wp7VKL4p7kQC&dq=Tymoshenko+Moroz+Presidential+candidate+2004&pg=PA117 Understanding Ukrainian Politics: Power, Politics, and Institutional Design] by [[Paul D'Anieri]], [[M.E. Sharpe]], 2006, {{ISBN|0-7656-1811-7}}; {{ISBN|978-0-7656-1811-5}}, page 117</ref> until July 2006.<ref name="Ref_f">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5169068.stm Ukraine coalition born in chaos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021131423/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5169068.stm |date=21 October 2017 }}, [[BBC News]] (11 July 2006)</ref>

On 2 July 2004, Our Ukraine and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc established the ''Force of the people'', a coalition which aimed to stop "the destructive process that has, as a result of the [[incumbent]] authorities, become a characteristic for Ukraine", at the time Kuchma and Yanukovych were the incumbent authorities in Ukraine. The pact included a promise by Yushchenko to nominate Tymoshenko as prime minister if he won the October 2004 presidential election.<ref name=CarnIP>[https://books.google.com/books?id=X0PAQrsx-6YC&q=Force+of+the+people&pg=PA34 ''Revolution in Orange: The Origins of Ukraine's Democratic Breakthrough''] by [[Anders Aslund]] and [[Michael A. McFaul]], [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]], 2006, {{ISBN|0-87003-221-6}}; {{ISBN|978-0-87003-221-9}}</ref>

Yushchenko was widely regarded as the moderate political leader of the anti-Kuchma opposition, since other opposition parties were less influential and had fewer seats in parliament. Since becoming President of Ukraine in 2005, he has been an honorary leader of the ''Our Ukraine'' party.

From 2001 to 2004, his rankings in popularity polls were higher than those of Kuchma. In later public opinion polls, though, his support plummeted from a high of 52% following his election in 2004 to below 4%.<ref name="Ref_g">[http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/215119.html Socis Poll: "25% Of Ukrainians Prepared To Support Yanukovych For President, 20.5% To Vote For Tymoshenko"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819012221/http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/215119.html |date=19 August 2009 }}, ''Ukrainian News'' (17 August 2009)</ref><ref name="Ref_2009">{{citation|title=Surviving the Crisis in Ukraine (Forum Video)|url=http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/07/ukraine_event.html|work=[[Center for American Progress]]|date=30 July 2009|access-date=20 August 2009|archive-date=11 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811030213/http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/07/ukraine_event.html/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Ref_2009a">{{cite web|url=http://www.kyivpost.com/blogs/bloggers/tarasgkuzio/5121 |title=With or without Baloha, Yushchenko is unelectable |access-date=28 May 2009 |date=28 May 2009 |work=[[Taras Kuzio]] |publisher=[[Kyiv Post]] }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

However, in the parliamentary elections of March 2006, the Our Ukraine party, led by Prime Minister [[Yuriy Yekhanurov]], received less than 14% of the national vote, taking third place behind the [[Party of Regions]] and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. In a poll by the Sofia Social Research Centre between 27 July and 7 August 2007 more than 52% of those polled said they distrusted Yushchenko while 48% said they trusted him.<ref name="Forua_110055">{{cite news|url=http://en.for-ua.com/news/2007/08/15/110055.html|title=Half of Ukrainians ready to deprive Yushchenko of presidency|publisher=ForUm News agency|date=15 August 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120717/http://en.for-ua.com/news/2007/08/15/110055.html|archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref>

==Presidential election of 2004==
{{Main|2004 Ukrainian presidential election}}
[[File:Ukraine elections demonstration brussels 20041128.jpg|thumb|Pro-[[Orange Revolution]] demonstration in [[Brussels]], Belgium]]
In 2004, as Kuchma's term came to an end, Yushchenko announced his candidacy for president as an [[independent (politician)|independent]]. His major rival was Prime Minister [[Viktor Yanukovych]]. Since his term as prime minister, Yushchenko had slightly modernized his political platform, adding social partnership and other [[Liberalism|liberal]] slogans to older ideas of [[European integration]], including Ukraine's joining [[NATO]] and fighting [[political corruption|corruption]]. Supporters of Yushchenko were organized in the "Syla Narodu" ("Power to the People") electoral coalition, which he and his political allies led, with the Our Ukraine coalition as the main constituent force.

Yushchenko built his [[political campaign|campaign]] on face-to-face communication with voters, since the government prevented most major TV channels from providing equal coverage to candidates.<ref name="hrw_open_letter">{{cite web|url=http://hrw.org/press/2002/12/ukraine1203ltr.htm|title=Open Letter to the Speaker of the Verhkovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Lytvyn and Deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine|first=Elizabeth|last=Andersen|publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]]|date=3 December 2002|access-date=7 April 2007|archive-date=4 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061204230658/http://hrw.org/press/2002/12/ukraine1203ltr.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="temniki">{{cite news|url=http://www.pravda.com.ua/archive/2004/july/6/3.shtml|title=Temniki. No comments|date=6 July 2004|publisher=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]]|language=uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930201117/http://www.pravda.com.ua/archive/2004/july/6/3.shtml|archive-date=30 September 2007}} Requests from Administration of President Kuchma to media.</ref> Meanwhile, his rival, Yanukovych, frequently appeared in the news and even accused Yushchenko, whose father was a Red Army soldier imprisoned at [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]], of being "a [[Nazi]],"<ref name="nazi_billboard">{{cite news|url=http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/2003/460306.shtml|title=Hard lessons for Our Ukraine in Donetsk|first=Jan|last=Maksymiuk|publisher=The Ukrainian Weekly|date=16 November 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930033248/http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/2003/460306.shtml|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref><ref name="auschwitz">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4215101.stm|title=Yushchenko's Auschwitz connection|first=Malcolm|last=Haslett|work=BBC News|date=28 January 2005|archive-date=26 November 2005|access-date=7 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051126102918/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4215101.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> even though Yushchenko actively reached out to the [[Jews in Ukraine|Jewish community in Ukraine]] and his mother is said to have risked her life by hiding three Jewish girls for one and a half years during the Second World War.<ref name="Ref_h">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/opinion/op_ed/detail/44324/ The Jewish card in Russian operations against Ukraine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106174847/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/opinion/op_ed/detail/44324/ |date=6 January 2011 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (30 June 2009)</ref>

==TCDD poisoning==
{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 200
| image1            = Flickr - europeanpeoplesparty - EPP Congress Brussels 4-5 February 2004 (8) (small).jpg
| image2            = Viktor Yuschenko.jpg
| footer            = Top to bottom: Viktor Yushchenko before the poisoning (''2004''), and after (''2006''), with [[Chloracne|chloracne]] from his [[2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin|TCDD poisoning]].
| width2            = 100
| direction         = vertical
}}
Yushchenko became seriously ill in early September 2004. He was flown to [[Vienna]]'s Rudolfinerhaus clinic for treatment and diagnosed with [[acute pancreatitis]], accompanied by interstitial edematous abnormalities, due to a serious viral infection and chemical substances that are not normally found in food products. Yushchenko claimed that he had been poisoned by government agents. After the illness, his face has shown signs of [[chloracne]].

British [[toxicologist]] [[John Henry (toxicologist)|Professor John Henry]] of [[St Mary's Hospital (London)|St Mary's Hospital]] in London declared the abnormalities in Yushchenko's face were due to chloracne, which results from [[Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds|dioxin]] poisoning.<ref name="BBC: Yushchenko and the poison theory">{{cite news | title = Yushchenko and the poison theory | work = BBC News | date = 11 December 2004 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4041321.stm | archive-date = 20 October 2018 | access-date = 9 October 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181020073605/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4041321.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> Dutch toxicologist Bram Brouwer also stated his abnormalities in appearance were the result of chloracne, and found dioxin levels in Yushchenko's blood 6,000 times above normal.<ref name="CBS: Yushchenko: Live And Carry On">{{cite news | title = Yushchenko: 'Live And Carry On' | publisher = CBS News | date = 30 January 2005 | url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/yushchenko-live-and-carry-on/ | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121025143917/https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/28/60minutes/main670103.shtml |archive-date = 2012-10-25 }}</ref>

On 11 December, Michael Zimpfer of the Rudolfinerhaus clinic declared that Yushchenko had ingested [[2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin|TCDD dioxin]] and had 1,000 times the usual concentration in his body.<ref name="CNN: Doctors: Yushchenko was poisoned">{{cite news|first=Jill |last=Dougherty |title=Doctors: Yushchenko was poisoned |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/12/11/yushchenko.austria/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=11 December 2004 |access-date=2 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218082557/http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/12/11/yushchenko.austria/index.html |archive-date=18 February 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Many have linked Yushchenko's poisoning to a dinner with a group of senior Ukrainian officials (including [[Volodymyr Satsyuk]]) that took place on 5 September.<ref name="BBC: Yushchenko and the poison theory" /><ref name="CBS: Yushchenko: Live And Carry On" /><ref name="CNN: Doctors: Yushchenko was poisoned" />

Since 2005, Yushchenko has been treated by a team of doctors led by Professor Jean Saurat at the [[University of Geneva]] Hospital.<ref name="Ref_2005">{{cite news | title = Doctor: Yushchenko in 'very good' health | work = USA Today | date = 18 July 2005 | url = https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-07-18-yushchenko_x.htm | archive-date = 18 October 2011 | access-date = 17 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111018081244/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-07-18-yushchenko_x.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> Analysis of Yushchenko's body fluids and tissues provided useful information on the human toxicokinetics of TCDD and its metabolites.<ref name="Sorg2009" />

Yushchenko himself implicated [[Davyd Zhvania]], the godfather of one of his children, of involvement in his dioxin poisoning.<ref name="Bill2009">{{cite web |title= Ukraine president blames former ally for poisoning |url= http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2008/07/ukraine_president_blames_forme.html |author= Bill Meyer |date= 24 July 2009 |access-date= 11 February 2010 |archive-date= 10 September 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120910203432/http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2008/07/ukraine_president_blames_forme.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

In August 2009, ''[[The Lancet]]'' published a scientific paper by Swiss and Ukrainian researchers on the monitoring, form, distribution, and elimination of [[2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin]] (TCDD) in Yushchenko in relation to his severe poisoning. The 2004 TCDD levels in Yushchenko's blood serum were 50,000 times greater than those in the general population.<ref name="Sorg2009">{{cite journal |author1=O Sorg |author2=M Zennegg |author3=P Schmid |author4=R Fedosyuk |author5=R Valikhnovskyi |author6=O Gaide |author7=V Kniazevych |author8=J-H Saurat |title=2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) poisoning in Victor Yushchenko: identification and measurement of TCDD metabolites |journal=The Lancet |volume=374 |year=2009 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60912-0 |pages=1179–85 |pmid=19660807 |issue=9696|s2cid=24761553 }}</ref> This new study also concluded that the dioxin "was so pure that it was definitely made in a laboratory".<ref name="Ref_j">[https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hW1QRD4tlRX2-UW9yc_oDcwrzMgwD99SBRO80 Associated Press: Study: Dioxin that poisoned Yushchenko made in lab]{{dead link|date=June 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

On 27 September 2009, Yushchenko said in an interview aired on [[Channel 1+1]] that the testimony of three men who were at a dinner in 2004 at which he believes he was poisoned is crucial to finishing the investigation, and he claimed these men were in Russia. Ukrainian prosecutors said Russia has refused to extradite one of the men, the former deputy chief of [[Security Service of Ukraine|Ukraine's security service]], Volodymyr Satsyuk, because he holds both [[Russian citizenship|Russian]] and [[Ukrainian citizenship]].<ref name="Ref_2009c">{{cite web |url= http://www.kyivpost.com/nation/49610 |title= Yushchenko to Russia: Hand over witnesses |publisher= [[Kyiv Post]] |date= 28 October 2009 |access-date= 11 February 2010 |archive-date= 26 February 2022 |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220226/http://www.kyivpost.com/nation/49610 |url-status= live }}</ref> Satsyuk returned to Ukraine in 2012 and tried to relaunch his political career, but did not succeed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Сацюк ездил в Россию с 6 паспортами, оппозиция угрожает скандалом |url=http://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2012/08/21/6971228/ |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=Украинская правда |language=ru}}</ref>

==Presidency==

===Inauguration===
At 12 pm ([[Eastern European Summer Time|Kyiv time]]) on 23 January 2005 the [[inauguration]] of Yushchenko as the President of Ukraine took place.<ref>Ukraine: A History [https://books.google.com/books?id=ktyM07I9HXwC&dq=23+january+Orange+Revolution+to+its+peaceful+conclusion.&pg=PT602 4th Edition] by [[Orest Subtelny]], [[University of Toronto Press]], 2009, {{ISBN|1442609915}}</ref> The event was attended by numerous foreign dignitaries.<ref name="SMCPBBCVY">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4200587.stm Yushchenko woos sceptical Russia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130916222222/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4200587.stm |date=16 September 2013 }}, [[BBC News]] (24 January 2005)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.turkmenistan.ru/en/node/3769|title=TURKMEN DELEGATION IN KIEV TO ATTEND UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT INAUGURATION {{!}} Turkmenistan.ru|website=www.turkmenistan.ru|language=en|access-date=24 September 2017|archive-date=25 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925040159/http://www.turkmenistan.ru/en/node/3769|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Presidency===
[[File:BushYushchenkoWH1.jpg|thumb|Yushchenko meeting U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] at an April 2005 press conference.]]

The first hundred days of Yushchenko's term, 23 January 2005 through 1 May 2005, were marked by numerous dismissals and appointments at all levels of the executive branch. He appointed Tymoshenko as prime minister and the appointment was ratified by parliament. [[Oleksandr Zinchenko (politician)|Oleksandr Zinchenko]] was appointed the head of the [[Secretariat of the President of Ukraine|presidential secretariat]] with a nominal title of Secretary of State. [[Petro Poroshenko]], a fierce competitor of Tymoshenko for the post of prime minister, was appointed Secretary of the [[National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine|Security and Defense Council]].

In May 2005, Ukraine hosted the [[Eurovision Song Contest]] in the capital of [[Kyiv]]. Some accused Yushchenko of attempting to gain political capital from the event, with his appearance on stage at the end criticised as 'undignified' by certain commentators.<ref>{{cite web |author=Nicholas |url=http://news.kievukraine.info/2005/05/kiev-counts-cost-of-eurovision-hosting.html |title=Kiev Ukraine News Blog: Kiev Counts Cost of Eurovision Hosting |publisher=News.kievukraine.info |date=27 May 2005 |access-date=16 March 2014 |archive-date=8 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308014903/http://news.kievukraine.info/2005/05/kiev-counts-cost-of-eurovision-hosting.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> During 2005, Yushchenko was in confident mood, making such pledges as solving the [[Georgiy Gongadze|Gongadze]] case to the removal of Russia's [[Black Sea Fleet]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Nicholas |url=http://news.kievukraine.info/2005/12/ukraine-raises-russias-black-sea-fleet.html |title=Kiev Ukraine News Blog: Ukraine Raises Russia's Black Sea Fleet Issue in Gas Row |publisher=News.kievukraine.info |date=20 December 2005 |access-date=16 March 2014 |archive-date=16 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316231546/http://news.kievukraine.info/2005/12/ukraine-raises-russias-black-sea-fleet.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In August 2005, Yushchenko joined with [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] President [[Mikheil Saakashvili]] in signing the [[Borjomi Declaration]], which called for the creation of an institution of international cooperation, the [[Community of Democratic Choice]], to bring together the democracies and incipient democracies in the region around the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas. The first meeting of presidents and leaders to discuss the CDC took place on 1–2 December 2005 in Kyiv.

According to former Security Service of Ukraine Chairman [[Oleksandr Turchynov]], in the summer of 2005 Yushchenko prevented an investigation into allegedly fraudulent practices in the transport of [[Turkmenistan|Turkmen]] natural gas to Ukraine and the arrest of [[Yuri Boyko]] for [[abuse of office]] while heading [[Naftogaz]].<ref name=GosLobby>[http://www.taraskuzio.net/media24_files/8.pdf Gas Lobby Takes Control of Ukraine's Secret Service] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314025909/http://www.taraskuzio.net/media24_files/8.pdf |date=14 March 2017 }} by [[Taras Kuzio]] (18 March 2010)</ref><ref name=arrest>[http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1061677.html Ukraine: Battle Against Corruption Grinds To A Halt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617190251/http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1061677.html |date=17 June 2015 }}, [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] (26 September 2005)</ref>

===Dismissal of other Orange Revolution members===
On 8 September 2005, Yushchenko fired [[First Tymoshenko Government|his government]], led by Tymoshenko, after resignations and claims of corruption. On 9 September, acting Prime Minister Yekhanurov tried to form a new government.<ref name="Ref_k">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4228650.stm Ukraine leader to build new team] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107052121/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4228650.stm |date=7 January 2009 }} 9 September 2005</ref> His first attempt, on 20 September, fell short by 3 votes of the necessary 226, but on 22 September the parliament ratified his government with 289 votes.

Also in September 2005, former president [[Leonid Kravchuk]] accused exiled Russian tycoon [[Boris Berezovsky (businessman)|Boris Berezovsky]] of financing Yushchenko's presidential election campaign, and provided copies of documents showing money transfers from companies he said were controlled by Berezovsky to companies controlled by Yushchenko's official backers. Berezovsky confirmed that he met Yushchenko's representatives in London before the election, and that the money was transferred from his companies, but he refused to confirm or deny that the money was used in Yushchenko's campaign. Financing of election campaigns by foreign citizens is illegal in Ukraine.

In August 2006, Yushchenko appointed his onetime opponent in the presidential race, Yanukovych, to be the new prime minister. This was generally regarded as indicating a rapprochement with Russia.<ref name="Ref_l">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5242860.stm Ukraine comeback kid in new deal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819011159/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5242860.stm |date=19 August 2018 }} 4 August 2006</ref>

===First dissolution of Parliament===
{{Main|2007 Ukrainian political crisis|2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election}} 
[[File:Flickr - europeanpeoplesparty - EPP Summit 21 June 2007 (24).jpg|thumb|Yushchenko meeting German Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] in [[European People's Party|EPP]] Summit in Meise, 21 June 2007]]
On 2 April 2007, Yushchenko signed an order to dissolve the parliament and call early elections.<ref name="Ref_2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/02/europe/web0204-kiev.php|title=Ukraine president dissolves Parliament and calls for elections|work=[[International Herald Tribune]]|date=2 April 2007|access-date=2 April 2007|archive-date=12 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012163018/http://iht.com/articles/2007/04/02/europe/web0204-kiev.php|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Ref_2007a">{{cite web|url=http://zakon1.rada.gov.ua/cgi-bin/laws/main.cgi?nreg=264%2F2007|title=On stopping ahead of schedule powers of Verhovna Rada of Ukraine|work=Order of President of Ukraine|date=2 April 2007|language=uk}}</ref> Some consider the dissolution order illegal because none of the conditions spelled out under [[s:Constitution of Ukraine#Article 90|Article 90]] of the [[Constitution of Ukraine]] for the president to dissolve the legislature had been met. Yushchenko's detractors argued that he was attempting to usurp the functions of the [[Constitutional Court of Ukraine|Constitutional Court]] by claiming constitutional violations by the parliament as a pretext for his action. The parliament appealed the Constitutional Court itself and promised to abide by its ruling.<ref name="Ukranews"/>

In the meantime, the parliament continued to meet and banned the financing of any [[2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election|new election]] pending the Constitutional Court's decision. Competing protests took place and the crisis escalated. In May 2007, Yushchenko illegally dismissed three members of Ukraine's Constitutional Court, thus preventing the court from ruling on the constitutionality of his decree dismissing Ukraine's parliament.<ref name="Ukranews">{{cite web|url=http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/112528.html|title=Supreme Court Restores Stanik As Constitutional Court Judge|publisher=Ukrainian News agency|date=27 March 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509123552/http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/112528.html|archive-date=9 May 2008}}</ref>

===Second dissolution of Parliament (2007) and conflict with Tymoshenko (2008–2009)===
{{Main|2008 Ukrainian political crisis|2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election}}
[[File:Flickr - europeanpeoplesparty - EPP Summit 19 March 2009 (86).jpg|thumb|Yushchenko in March 2009]]
Yushchenko again tried to dissolve the parliament on 9 October 2008 by announcing parliamentary elections to be held on 7 December. Yushchenko's decree was suspended and subsequently lapsed. Yushchenko in defense of his actions said, "I am deeply convinced that the democratic coalition was ruined by one thing alone—human ambition. The ambition of one person." Political groups including members of his own Our Ukraine party contested the election decree and politicians vowed to challenge it in the courts.<ref name="Ref_m">{{cite news|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-35872120081009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009204322/http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-35872120081009 |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 October 2008 |title=reuters.com, Ukraine president sets parliament election for Dec 7 |date=9 October 2008 |agency=In.reuters.com |access-date=16 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="Ref_n">{{Cite web |url=http://article.wn.com/view-travelagents/2008/10/09/Ukraines_president_sets_date_for_new_election_b/ |title=Ukraine's president sets date for new election |access-date=5 August 2015 |archive-date=11 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211163718/http://article.wn.com/view-travelagents/2008/10/09/Ukraines_president_sets_date_for_new_election_b/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Flickr - europeanpeoplesparty - EPP Summit Lisbone 18 October 2007 (27).jpg|thumb|right|Yushchenko and [[Yulia Tymoshenko]] representing their parties ("Our Ukraine" and "Fatherland") at the Summit of [[European People's Party]], Lisbon, Portugal, 18 October 2007]]
In December 2008, following a back room revolt from members of Our Ukraine-Peoples' Self Defense Party a revised coalition was formed between members of Our Ukraine (OU-PSD), the [[Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko]] (BYuT), and the [[Lytvyn Bloc]] (LB), increasing the size of the governing coalition by an additional 20 members. Yushchenko in responding to journalists questions claimed "The fact is that the so-called coalition was formed on basis of political corruption, this coalition will be able to work only if the Communist Party will join it. Speaking about such a type of coalition, it is even more shameful." Yushchenko also stated that Tymoshenko's desire to keep her job as Prime Minister was the main motive for creating the coalition and that he wanted to expel the OU-PSD lawmakers who supported the creation of the coalition from the list of members of parliament.<ref name="Ref_o">[http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-290621.html Yushchenko wants to expel lawmakers who supported coalition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222085657/http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-290621.html |date=22 February 2012 }}, [[UNIAN]] (17 December 2008)</ref><ref name="Ref_p">[http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/169570.html Yuschenko Advocates Expulsion Of Our Ukraine People's Union MPs That Support Coalition] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721030947/http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/169570.html |date=21 July 2009 }}, Ukrainian News Agency (17 December 2008)</ref>

Yushchenko claimed (19 March 2009) that his conflicts with Tymoshenko are not due to personal differences, but to the incompleteness of the constitutional reforms of 2004.<ref name="Ref_q">[http://www.interfax.com.ua/eng/main/10232/ Yuschenko describes his relations with Tymoshenko an internal affair] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129111617/http://www.interfax.com.ua/eng/main/10232/ |date=29 January 2012 }}, [[Interfax|Interfax-Ukraine]] (29 March 2009)</ref>

On 23 July 2009, under the terms of Ukraine's Constitution the president cannot dismiss the parliament within six months from the expiration of his five-year term of authority, which ended on 23 January 2010.

==2010 presidential election and later career==

===2010 presidential election===
{{Main|2010 Ukrainian presidential election}}
[[File:Ukraine Presidential Jan 2010 Vote (Yushchenko).png|thumb|Viktor Yushchenko (first round) – percentage of total national vote (5.5%)]]

On 10 November 2009, Yushchenko was nominated for a second term as [[2010 Ukrainian presidential election|president]], with the election to be held on 17 January 2010.<ref name="Ref_r">{{cite web|url=http://en.for-ua.com/news/2009/10/27/130321.html|title=Yushchenko registered as a nominee for presidential election|access-date=27 October 2009|publisher=ForUm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091103171534/http://en.for-ua.com/news/2009/10/27/130321.html|archive-date=3 November 2009}}</ref> In late November 2009, he stated he was going to leave politics after his possible second term.<ref name="Ref_s">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/53808/ Panorama: Yushchenko will leave politics after second term] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124131446/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/53808/ |date=24 January 2011 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (28 November 2009)</ref> During the campaign, Yushchenko claimed that his fellow candidates "Tymoshenko and Yanukovych are not ideologists who care about the fate of Ukraine and its interests. They are two political adventurers" and that Ukraine's independence and sovereignty were at the time more jeopardized than five to ten years earlier.<ref name="Ref_t">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/53327/ Yushchenko: Ukraine's independence, sovereignty currently jeopardized] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123070533/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/53327/ |date=23 November 2009 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (21 November 2009)</ref>

The first round of the elections took place on 17 January 2010, and Yushchenko dropped to a distant fifth place with only 5.45% of the vote.<ref name="Ref_v">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/57325/ TABLE-Ukraine's presidential election results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121145235/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/57325 |date=21 January 2010 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (18 January 2010)</ref><ref name="Ref_u">{{in lang|uk}} [http://www.cvk.gov.ua/vp2010/wp320pt00_t001f01=700pt001f01=700pplace=1.html Central Election Commission Candidate Results] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121012542/http://www.cvk.gov.ua/vp2010/wp320pt00_t001f01%3D700pt001f01%3D700pplace%3D1.html |date=21 January 2010 }}, [[CEC Ukraine]] (19 January 2010)</ref> His result became the worst result for any sitting president.<ref name="Ref_w">[http://www.trud.ru/article/19-01-2010/235109_komu_dostanetsja_trezubets.html Кому достанется трезубец] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222061021/http://www.trud.ru/article/19-01-2010/235109_komu_dostanetsja_trezubets.html |date=22 February 2010 }} // Trud, 19 January 2010</ref>

Yushchenko stated that he wanted to continue to defend democracy in Ukraine<ref name="Ref_y">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/57572/ Update: Yushchenko does not plan to quit politics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128135745/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/57572/ |date=28 January 2011 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (20 January 2010)</ref> and that he wanted to return to the presidency.<ref name="Ref_z">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/57789/ Yushchenko says he's quitting presidential post in order to return] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124073930/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/57789/ |date=24 January 2010 }}, ''[[Kyiv Post]]'', 22 January 2010</ref>

On 22 January 2010, as outgoing President, Yushchenko officially rehabilitated one of Ukraine's most controversial figures from the era of World War II, the ultranationalist leader [[Stepan Bandera]], awarding him the title of [[Hero of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.president.gov.ua/ru/documents/10353.html |script-title=uk:УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАИНЫ № 46/2010: О присвоении С.Бандере звания Герой Украины |trans-title=DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE No. 46/2010: On conferring the title of Hero of Ukraine to S. Bander |language=uk |access-date=23 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125175510/http://www.president.gov.ua/ru/documents/10353.html |archive-date=25 January 2010 |url-status=dead |work=President of Ukraine |date=22 January 2010}}</ref><ref>[[Mark Ames]]: [https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/hero-orange-revolution-poisons-ukraine The Hero of the Orange Revolution Poisons Ukraine – No politician has ever suffered a more humiliating rejection than the former leader of Ukraine's Orange Revolution and its current sitting president, Viktor Yushchenko] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227025916/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/hero-orange-revolution-poisons-ukraine/ |date=27 February 2022 }}, [[The Nation]], 1 March 2010</ref> Yushchenko's decision immediately caused an uproar and was condemned by the [[European Parliament]] and Russian, Polish, and Jewish organizations<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/01/26/3851355.html |title=Russia condemns Yushchenko for declaring Bandera a Hero of Ukraine |date=26 January 2010 |access-date=3 May 2012 |publisher=Voice of Russia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114102737/http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/01/26/3851355.html |archive-date=14 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Wiesenthal Center">[http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=5711859&ct=7922775 Wiesenthal Center Blasts Ukrainian Honor For Nazi Collaborator] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229164007/http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=5711859&ct=7922775 |date=29 February 2012}}, [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]] (28 January 2010)</ref><ref name="Student Union of French Jews">[http://fr.rian.ru/world/20100201/185969329.html Ukraine: l'UEJF condamne la glorification d'un complice des nazis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206205125/http://fr.rian.ru/world/20100201/185969329.html |date=6 February 2010 }} Student Union of French Jews, (1 February 2010)</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Eleonora |last=Narvselius |title=The 'Bandera Debate': The Contentious Legacy of World War II and Liberalization of Collective Memory in Western Ukraine |journal=Canadian Slavonic Papers |volume=54 |issue=3–4 |year=2012 |pages=469–490 |doi= 10.1080/00085006.2012.11092718|s2cid=154360507 |issn=0008-5006}}</ref> and was declared illegal by the following Ukrainian government and a court decision in April 2010. In January 2011, the award was officially annulled.<ref name="president.gov.ua">[http://www.president.gov.ua/news/19103.html Рішенням суду президентський указ «Про присвоєння С.Бандері звання Герой України» скасовано] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115074749/http://www.president.gov.ua/news/19103.html |date=15 January 2011}}, President.gov.ua. Retrieved 16 January 2011.</ref>

In the second round of Ukraine's presidential election, Yushchenko did not support either of the candidates, Yanukovych or Tymoshenko.<ref name="Ref_aa">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/57833/ Yushchenko not to support either candidate in runoff] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127014644/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/57833/ |date=27 January 2010 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (23 January 2010)</ref>

Yushchenko attributed his low popularity ratings to his adherence to his principles.<ref name="Ref_ab">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/53857/ Yushchenko attributes his low popularity ratings to adherence to his principles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091202121233/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/53857/ |date=2 December 2009 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (28 November 2009)</ref> "Ukraine is a European democratic country", Yushchenko said at the polling station. "It is a free nation and free people."<ref name="Ref_ac">[http://www.europarussia.com/posts/755 Ukraine. Farewell to the Orange Revolution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207134255/http://www.europarussia.com/posts/755 |date=7 February 2010 }}, [[EuropaRussia]] (19 January 2010)</ref> In the following days, he said that "Ukraine doesn't have a decent choice" for his replacement. "Both candidates are alienated from national, European, and democratic values. I don't see a principal difference between them." However, his low approval ratings may also be attributable to his tacit support for his former adversary Yanukovych<ref name="Ref_ad">{{cite web |url=http://txt.rus.newsru.ua/ukraine/20jan2010/jusch_nacideja.html |title=Мнбнярх Сйпюхмш Newsru.Ua :: Мюжхнмюкэмюъ Хдеъ Ме Онрепоекю Онпюфемхе Б Оепбнл Рспе Бшанпнб Опегхдемрю, Явхрюер Чыемйн |publisher=Txt.rus.newsru.ua |access-date=16 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317003304/http://txt.rus.newsru.ua/ukraine/20jan2010/jusch_nacideja.html |archive-date=17 March 2014 }}</ref> between rounds one and two. Yushchenko removed the Kharkiv and Dniproptrovsk governors, who had expressed support for Tymoshenko and had refused to provide administrative resources for Yanukovych's campaign.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}{{Original research inline|date=February 2010}}

Yushchenko did not attend the inauguration ceremony of Yanukovych.<ref name="Ref_ae">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/60438/ Half-empty chamber greets Ukraine's new president] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612031635/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/60438/ |date=12 June 2012 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (25 February 2010)</ref>

On 10 March 2010, Yushchenko indicated his future plans would largely depend on Yanukovych's performance.<ref name=future>[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/61562/ Yushchenko jumps back into political fray, visiting relatively friendly territory in Lviv] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315012731/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/61562/ |date=15 March 2010 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (11 March 2010)</ref> A day earlier, Yushchenko's former ally turned rival, Tymoshenko, took up the mantle as leader of the democratic opposition. But Yushchenko warned that her leadership would end in disaster, noting, "[e]very political force that united with Tymoshenko ended badly."<ref name=future/> On 31 May 2010 Yushchenko stated that Tymoshenko was his "worst mistake": "The most serious mistake was to give power to her twice".<ref name="Ref_af">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/68117/ Yushchenko told about his 'worst mistake'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604055659/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/68117 |date=4 June 2010 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (31 May 2010)</ref>

===Later career including 2012 parliamentary elections===
[[File:Viktor Yushchenko by Tasnimnews 01 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Yushchenko in August 2016]]

Yushchenko testified against his former ally Tymoshenko during [[Yulia Tymoshenko#2011 trial and imprisonment and other criminal cases against Tymoshenko|her trial]] over [[2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute#Crisis resolved|a 2009 natural gas treaty she brokered with Russia]]; a trial he called "a normal judicial process".<ref name=GogoYush>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,792458-2,00.html Ukraine Retreats to a Dark Past] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020190609/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,792458-2,00.html |date=20 October 2011 }}, [[Der Spiegel]] (18 October 2011)</ref><ref name=BBCOct2011/> Yushchenko's view differed from that of the [[European Union]]'s (EU) foreign policy chief [[Catherine Ashton]], who said in a statement the Tymoshenko verdict showed justice was being applied "selectively in politically motivated prosecutions".<ref name=BBCOct2011>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15250742 Ukraine ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko jailed over gas deal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201120647/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15250742 |date=1 December 2018 }}, BBC News (11 October 2011)</ref>

Late September 2011 Yushchenko stated he intended to run for parliament on an Our Ukraine party ticket at the [[2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election]]s.<ref name=GogoYush/><ref>[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/113676/ Yushchenko says he will run for parliament on party ticket] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928004950/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/113676/ |date=28 September 2011 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (27 September 2011)</ref> Mid-February 2012 Yushchenko stated he was ready to take part in this election on a list of the [[Dictatorship Resistance Committee|united opposition]], but not in a [[Electoral district|majority constituency]].<ref>[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/122587/ Yushchenko ready to run for parliamentary elections under united opposition's list] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216214931/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/122587/ |date=16 February 2012 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (16 February 2012)</ref> In these election Yushchenko headed the election list of Our Ukraine;<ref name=YushUO12>{{in lang|uk}} [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukrainian/politics/2012/07/120731_nasha_ukraina_election_list_sd.shtml "Наша Україна" хоче бути альтернативою усім учасникам виборів ''"Our Ukraine" wants to be an alternative to all election participants ''] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130114063851/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukrainian/politics/2012/07/120731_nasha_ukraina_election_list_sd.shtml |date=14 January 2013 }}, [[BBC Ukrainian]] (31 July 2012)</ref> the party won 1.11% of the national votes and no [[constituencies]] and thus failed to win parliamentary representation.<ref name=Ukrelct2012resCECU>{{in lang|uk}} [http://www.cvk.gov.ua/vnd2012/wp300pt001f01=900.html Proportional votes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030000000/http://www.cvk.gov.ua/vnd2012/wp300pt001f01%3D900.html |date=30 October 2012 }} & [http://www.cvk.gov.ua/vnd2012/wp039pt001f01=900.html Constituency seats] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105073259/http://www.cvk.gov.ua/vnd2012/wp039pt001f01%3D900.html |date=5 November 2012 }}, [[Central Election Commission of Ukraine]]</ref><ref>{{in lang|uk}} [http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2012/10/8/6974211/ Ющенко побачив, що "помаранчеві" не в тренді ''Yushchenko saw "orange" is not in the trend ''], [[Ukrayinska Pravda]] (8 October 2012)</ref>

In February 2013 Yushchenko intended to be a candidate during the [[2014 Ukrainian presidential election|next presidential election (at the time scheduled to be in 2015)]].<ref>{{in lang|uk}} [http://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2013/02/12/6983344/ Ющенко зазнав фіаско ''Yushchenko was a fiasco''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214005711/http://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2013/02/12/6983344/ |date=14 February 2013 }}, [[Ukrayinska Pravda]] (12 February 2013)</ref>

====Euromaidan and 2014 election====
In an interview with the French radio station [[Europe 1]] in March 2014, Yushchenko stated that he supported the [[Euromaidan]] protests and opposed the [[2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine|Russian invasion in Crimea]], noting that in his view "[[Vladimir Putin|Putin]] dreams of reconstructing the [[Soviet Empire|Soviet empire]] under the name of [[Russia]].<ref name="Viktor Iouchtchenko"/> He is so obsessed with this that he hasn't understood power balance."<ref name="Viktor Iouchtchenko"/> He further stated that "[[Crimea]] isn't Russian; rather it is Ukrainian".

With regard to the 2014 presidential election, Yushchenko indicated his support for [[Vitali Klitschko]], and described Tymoshenko as "the candidate of Moscow".<ref name="Viktor Iouchtchenko">{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.europe1.fr/MediaCenter/Emissions/L-interview-verite-Thomas-Sotto/Videos/Viktor-Iouchtchenko-Poutine-veut-une-nouvelle-URSS-1904811/ Viktor Iouchtchenko: "Poutine veut une nouvelle URSS"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170514232546/http://www.europe1.fr/mediacenter/emissions/l-interview-verite-thomas-sotto/videos/viktor-iouchtchenko-poutine-veut-une-nouvelle-urss-1904811 |date=14 May 2017 }}, [[Europe 1]] (5 March 2014)<br />{{cite web |url= http://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2014/03/05/5316fc0ae2704e9d408b456c.html |title= Viktor Yushchenko: 'Putin jamás logrará poner de rodillas a Ucrania' |date= 3 March 2014 |publisher= [[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]] |access-date= 30 May 2014 |archive-date= 12 May 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140512121553/http://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2014/03/05/5316fc0ae2704e9d408b456c.html |url-status= live }}</ref> Yushchenko himself did not stand as a candidate in these elections.<ref name=RCCUPE23>[http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/199103.html Twenty-three candidates to run for Ukraine's presidency] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408211145/http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/199103.html |date=8 April 2014 }}, [[Interfax-Ukraine]] (3 April 2014)</ref>

===Russian invasion of Ukraine===
In a 2024 interview, Yushchenko criticized the [[United States Congress|US Congress]]'s delay in approving military aid to Ukraine, describing it as “a colossal waste of time” that allowed Russia to  “attack, ruin infrastructure, rampage all over Ukraine”. He also supported President [[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]]'s handling of the situation and opposed giving up territory to end the war, saying that it would give Vladimir Putin "five or seven years to get stronger and then start this misery again".<ref>{{cite web |title=Ex-Ukrainian president says US delay in war aid was a 'colossal' waste, let Putin inflict more damage |url=https://apnews.com/article/viktor-yushchenko-ukraine-russia-war-857a53214e963d2c208d1b8434eafade |website=Associated Press |language=en |date=14 May 2024 |access-date=14 May 2024 |archive-date=14 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514063453/https://apnews.com/article/viktor-yushchenko-ukraine-russia-war-857a53214e963d2c208d1b8434eafade |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Political positions==
[[File:Wiktor Juschtschenko, Präsident der Ukraine, im Widenmoos.jpg|thumb|right|Yushchenko speaking at the [[University of Zurich]] in 2009]]
On 31 March 2009, in his address to the nation before Parliament, Yushchenko proposed sweeping government reform changes and an economic and social plan to ameliorate current economic conditions in Ukraine and apparently to respond to standing structural problems in Ukraine's political system.

The proposal, which Yushchenko called a 'next big step forward for fairness and prosperity in Ukraine' included the following proposals:<ref name="Ref_ag">{{cite web|url=http://www.nashkrok.org.ua/en/ |title=The Next Big Step: Fairness and Prosperity for All Ukraine |access-date=15 June 2009 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409161037/http://www.nashkrok.org.ua/en/ |archive-date=9 April 2009 }}, Viktor Yushchenko elections website</ref>
* Restore financial stability in the country by implementing the [[International Monetary Fund]] reforms and a balanced budget
* Abolish [[parliamentary immunity]]
* Fair pension system based on the number of years of work and salary received
* Pass a realistic state budget for 2009 that reduces inflation and stabilizes the [[hryvnia]]
* Have the state assume responsibility for struggling banks
* Rejuvenate rural areas by eliminating state interference in agriculture production
* Promote Ukrainian products abroad to increase sales for Ukraine's producers
* European Union membership and increased trade while simultaneously improving relations and trade with Russia
* Allow voters to elect members of parliament from the areas where they live
* Open up [[party lists]] for both parliamentary and local elections
* Create [[bicameral parliament]] to bring stability to the [[legislative branch]]
* Reduce the number of [[Member of parliament|members of parliament]]

Yushchenko also advocates [[Ukraine–NATO relations|NATO membership]] for Ukraine<ref name="Ref_ah">[http://www.kyivpost.com/nation/50824 Yushchenko: Ukraine has every chances to be European Union member], [[Kyiv Post]] (16 October 2009)</ref> and is against promoting [[Russian language in Ukraine#Russian language in Ukrainian politics|Russian as the second state language in Ukraine]].<ref name="Ref_ai">[http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,647401,00.html 'The Problems Began After the Orange Revolution'], [[Spiegel Online]] (9 July 2009)</ref>

According to Yushchenko, a good future for the country is impossible without national unity.<ref name=U>[http://www.interfax.com.ua/eng/main/22104/ Yuschenko says good future for Ukraine impossible without national unity, reconciliation] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021074301/http://www.interfax.com.ua/eng/main/22104/ |date=21 October 2009 }}, [[Interfax-Ukraine]] (14 October 2009)</ref> Yushchenko also advocates the formation of a single [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine]], thus unifying the current three branches of the Orthodox church in Ukraine (the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate]], the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate]] and the [[Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church]]).

Actions by the [[Ukrainian Insurgent Army]] have been praised by Yushchenko,<ref name=U/> and he has tried to give anti-Soviet [[Partisan (military)|partisans]] who fought in World War II the status of war veterans.<ref name="Ref_aj">{{cite web |url=http://zik.com.ua/en/news/2008/01/11/121551 |title=Yushchenko pushes for official recognition of OUN-UPA combatants |publisher=Zik.com.ua |date=11 January 2008 |access-date=16 March 2014 |archive-date=19 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119121656/http://zik.com.ua/en/news/2008/01/11/121551 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to Yushchenko the difficulties of [[Russia–Ukraine relations|relations between Ukraine and Russia]] are because the countries follow different directions and have different system of values.<ref name="Ref_ak">[http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-353668.html Yushchenko: in case of victory of Yanukovych or Tymoshenko, all we to sing Murka], [[UNIAN]] (23 December 2009)</ref> Yushchenko thinks that "the [[Russia-Georgia war]] of August 2008 poses a threat that European leaders still haven't addressed". He has called for a [[demarcation line|demarcation]] of [[border]]s between Russia and Ukraine, which has been delayed by Russia since Ukraine won independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.<ref name="Ref_al">[https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a6iHrwUxQYZ0 Yushchenko Warns Obama of Russia's Post-Georgia Security Threat], [[Bloomberg Television|Bloomberg]] (20 September 2009)</ref> 

During the [[2010 Ukrainian presidential election#Electoral campaign|campaign for the Ukrainian presidential election, 2010]] Yushchenko said Russia's influence was again a factor in the upcoming election and warned of "interference" from Moscow in the distribution of [[Russian passport]]s to residents of Crimea.<ref name="Ref_am">[http://www.kyivpost.com/nation/49613 Monday Morning: Yushchenko says NATO needed to safeguard independence], [[Kyiv Post]] (28 September 2009)</ref> He stated (on 10 December 2009) "Russia is a friendly country and that it would be a great mistake for Ukraine to lose these relations or to slow down their development; I believe that there will appear politicians in Russia, who will respect the rights of all neighbors, including Ukraine".<ref name="Ref_an">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/54709/ Yushchenko: Politicians respecting Ukraine's rights will appear in Russia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201034753/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/54709/ |date=1 February 2011 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (10 December 2009)</ref>

Yushchenko's 2010 presidential election program promised visa-free travel with EU, the withdrawal of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation by 2017 and "an active dialogue with all of Ukraine's neighbours based on the principles of equal rights, good neighbourly relations and mutual trust", but did not mention NATO membership.<ref name="Ref_ao">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/53403/ Yuschenko's election platform promises visa-free travel with EU, not mentioning NATO membership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113044831/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/53403/ |date=13 November 2010 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (23 November 2009)</ref> Yushchenko also believed that the [[2008–2009 Ukrainian financial crisis]] could be tackled with the help of reconstruction, including road reconstruction.<ref name="Ref_ap">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/53321/ Yuschenko: crisis could be tackled through reconstruction, including road reconstruction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123090504/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/53321/ |date=23 November 2009 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (21 November 2009)</ref> The program banned tax collection in advance, would return non-reimbursed VAT, create equal tax rules for everybody and stop government interference in certain enterprises and whole sectors of the economy.<ref name="Ref_aq">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/54554/ Presidential Secretariat: Yuschenko defends economic freedom in contrast to state monopolism of Tymoshenko] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131214153/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/54554/ |date=31 January 2011 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (8 December 2009)</ref>

Yushchenko considers an [[open list]] of candidates for parliamentary elections as one of the conditions for eradicating corruption.<ref name="Ref_ar">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/54929/ Yushchenko: Open list of candidates for parliamentary elections a condition for eradicating corruption] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531072153/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/54929/ |date=31 May 2012 }}, [[Kyiv Post]] (12 December 2009)</ref>

On 2 March 2022, Yushchenko described Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as "the Moscow junta and the Russian fascist regime".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ющенко звернувся до Путіна і росіян: Ви – чума і кати |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/03/2/7327351/ |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=Українська правда |language=uk |archive-date=2 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302095826/https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/03/2/7327351/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Family and personal life==
In 1977, Yushchenko married Svitlana Ivanivna Kolesnyk, with whom he has two children and three grandchildren:<ref name="Ref_as">{{cite web |url=http://korrespondent.net/worldabus/190781-mk-semya-ne-rada-yushchenko-ne-test |title=Московский комсомолец: Семья – не рада, Ющенко – не тесть (компромат) |publisher=Korrespondent.net |access-date=16 March 2014 |archive-date=5 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405094731/http://korrespondent.net/worldabus/190781-mk-semya-ne-rada-yushchenko-ne-test |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Vitalyna (b. 15 April 1980) currently married to Oleksiy Khakhlyov and has two children.
** Oleksiy Khakhlyov is a director of the [[Tar paper|Tar-paper]] Factory in [[Slavuta]], [[Khmelnytskyi Oblast]]
* Andriy (b. 1985) and has a daughter

A practicing member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,<ref name="Ref_au">[http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/2006/200607.shtml "UOC-MP threatens sanctions against President Yushchenko"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231061731/http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/2006/200607.shtml |date=31 December 2006 }} ''UkrWeekly'' 14 May 2006</ref> Yushchenko often emphasizes the important role of his religious convictions in his life and worldview.

Yushchenko has been criticized for using many [[Surzhyk|words of Russian origin]] when speaking [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]].<ref name="Ref_av">[http://www.trud.ru/trud.php?id=200606271140303 "Song in Surzhyk"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927224645/http://www.trud.ru/trud.php?id=200606271140303 |date=27 September 2007 }} ''[[Trud (Russian newspaper)|Trud]]'' 27 June 2006 {{in lang|ru}}</ref><ref name="Ref_aw">[http://www.korrespondent.net/main/188829/p4 Корреспондент » Украина » Политика » Лидер социалистов рассказал Ющенко о "задрипаній козі у королівських покоях"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012161715/http://www.korrespondent.net/main/188829/p4|date=12 October 2007}}</ref> His main hobbies are [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] traditional culture (including [[folk art|art]], [[Ceramics (art)|ceramics]], and [[archaeology]]), [[mountaineering]], and [[beekeeping]]. He is keen on painting, collects antiques, folk artifacts, and Ukrainian national dress, and restores objects of [[Cucuteni culture|Trypillya culture]]. Each year he climbs [[Hoverla]], Ukraine's highest mountain. After receiving a checkup in which doctors determined he was healthy despite the previous year's dioxin poisoning, he successfully climbed the mountain again on 16 July 2005. {{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

==Cultural and political image==
As a politician, Yushchenko is widely perceived as a mixture of Western-oriented and Ukrainian [[nationalist]]. He advocates moving Ukraine in the direction of Europe and NATO, promoting free market reforms, preserving Ukraine's culture, rebuilding important historical monuments, and remembering Ukraine's history, including the famine of 1932–1933, commonly referred to as The [[Holodomor]]. His opponents (and allies) sometimes criticize him for indecision and secrecy, while his advocates argue that the same attributes indicate Yushchenko's commitment to teamwork, [[Consensus decision-making|consensus]], and negotiation. He is also often accused of being unable to form a unified team without infighting.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

[[United States Ambassador to Ukraine]] [[John F. Tefft]], described Yushchenko, in a document uncovered during the [[United States diplomatic cables leak]], as discredited among the population because of his weakness of leadership, continuous conflicts with Tymoshenko, needless hostility towards Russia and his NATO ambitions.<ref name=WLCKyiv2232010>[http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,728632,00.html "US-Probleme in der Ukraine: Fatales Spiel mit falschen Freunden"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203191850/http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,728632,00.html |date=3 December 2010 }}, ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' (2 December 2010)</ref>

Yushchenko's former [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ukraine)|Minister of Internal Affairs]] [[Yuriy Lutsenko]], while awaiting trial on corruption charges for which he was subsequently convicted, accused Yushchenko of betraying the Orange Revolution by bringing Yanukovych to power.<ref>[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/98289/ "Lutsenko: Tymoshenko ties get you arrested"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818123429/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/98289/ |date=18 August 2011 }}, ''[[Kyiv Post]]'', (25 February 2010)</ref>{{Dead link|date=May 2023}}

In December 2011, [[Russian Prime Minister]] Putin claimed that the organizers of the [[2011 Russian protests]] were former (Russian) advisors to Yushchenko during his presidency and were transferring the [[Orange Revolution]] to Russia.<ref name="some of our opposition members were in Ukraine">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/118993/ "Putin calls 'color revolutions' an instrument of destabilization"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216034341/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/118993/ |date=16 December 2011 }}, ''[[Kyiv Post]]'' (15 December 2011)</ref>

===Public opinion polls===
In March 2009, Yushchenko's popularity plunged to just 22%.<ref name="Ref_ay">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7575813.stm "Russia's neighbours go their own way"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406204127/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7575813.stm |date=6 April 2019 }} by [[Bridget Kendall]], [[BBC News]] (21 August 2008)</ref> According to a poll carried out by the [[Kyiv International Institute of Sociology]] between 29 January and 5 February 2009, nearly 70% of Ukrainian voters believed that Yushchenko should leave his post, whereas just over 30% believed he should stay. When asked if Yushchenko should be impeached, over 56% of those polled were in favor with 44% against.<ref name="Ref_az">[http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-301278.html "Poll says Ukraine's president should step down now"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221010649/http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-301278.html |date=21 February 2009 }}, [[UNIAN]] (17 February 2009)</ref>

According to a public opinion poll conducted by [[FOM-Ukraine]] in September/October 2009, 88.5% of those polled did not support the actions of Yushchenko as president, while 11.5% welcomed them.<ref name="Ref_aba">[http://www.kyivpost.com/nation/50549 "Poll: Ukrainians not supporting activities of president, premier"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312191236/https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/poll-ukrainians-not-supporting-activities-of-presi-50549.html |date=12 March 2020 }}, ''[[Kyiv Post]]'' (12 October 2009)</ref> A [[Razumkov Center]] opinion poll conducted in October 2011 told that 80% of Ukrainians did not support his actions, while 20% of Ukrainians supported his actions; it was the highest negative rating of any Ukrainian politician.<ref>[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/opinion/op_ed/detail/116989/ "Yushchenko's hand in the imprisonment of Yulia Tymoshenko"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116025514/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/opinion/op_ed/detail/116989/ |date=16 November 2011 }}, ''[[Kyiv Post]]'' (17 November 2011)</ref>

== Honours and awards ==
*{{flag|Latvia}}: Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the [[Order of Three Stars]] (Latvia, 2006)
*{{flag|Lithuania}}: Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the [[Order of Vytautas the Great]] (Lithuania, 2006)<ref>[http://www.lrp.lt/lt/prezidento_veikla/apdovanojimai/apdovanojimai_256/p40.html Lithuanian Presidency] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419212238/http://www.lrp.lt/lt/prezidento_veikla/apdovanojimai/apdovanojimai_256/p40.html |date=19 April 2014 }}, Lithuanian Orders searching form</ref>
*{{flag|Croatia}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Grand Order of King Tomislav]] ("For outstanding contribution to the promotion of friendship and development co-operation between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Ukraine." – 6 June 2007)
*{{flag|Poland}}: 
** [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]] (2005, Poland)
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of Polonia Restituta]] (2009, Poland)
*{{flag|Ukraine}}: Order "For Merits" of Class III (1996, Ukraine)
*{{flag|United States}}: The Liberty Medal (US Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA) (2005, USA)
*{{flag|Azerbaijan}}: [[Heydar Aliyev Order|Order of Heydar Aliyev]] (2008, Azerbaijan)
*{{flag|Finland}}:[[Order of the White Rose of Finland]] (2006)<ref>{{cite web |title=SUOMEN VALKOISEN RUUSUN RITARIKUNNAN SUURRISTIN KETJUINEEN ULKOMAALAISET SAAJAT |url=https://ritarikunnat.fi/ritarikunnat/palkitut/suomen-valkoisen-ruusun-ritarikunnan-suurristin-ketjuineen-ulkomaalaiset-saajat/ |website=Suomen valkoisen ruusun ja Suomen leijonan ritarikunnat |date=9 October 2020 |access-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123154129/https://ritarikunnat.fi/ritarikunnat/palkitut/suomen-valkoisen-ruusun-ritarikunnan-suurristin-ketjuineen-ulkomaalaiset-saajat/ |archive-date=November 23, 2022 |language=finnish}}</ref>
*{{flag|Georgia}}: 
** [[Order of the Golden Fleece (Georgia)|Order of the Golden Fleece]] (2009, Georgia)
** [[St. George's Order of Victory]] (2009, Georgia)
** [[Presidential Order of Excellence]] ([[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], 2011)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://idfi.ge/en/state-prices-awarded-by-the-president-of-georgia-in-2003-2015|title=State Awards Issued by Georgian Presidents in 2003–2015|date=10 May 2018|website=Institute for Development of Freedom of Information|access-date=9 May 2019|archive-date=9 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509224357/https://idfi.ge/en/state-prices-awarded-by-the-president-of-georgia-in-2003-2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flag|Sweden}}: [[Royal Order of the Seraphim]] (2008, Sweden)
*{{flag|Hungary}}: [[Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary]] (2008, Hungary)
*{{flag|Germany}}: [[Quadriga (award)|Quadriga]] (2006, Germany)


Yushchenko was named "Man of the Year 2004" by ''[[Wprost]]'' and included in the 2005 [[Time 100]], an annual list of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'}} 100 most influential people in the world.

Honorary doctorates from the [[National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy]] (1996), the [[University of Maria Curie-Sklodowska]] (2000) and the [[Catholic University of Lublin]] (2009),{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} and honorary membership in the [[Academy of Sciences of Moldova]].<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://asm.md/?go=detalii-membri&n=473&new_language=0 Iuşcenco Victor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318162136/http://asm.md/?go=detalii-membri&n=473&new_language=0 |date=18 March 2015 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[2008 Ukrainian political crisis]]
* [[List of poisonings]]
* [[National Museum "Memorial to Holodomor victims"]]
* [[Politics of Ukraine]]
* [[Ukrainization]]
* [[Yushchenko Plan]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{wikinews|has=News related to this article| Ukraine political crisis| Ukraine opposition candidate Yushchenko is suffering from a Dioxin intoxication, doctors say| Ukrainian opposition leader calls for police and army to join revolution| Yushchenko claims victory in re-run}}
* {{C-SPAN}}

'''Web sites and pages'''
* [http://www.razom.org.ua/ razom.org.ua] — Nasha Ukrayina website
* [http://www.rada.gov.ua/zakon/skl4/6session/STENOGR/23010506_UZ.htm Verbatim Account of the Inaugural Ceremony, January 23, 2005] — Official site of the parliament {{in lang|uk}}
* {{YouTube|gI36gCtLHEE}} — video file of Viktor Yushchenko speaking to the Ukrainian nation {{in lang|uk}}
* [http://www.rol.org.ua/eng/newsitem.cfm?unid=20. Candidate Viktor Yushchenko wins first round of Ukraine election] (10 November 2004). ''Rule of Law Foundation''.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110727012105/http://razumkov.org.ua/eng/poll.php?poll_id=89 Viktor Yushchenko approval rating (2000–2009)] by [[Razumkov Centre]]
* [http://www.freedomcollection.org/interviews/viktor_yushchenko/ Viktor Yushchenko] ''[[Freedom Collection]]'' interview

'''News and articles'''
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4035789.stm BBC News profile]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060111143715/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1393172,00.html ''Who poisoned Viktor Yushchenko?''] (from the Times Online)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060306175643/http://pravda.com.ua/news/2005/9/26/33856.htm ''Approval of Yekhanurov: The Price of the Deal''] (''[[Ukrayinska Pravda]]'''s critical article on the agreement between Yushchenko and Yanukovych; September 2005) {{in lang|uk}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.spectrezine.org/yushchenkos-place-history-leader-who-failed-his-people |title=Yushchenko's Place in History: A Leader who Failed his People? |author=Stephen Velychenko |date=13 November 2009 |website=SpectreZine.org |access-date=22 August 2016 }}

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Vadym Hetman]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Governor of the [[National Bank of Ukraine]]|years=1993–1999}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Volodymyr Stelmakh]]}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Valeriy Pustovoitenko]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Ukraine]]|years=1999–2001}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Anatoliy Kinakh]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Leonid Kuchma]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of Ukraine]]|years=2005–2010}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Viktor Yanukovych]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Presidents of Ukraine}}
{{Prime ministers of Ukraine}}
{{Government of Viktor Yushchenko}}
{{2004 presidential election candidates, Ukraine}}
{{2010 presidential election candidates, Ukraine}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yushchenko, Viktor}}
[[Category:Viktor Yushchenko| ]]
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