11 Facts That You Should Know About Viktor Yushchenko

Before he became Ukraine’s third president, Viktor Yushchenko, had some tough experiences as a commoner. He faced a lot of challenges, from being the head of the family to being a victim of a failed assassination attempt. 

However, there is no doubt about Viktor’s excellence and intelligence when it comes to ruling a country. He has his fair share of excellent academic and political achievements that makes him worthy of the presidential seat. Thus, here are some other facts that you might not know about Viktor Yushchenko. 

Viktor’s father was a prisoner of war. 

Viktor Yushchenko’s father, Andriy Yushchenko, joined the war and survived the whole event. During the war, Andriy was captured by the German forces and made him a prisoner of war. However, his father was able to return home safely after the war with the Germans. He remained as an English teacher in Ukraine. 

Viktor’s background.

Viktor was born on February 23, 1954, in Khoruzhivka, Ukraine. Aside from being the third president of Ukraine, he was a loved family man. He was married twice in his life; first with Svetlana Kolesnyk, and his second wife, Kateryna Yushchenko. He has five children, namely Vitalina, Andriy, Sophia, Taras, and Chrystyna.  

Viktor was the governor of the National Bank of Ukraine. 

Before he entered politics, he first became the governor of the National Bank of Ukraine. There, he established a more organized and modern regulatory system for commercial banking. He also made a way to strengthen Ukraine’s currency, which is the Ukrainian Hryvnia. 

Viktor supported the Ukraine-European Union. 

When he entered politics and became a politician, Viktor was a perfect man. Many people were impressed by his actions for the country and its laws. A lot of people see him as a Ukrainian national but a little bit Western-oriented. Viktor was able to preserve the country’s culture and traditions. He was the mind behind restoring historical monuments and reliving Ukraine’s history. 

Viktor’s expertise in economics. 

Besides his political background, Viktor was also an author to his own thesis titled The Development of Supply and Demand of Money in Ukraine. He was able to defend his study to the Ukrainian Academy of Banking. This higher educational institution works with the National Bank of Ukraine. He was also able to get a doctorate in economics. 

Viktor changed Ukraine’s executive branches in just 100 days.

During his first 100 days as president, he clearly understood all levels in the executive department and branches in Ukraine. He has a firm stand against corruption, and it did not stop him from kicking people out of their roles in the government. Although his intentions were clean about anti-corruption, many people still see that he is monopolizing his political power. 

Viktor was eliminated as prime minister. 

Viktor got himself in conflict with coal mining and natural gas industries. Thus, he was kicked out from his position in the middle of his term as prime minister. He was removed from the office by the Motion of No Confidence. 

Viktor declared his candidacy for president. 

Although he declared his presidential candidacy independently, he was proud to say that he will run for the presidency after Leonid Kuchma’s term. With his excellent background and credentials, Viktor’s candidacy file was approved. He became president in the year 2005. 

His political opponents poisoned Viktor. 

Many Ukrainians believed that it was Viktor’s political opponents who poisoned him before he became president. He was not favored by a lot of politicians and people in entire Russia. However, Viktor Yanukovych was more pro-Russian compared to him and his other political opponents.  

Viktor’s illness showed that it came from the attempted assassination. 

During the investigation of Viktor’s attempted assassination, Professor John Henry, a British toxicologist, said that the bruises and damages on Viktor’s face showed signs of poisoning. Another study confirmed that the poison was put on his food, and it was highly engineered in a lab. However, no one was prosecuted for his assassination attempt. 

During his presidential campaign, Viktor became very ill. 

Just at the peak of his presidential campaign, Viktor was reported to be seriously ill. He was sent to Vienna for a few weeks for treatment and was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis because of viral infection. Viktor’s face was bloated during that time and was filled with scars. 

Viktor was one of the best presidents of Ukraine. 

Viktor was able to finish his presidential term from January 2005 to February 2010. He served the country with honesty and pride. He gained a lot of achievements as president, including the fight against corruption, which was the highlight of his term. 

Takeaway

Viktor Yushchenko was one of the best and most modest presidents that Ukraine had. He served the country with integrity and pride. As being a professional from the economics and business industry, he did well to serve the country as a president.