Viktor Yushchenko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Viktor Yushchenko
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Віктор Ющенко
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Official portrait, 2008
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| 3rd President of Ukraine | |
| In office 23 January 2005 – 25 February 2010 |
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| Prime Minister |
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| Preceded by | Leonid Kuchma |
| Succeeded by | Viktor Yanukovych |
| 7th Prime Minister of Ukraine | |
| In office 22 December 1999 – 29 May 2001 Cabinet Yushchenko Government |
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| President | Leonid Kuchma |
| Deputy | Yuriy Yekhanurov |
| Preceded by | Valeriy Pustovoitenko |
| Succeeded by | Anatoliy Kinakh |
| Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine | |
| In office January 1993 – 22 December 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Vadym Hetman |
| Succeeded by | Volodymyr Stelmakh |
| People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
| In office 14 May 2002 – 23 January 2005 |
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| Constituency | Our Ukraine Bloc, No. 1 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 February 1954 Khoruzhivka, Sumy Oblast, Soviet Union |
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| Other political affiliations |
Communist Party of Ukraine (1980–1991) Independent (1991–2002, 2004–2005) |
| Spouses |
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| Children | Vitalina Yushchenko, Andriy Yushchenko, Sophia, Khrystyna, Taras |
| Alma mater |
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| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Branch/service | Border Guard unit of KGB |
| Years of service | 1975–1976 |
| Rank | Captain |
Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (Ukrainian: Віктор Андрійович Ющенко; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician. He served as the third President of Ukraine from 2005 to 2010. During his time as president, he wanted Ukraine to become closer to Western countries, like those in the European Union and NATO.
Before becoming president, Yushchenko worked in banking. In 1993, he became the head of the National Bank of Ukraine. He helped Ukraine deal with very high inflation and introduced the country's new money, the hryvnia. From 1999 to 2001, he was the prime minister. After this, he became a leader of the opposition against the then-president, Leonid Kuchma. He started a political group called Our Ukraine Bloc, which became very popular.
In 2004, Yushchenko ran for president against Viktor Yanukovych. During the election campaign, Yushchenko was poisoned with a chemical called dioxin. This caused changes to his appearance, but he survived. The election was full of problems, with many claims of cheating. This led to the Orange Revolution, a series of peaceful protests. Ukraine's highest court ordered a new election, which Yushchenko won.
After becoming president, his popularity went down. He had disagreements with his prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko. His presidency was marked by political arguments and problems. He lost the 2010 election, finishing in fifth place.
Contents
- Early Life and Education
- Becoming a Central Banker
- Serving as Prime Minister
- Leading the "Our Ukraine" Movement
- The 2004 Presidential Election
- Poisoning During the Campaign
- Becoming President of Ukraine
- 2010 Presidential Election and Beyond
- Political Beliefs
- Family and Hobbies
- Public Image
- Awards and Recognition
- Images for kids
Early Life and Education
Viktor Yushchenko was born on 23 February 1954, in Khoruzhivka, a village in Ukraine. His parents were both teachers. His father, Andriy Yushchenko, fought in World War II. He was captured and held in concentration camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, but he survived. After the war, he taught English.
Viktor's mother, Varvara Yushchenko, taught science and math. The area where he grew up mostly spoke Ukrainian. This was different from many other politicians who spoke Russian as their first language.
Yushchenko finished his studies at the Ternopil Finance and Economics Institute in 1975. He started working as an accountant on a collective farm. From 1975 to 1976, he served in the army near the border with Turkey.
Becoming a Central Banker
In 1976, Yushchenko began his career in banking. By 1983, he was a deputy director at a state bank. From 1990 to 1993, he worked as a vice-chairman at a large agricultural bank.
In 1993, he was chosen to be the Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, which is Ukraine's main bank. He was re-appointed to this role in 1997.
As the head of the central bank, Yushchenko helped create Ukraine's national money, the hryvnia. He also set up modern rules for banks. He successfully brought down very high inflation, from over 10,000 percent to less than 10 percent. He also protected the value of the hryvnia after a financial crisis in Russia in 1998.
In 1998, he earned a doctorate degree in economics.
Serving as Prime Minister
In December 1999, President Leonid Kuchma chose Yushchenko to be the prime minister.
Ukraine's economy got better while Yushchenko was prime minister. However, his government, especially his deputy Yulia Tymoshenko, had problems with powerful people in the coal and natural gas industries. This led to the parliament voting to remove him from office in April 2001.
Leading the "Our Ukraine" Movement
After being removed as prime minister, Yushchenko became a leader of the opposition. In 2002, he became the head of the "Our Ukraine" political group. This group won the most seats in the parliamentary election that year.
Yushchenko and Tymoshenko wanted to create a strong opposition group to challenge President Kuchma in the 2004 presidential election. In 2004, Our Ukraine and Tymoshenko's group formed a team called "Force of the People." They promised to work together to improve Ukraine. Yushchenko promised to make Tymoshenko prime minister if he won the election.
Yushchenko was seen as a calm and moderate leader of the opposition. He was more popular than President Kuchma in public opinion polls for several years.
The 2004 Presidential Election
In 2004, Yushchenko ran for president as an independent candidate. His main opponent was Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Yushchenko's campaign focused on meeting voters directly, as he had limited access to major TV channels. He talked about making Ukraine more like Europe, joining NATO, and fighting corruption.
Poisoning During the Campaign
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In September 2004, Yushchenko became very ill. He was flown to a clinic in Vienna, Austria. Doctors found that he had been poisoned with a chemical called dioxin. This caused his face to change, showing signs of a skin condition called chloracne.
Experts confirmed that the dioxin levels in his blood were extremely high, thousands of times above normal. Many believe he was poisoned during a dinner with Ukrainian officials. Studies showed the dioxin was very pure, suggesting it was made in a lab. Yushchenko himself said that some people who were at the dinner were involved.
Becoming President of Ukraine
Inauguration and Early Actions
On 23 January 2005, Viktor Yushchenko officially became the President of Ukraine. Many important people from other countries attended the ceremony.
In his first few months, Yushchenko made many changes in the government. He appointed Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister. He also made promises like solving a famous murder case and removing Russia's Black Sea Fleet from Ukraine.
In May 2005, Ukraine hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv. Yushchenko also worked with the President of Georgia to create a group called the Community of Democratic Choice. This group aimed to bring together democratic countries around the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas.
Changes in Government
In September 2005, Yushchenko dismissed his government, including Prime Minister Tymoshenko. This happened after some officials resigned and there were claims of corruption. He then appointed Yuriy Yekhanurov as the new acting prime minister.
In August 2006, Yushchenko made a surprising move. He appointed Viktor Yanukovych, his former opponent in the presidential election, as the new prime minister. This was seen by many as a step towards better relations with Russia.
Parliamentary Problems
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On 2 April 2007, Yushchenko signed an order to dissolve the parliament and call for new elections. Some people thought this was against the law because the conditions for the president to dissolve parliament were not met. The parliament continued to meet and challenged his decision in court.
Later, in October 2008, Yushchenko tried again to dissolve the parliament and call for early elections. He said that political arguments were ruining the democratic government. However, his order was stopped. He also criticized a new government group that included his former ally, Yulia Tymoshenko. He believed this group was formed through political deals.
Yushchenko said that his disagreements with Tymoshenko were not personal. He felt they were due to problems with the country's laws from 2004.
2010 Presidential Election and Beyond
The 2010 Election
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On 10 November 2009, Yushchenko was nominated to run for president again in the election held on 17 January 2010. He said he would leave politics after his second term, if he won. During his campaign, he stated that other candidates were not truly looking out for Ukraine's interests.
In the first round of the election, Yushchenko finished in fifth place with only 5.45% of the votes. This was the lowest result for any sitting president.
After the election, Yushchenko said he wanted to continue to protect democracy in Ukraine. He also said that Ukraine did not have a good choice for his replacement, as he felt both main candidates were not focused on national or European values.
On 22 January 2010, as he was leaving office, Yushchenko gave the title of "Hero of Ukraine" to Stepan Bandera, a controversial nationalist leader from World War II. This decision caused a lot of debate and was later canceled by the next government.
Later Political Activities
Yushchenko continued to be involved in politics. He ran for parliament in 2012 with his Our Ukraine party, but they did not win enough votes to get seats.
In 2014, Yushchenko supported the Euromaidan protests, which were against the government at the time. He also spoke out against Russia's actions in Crimea, saying that Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, wanted to rebuild the Soviet Empire. He emphasized that Crimea belongs to Ukraine.
In 2024, Yushchenko criticized delays in military aid to Ukraine from the US Congress. He said these delays allowed Russia to cause more damage. He also supported President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said Ukraine should not give up any territory to end the war.
Political Beliefs
Yushchenko is seen as a politician who wants Ukraine to be more like Western countries. He supports Ukraine joining the European Union and NATO. He also believes in free markets, protecting Ukrainian culture, and remembering Ukraine's history, like the Holodomor famine.
He has suggested several government changes, including:
- Making the country's finances stable.
- Ending special protection for members of parliament.
- Creating a fair pension system.
- Helping struggling banks.
- Promoting Ukrainian products abroad.
- Allowing voters to elect members of parliament from their local areas.
- Reducing the number of members of parliament.
Yushchenko is against making Russian the second official language in Ukraine. He believes that Ukraine needs national unity to have a good future. He also wants to unite the different branches of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine into one church.
He has praised the actions of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a group that fought during World War II. He has tried to give these anti-Soviet fighters the status of war veterans.
Yushchenko believes that the problems between Ukraine and Russia are because the two countries have different goals and values. He has called for clear borders between Russia and Ukraine.
Family and Hobbies
Viktor Yushchenko has two children and three grandchildren from his first marriage to Svitlana Ivanivna Kolesnyk. He is a member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and often talks about how his faith is important to him.
His hobbies include Ukrainian traditional culture, like art, ceramics, and archaeology. He also enjoys mountaineering and beekeeping. He likes to paint, collect old items, and restore artifacts from ancient Ukrainian cultures. Every year, he climbs Hoverla, Ukraine's highest mountain.
Public Image
As a politician, Yushchenko is seen as a mix of Western-focused and Ukrainian nationalist. He wants Ukraine to move closer to Europe and NATO. He also supports free market changes and preserving Ukraine's culture and history.
Some people criticize him for being indecisive or secretive. Others say these traits show he believes in teamwork and finding common ground. He is also often accused of not being able to keep his team united.
In 2011, Russian Prime Minister Putin claimed that the organizers of protests in Russia were former advisors to Yushchenko.
Awards and Recognition
Yushchenko has received many awards from different countries for his contributions. Some of these include:
- The Order of Three Stars from Latvia (2006)
- The Order of Vytautas the Great from Lithuania (2006)
- The Grand Order of King Tomislav from Croatia (2007)
- The Order of the White Eagle from Poland (2005)
- The Liberty Medal from the United States (2005)
- The Heydar Aliyev Order from Azerbaijan (2008)
- The Order of the White Rose of Finland (2006)
- The Order of the Golden Fleece from Georgia (2009)
- The Royal Order of the Seraphim from Sweden (2008)
- The Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2008)
He was named "Man of the Year 2004" by Wprost magazine and was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005. He also has honorary degrees from several universities.
Images for kids
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Yushchenko's approval rating stood at 7% as of October 2009 according to FOM-Ukraine polling results.
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Yushchenko in March 2009
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Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko representing their parties ("Our Ukraine" and "Fatherland") at the Summit of European People's Party, Lisbon, Portugal, 18 October 2007
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In Spanish: Víktor Yúshchenko para niños
- List of poisonings
- National Museum "Memorial to Holodomor victims"
- Politics of Ukraine
- Ukrainization
- Yushchenko Plan
