Written by Michael Bryan
Modified & Updated: 23 Sep 2023
Reviewed by Jessica Corbett
Before life as Ukraine’s third president, Viktor Yushchenko lived through many experiences. These challenges ranged from being a family man, to surviving a failed assassination attempt. However, there’s no doubting Yushchenko’s academic and political achievements. Take a closer look at the man formerly behind Ukraine with these Viktor Yushchanko facts.
- Viktor Yushchenko was the third President of Ukraine.
- He was born on February 23, 1954, in Khoruzhivka, Ukraine.
- Viktor Yushchenko is the 7th Prime Minister of Ukraine.
- Our Ukraine is his political alliance.
- Viktor Yushchenko served Ukraine from January 23, 2005, to February 25, 2010.
- Leonid Kravchuk and Leonid Kuchma were the first two presidents of Ukraine before Viktor Yushchenko.
- Viktor Yushchenko lost the re-election campaign held on January 17, 2010.
- Viktor Yushchenko divorced his first wife, Svetlana Kolesnyk.
- Today, Viktor Yushchenko is married to Kateryna Yushchenko.
- He has 5 children. Namely: Vitalina Yushchenko, Andriy Yushchenko, Sophia Yushchenko, Taras Yushchenko, Chrystyna Yushchenko.
- Viktor Yushchenko finished his studies at Ternopil Finance and Economics Institute in 1975.
- Viktor Yushchenko started his career as a banker in the year 1976.
- The Ukrainian Republican Office of the Soviet Union State Bank promoted him as the Deputy Director for Agricultural Credit in 1983.
- He served 3 years (1990 to 1993) as the first vice-chairman of the JSC Agroindustrial Bank Ukraina.
- Leonid Kuchma endorsed Viktor Yushchenko to be the prime minister in 1999.
- Viktor Yushchenko came from a family of teachers.
- His mother, Varvara Yushchenko, is a mathematics and physics teacher.
- The economy of the country grew during Yushchenko’s cabinet service as a prime minister.
- Viktor Yushchenko led ‘Our Ukraine’, an electoral alliance in Ukraine, in 2002.
- Ukraine’s first two presidents had the same names, as well as the 3rd the 4th president. To enumerate, those are Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Viktor Yanukovych.
Viktor Yushchenko's father became a prisoner of war.
Viktor Yushchenko’s father, Andriy Andriyovych Yushchenko joined the ranks in WW2. During the war, the German forces captured Andriy Yushchenko, making him a prisoner of war. Fortunately, Viktor’s father returned home safely as an English school teacher in Ukraine.
He became an effective governor of the National Bank of Ukraine.
During his days in the central bank, he established the modern regulatory system for commercial banking. He also did steps to strengthen Ukraine’s currency , the Ukrainian Hryvnia. That’s a fact to put your money on.
Viktor Yuschcenko specializes in economics.
Outside of his political roles, Viktor Yushchenko authored The Development of Supply and Demand of Money in Ukraine. He defended this thesis to the Ukrainian Academy of Banking, a state-owned higher educational institution within the National Bank of Ukraine. After a successful thesis defense from Viktor, he achieved a doctorate in economics.
Viktor Yushchenko was removed from the office as a prime minister.
During his term, his administration had a conflict with the coal mining and natural gas industries. As a result, Motion of No Confidence removed Viktor Yushchenko from the office.
Viktor Yushchenko declared his candidacy for president as an independent.
When Leonid Kuchma’s term was about to end, Yushchenko declared his candidacy as an independent. Due to his excellent credentials and past experience, he won the votes of the people. He became the president on January 23, 2005, winning against Viktor Yanukovych.
Viktor Yushchenko fell ill during the presidential campaign in September 2004.
In the middle of his campaign in September 2004, Yushchenko became seriously ill. He was flown to Vienna for treatment and got diagnosed with acute pancreatitis due to viral infection and chemical substances. After the incident, Viktor’s face became bloated and disfigured with facial scars.
Investigations revealed that Yuschenko's illness resulted from a botched assassination.
Upon investigation British toxicologist Professor John Henry declared that the damages in Yushchenko’s face indeed came from dioxin poisoning. Further research confirmed that the poison in his food was deliberately engineered in a lab. However, no one has been prosecuted for the assassination attempt due to citizenship laws.
Political opponents likely caused Viktor Yushchenko's poisoning.
Many believed that political opponents orchestrated Viktor Yushchenko’s poisoning. Others believed that he was not the favored candidate of Russia. On the other hand, Viktor Yanukovych, his opponent, was the most pro-Russian.
Viktor Yushchenko revamped Ukraine's executive branches in his first 100 days.
Among his amazing feats, Viktor Yushchenko cleaned out all levels of Ukraines executive branch in his first few days in office. Although he intended to fight against corruption, many viewed it as an attempt to monopolize political power.
Viktor Yushchenko supported the Ukraine–European Union.
As a politician, most people saw Yushchenko as a blend of Ukrainian nationalist and Western-oriented. Moreover, he supported Ukraine to Europe and NATO’s thrust. He preserved the country’s culture. Yushchenko also spearheaded free-market reforms, restoring historical monuments, and reviving Ukraine’s history.
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