Who is Viktor Yushchenko? What you need to know about the former Ukrainian president
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has risen to the global spotlight for his staunch approach in defending his country against invading Russian forces, and as a result, turned attention to the country's history.
In 1919, the country became the independent state of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, but it wasn't long before it was under the rule of the Soviet Union in 1922. It would remain part of the country until it achieved independence in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed.
Since then, Ukraine has had seven presidents, but as Zelenskyy faces threats from Russia, one former president, Viktor Yushchenko, has resurfaced because of former threats against him and an assassination attempt during his presidency.
Here is what to know about the third president of Ukraine.
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When was Viktor Yushchenko president?
Yushchenko was elected president of Ukraine in 2004, took office in 2005 and remained there until 2010. However, Ukraine's 2004 presidential election was anything but ordinary.
What was the Orange Revolution?
Ukraine has a two-part election system, in which if no presidential candidate gains at least 50% of votes, a runoff election will take place between the top two vote-getters.
After no one gained 50% of votes, a runoff took place between Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych went on to win the runoff and the election, but the Yushchenko campaign claimed the election was rigged in favor of Yanukovych, claiming he was strongly supported by Russia and that officials there had interfered.
The claims of a rigged election by Russian interference gained traction in the country, resulting in mass protesting taking place across Ukraine. The civil protests became known as the "Orange Revolution" and gained global attention over Russia's influence in Ukraine.
The protests were successful in having a another election between the two candidates, in which Yushchenko won with 52% of votes.
Was Viktor Yushchenko poisoned?
Another factor that contributed to the "Orange Revolution" was what happened to Yushchenko during his presidential campaign.
In September 2004, Yushchenko became seriously ill, so much so that he was transported to a hospital in Vienna, Austria, suffering from intestinal issues as well as face disfigurement with jaundice and pockmarks.
Tests confirmed Yushchenko had been poisoned with dioxin, a chemical found in agent orange, according to The New York Times. Doctors said his blood dioxin level was "more than 1,000 times" normal and suggested he had eaten the poison.
"It is my growing conviction that what happened to me was an act of political reprisal against a politician in opposition. The aim, naturally, was to kill me," Yushchenko said at the time.
To this day, there is no definitive answer as to how and who poisoned Yushchenko, but many pointed to a dinner he had with Ukrainian officials who had ties with Russian officials after which he fell ill.
Contributing: Karina Zaiets and Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Viktor Yushchenko: Former Ukraine president who was poisoned
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