Viktor Yanukovych | |
---|---|
Віктор Янукович Виктор Янукович | |
![]() Official portrait, 2010 | |
4th President of Ukraine | |
In office 25 February 2010 – 22 February 2014[a] | |
Prime Minister |
|
Preceded by | Viktor Yushchenko |
Succeeded by | Petro Poroshenko |
9th and 12th Prime Minister of Ukraine | |
In office 4 August 2006 – 18 December 2007 | |
President | Viktor Yushchenko |
Deputy | Mykola Azarov |
Preceded by | Yuriy Yekhanurov |
Succeeded by | Yulia Tymoshenko |
In office 28 December 2004 – 5 January 2005 | |
President | Leonid Kuchma |
Deputy | Mykola Azarov |
Preceded by | Mykola Azarov (acting) |
Succeeded by | Mykola Azarov (acting) |
In office 21 November 2002 – 7 December 2004 | |
President | Leonid Kuchma |
Deputy | Mykola Azarov |
Preceded by | Anatoliy Kinakh |
Succeeded by | Mykola Azarov (acting) |
People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
In office 25 May 2006 – 12 September 2006 | |
Constituency | At-large |
In office 23 November 2007 – 19 February 2010 | |
Constituency | At-large |
Governor of Donetsk Oblast | |
In office 14 May 1997 – 21 November 2002 | |
Preceded by | Serhii Polyakov |
Succeeded by | Anatoliy Blyznyuk |
Chairman of Donetsk Oblast Council | |
In office 14 May 1999 – 14 May 2001 | |
Preceded by | Ivan Ponomaryov |
Succeeded by | Borys Kolesnikov |
Deputy Governor of Donetsk Oblast | |
In office August 1996 – May 1997 | |
Governor | Serhii Polyakov |
Personal details | |
Born | [2] Yenakiieve, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union | 9 July 1950
Nationality | Soviet Union (1950–1991) Ukraine (1991–2014[citation needed]) Russia (alleged) (2014–present) |
Political party | Party of Regions (1997–2014) |
Other political affiliations | Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1980–1991) |
Spouse | |
Children | |
Alma mater | Donetsk National Technical University Ukrainian State University of Finance and International Trade |
Signature | ![]() |
Website | Viktor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine (Archived) |
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych[b] (born 9 July 1950) is a former Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014.[3] He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of the Verkhovna Rada from 2006 to 2010. A member of the pro-Russian Party of Regions, Yanukovych provoked mass protests — the Euromaidan — against his rejection of closer integration with the EU[4] and was removed from the presidency by the Ukrainian parliament in 2014,[5] at the time neighboring Russia started to annex Ukrainian Crimea and started the Russo-Ukrainian War. Since then, he has lived in exile in Russia.[6]
Before entering national politics, Yanukovych was the Governor of his native Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002. He was simultaneously the Chairman of the oblast's legislature from 1999 to 2001.
Yanukovych first ran for president in the 2004 election, where he advanced to the runoff and was declared the winner against former prime minister Viktor Yushchenko. However, allegations of electoral fraud and voter intimidation caused widespread protests and Kyiv's Independence Square was occupied in what became known as the Orange Revolution. The Ukrainian Supreme Court ultimately nullified the runoff election and ordered a rerun, which Yanukovych lost to Yushchenko. Yanukovych ran for President again in the 2010 election, this time beating Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in an election that was judged free and fair by international observers.[7][8]
Yanukovych argued in favour of economic modernisation, increased spending and, initially, continuing trade negotiations with the European Union (EU). He pledged to remain non-aligned in defence policy. However, his years in power saw what analysts described as democratic backsliding,[9] which included the jailing of Tymoshenko, a decline in press freedom[10] and an increase in cronyism and corruption.[11] In November 2013, Yanukovych made a sudden decision, amidst economic pressure from Russia,[12] to withdraw from signing an association agreement with the EU and instead accept a Russian trade deal and loan bailout. This sparked mass protests against him that ultimately led to his ousting as President.[13][14][15] The civil unrest peaked in February 2014, when almost 100 protesters were killed by police.[16]
With the country on the brink of civil war, Ukraine's political forces managed to reach an agreement. After the agreement was signed, Yanukovych, fearing for his life and the safety of his family, left Kyiv without warning, first for Kharkiv and later for Crimea.
The next day, 22 February, Ukraine's parliament voted to remove him from his position and schedule early elections on the grounds that he had withdrawn from his constitutional duties,[17] rather than through following the impeachment process outlined in the Ukrainian constitution. Some of his own party voted for his removal.[18][19][20][21]
On 24 February 2014, the new government issued a warrant for Yanukovych's arrest, accusing him of being responsible for the killing of protestors. Yanukovych went into exile in Russia, claiming to still be the legitimate head of state.[22]
On 18 June 2015, Yanukovych was officially deprived of the title of president by parliament.[23] On 24 January 2019, he was sentenced in absentia to a thirteen year prison term for high treason by a Ukrainian court.[24] In various polling conducted since his departure from office, Yanukovych was ranked the least popular president in Ukraine's independent history.[25] [26] Yanukovych has also given his name to a collective term for blunders made by Ukrainian politicians: Yanukisms.[27]
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