Victor Yushenko

The presidential candidate appeared on the parliamentary tribune. There was no doubt he was suffering from the effects of this toxic substance. He appeared to be in pain: he had a curved mouth, paralysis of the obverse nerve, puffy eyes and tongue-tied speech. The opposition leader said to the deputies he “avoided death because my angels do not sleep”. He explained that his liquidation had been prepared by the authorities, but they had miscalculated the required dose of poison.

Doctors from the private Austrian clinic Rudolf Innerhaus diagnosed severe pancreitis caused by a chemical substance. According to the Austrian professor of medicine, Nicholas Korpan, this substance could be mixed into someone’s food.

The poison in question can kill if more than a milligram is present. It can be taken in either through food or the respiritory system. Symptoms include strong stomach pains, spasms, and unconsciousness. Death comes after a week.

In 2002, similar symptoms affected the Ukrainian parliamentary deputy, Oleg Oleksenko. As a result, he died. Rumours about him having been poisoned continue to circulate.

“In the Ukraine there is a political culture of contract killings”, Viktor Yushenko said. It would seem he is right. A long list of contract killings have occured, none of which have been cleared up. Between 1996 and 2001, parliamentary deputies Vadim Getman and Yevgeni Shcherban, and journalists Georg Gongadze and Igor Aleksandrov were murdered. Vyacheslav Chornovil was lost in a car accident. The list of mysterious deaths can be continued. They all have one thing in common: none of the killers has ever appeared in court.

The Ukrainian Public Prosecutor, Gennady Vasilyev, has started an investigation into the poisoning of Victor Yushenko. However the leader of opposition considers its success sceptically. As well as all previous public prosecutors, Vasilyev serves “the political system where killings are ordered”. The State Office of Public Prosecutor covers up the provocations and crimes of the special services. According to the opposition, the main customer of contract killings is the president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma.

Professor Nicholas Korpan considers that “Mr. Yushenko was saved because he immediately went for medical help and his strength resisted the poison”. Ñåé÷àñ ëèäåð îïïîçèöèè ïîñòåïåííî ïðèõîäèò â íîðìó. «ß íèêîãî è íè÷åãî íå áîþñü. Öåíîé ñâîåé æèçíè è çäîðîâüÿ ÿ îïëà÷ó ñ÷åòà òîëüêî ðàäè òîãî, ÷òîáû íà Óêðàèíå ïîÿâèëàñü ÷åñòíàÿ âëàñòü», - ñêàçàë îí ïåðåä ó÷àñòíèêàìè ìèòèíãà â ïîääåðæêó ñâîáîäû è äåìîêðàòèè Now the leader of the opposition is gradually returning to normal. “I fear nobody and nothing. I will pay with my life and health for a fair system in Ukraine”, he said at a meeting in support of freedom and democracy.