Yulia Tymoshenko

Political files / 26 April 2005 | 19:33

After graduating from Dnepropetrovsk University in 1984 with a degree in economics, Timoshenko worked as an engineer-economist at the Lenin car factory in Dnepropetrovsk.  In 1989, she became the commercial director of the youth center “Terminal,” then worked as the commercial director at a company called “Ukrainian Gas Corporation.”  From November 1995 to January 1997, Timoshenko was the president of the industrial-financial corporation called “United Energy Systems of Ukraine” – the largest business structure in CIS. 

Timoshenko has served as a people’s deputy since 1996. 

Since 1997, she has been the first deputy of the party “Gromada,” where she was the head of the shady Cabinet of Ministers.

On December 30, 1999, Timoshenko was appointed as vice-premier of the fuel-energy complex.  A year later she was relieved of her duties as she was found to be implicated in two criminal cases. 

On February 13, 2001 she was arrested and jailed in Lyukyanovsk holding cell (Kiev).  She was released after 42 days, having signed an agreement not to leave the city. 

In January 2001, Timoshenko became the head of the forum of national salvation and was later elected to be the leader of her own electoral bloc.  In March 2002, Timoshenko and her bloc won seats in the Parliament, raising 7.2% of votes. 

In the fall of 2002, Timoshenko was an active participant in protests “Stand up, Ukraine.”  In the summer the Russian military office of public prosecutor instigated a case against the employees of the Russian Ministry of Defense, who were supposedly accepting bribes from Timoshenko.  An international search was called for the leader of BJT (Block of Julia Timoshenko). On January 28, 2004, the head prosecutor Piskun announced that Timoshenko’s case in Ukraine is closed. 

On February 4, the Verkhovna Rada swore in Julia Timoshenko as Prime Minister of Ukraine by 373 votes.            

ForUm

Victor Yushchenko

Political files / 26 April 2005 | 18:27

Victor Yushchenko graduated Ternopol financial-economic institute. After graduating he served a year in Soviet army, in frontier troops on the Soviet-Turkish border.From the year 1976 he worked in the banking system.

In 1985 he became deputy chief, then chief of management of the Ukrainian republican office of State Bank.

In 1992 he became the first vice-president of the joint-stock commercial agroindustrial bank “Ukraine.”

From January 1993 to December 1999 he was the president of the National Bank of Ukraine.

From December 1999 to April 2001 – prime minister of Ukraine.

In 2001 the parliament gives Yushchenko a vote of discredit.

The deputy investigating commission tried to accuse Yushchenko of illegally placing the Ukrainian exchange reserve in Cyprus involving $580 million. Yushchenko was also charged with involvement in the bankruptcy of the bank “Ukraine.”

None of the accusations brought against him was proved.

2001-2002 – director of the Ukrainian-Russian institute of management and business.

2002 – January 2005 – PM of Ukraine, member of the Committee of Verhovna Rada of Ukraine regarding human rights, the rights of national minorities,
as well as international relations.

2003 – January 2005 – President of the Ukrainian public organization “Our Ukraine.”

Victor Yushchenko is the chairman of the� Supervisory Council of the International fund “Ukraine 3000” (Fund In. Victor Yushchenko).

Founder of the International charitable endowment of Viacheslav Chornovol.

In December 2004 he was elected to post of president of Ukraine.

Married, has five children and a granddaughter: sons Andrey and Taras, daughters Vitalina, Sofia and Christina, granddaughter Yarina.

ForUm

Petr Poroshenko

Political files / 26 April 2005 | 17:45

In 1989, after graduating with honors from the Department of International Relations at the Shevchenko University in Kiev with a degree in international economics, Poroshenko pursued his masters. 

From 1990 to 1991, Poroshenko was the deputy director of “Respublika” (“Republic”) – an alliance of small enterprises.  From 1991 to 1993, he was the head of the joint-stock association “Exchange house ‘Ukraine’.”  Later he was the director of the closed joint-stock company “Ukrainian Industry-Investment Trust.” 

In the parliamentary elections of 1998, he was in the eleventh place in the party list of   Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) (SDPU (u)).  However, Poroshenko received his deputy mandate in the majority district number 12 (Vinnitsya district).  Poroshenko was also a part of the parliamentary fraction the United Socio-Democrats and was a member of the Politburo.  He explained his decision to join the Social Democrats as “Because SDPU is an opposition party.  Because, in my view (although I’m not a member of the party), this is a party of pragmatics, a party of competent people.” 

In the beginning of 2002, Poroshenko left the SDPU and created his own leftist fraction “Solidarity” – later the “”Party of the Solidarity of Ukraine.”  The latter became a part of the Regions of Ukraine Party (RUP) in the fall of the same year.  Poroshenko became the co-head of the said party and in March 2001 was made the deputy head of RUP – a position he left after six months. 

In December 2001, the “Solidarity” party became a part of Victor Yuschenko’s electoral bloc “”Nasha Ukraina” or “Our Ukraine” and Poroshenko became the head of the bloc’s electoral headquarters. 

Since May 2002, Poroshenko was the head of the Parliamentary Committee on Budgetary Issues and in July 2004, became the deputy head of the “Sila Naroda” or “The Power of the People” coalition headquarters.

On January 24, the President of Ukraine appointed Petr Poroshenko as the Secretary of National Security and Defense.   
   
 

ForUm

Alexander Zinchenko

Political files / 26 April 2005 | 17:40

Graduated from the National University of Chernovits. 

Worked as an engineer in the research and development sector in the department of theoretical physics.  While there, he was a post-graduate student, as well as a junior researcher of the university.  His Komsomol career started in 1983.  He started out as an assistant secretary of the National University of Chernovits Komsomol Committee and in six years became the head of the Department of Propaganda and Agitation of LYCLSU  (Leninist Young Communist League of the Soviet Union), as well as the head of the Coordination Committee charged with interchange with Soviet youth organizations. 

At the time of the Emergency State Committee (GKCHP) Zinchenko was the co-author of the LYCLSU statement of absolute condemnation of the putsch as an attempt to overthrow the government.  At this time he also organized youth programs on television and was the head of the Liquidation Committee of LYCLSU. 

Zinchenko graduated from the Academy of Social Sciences with a degree in political science.  While in Kiev, he was the head of a limited liability company, “Ometa-Mercantile,” which was part of “Ometa-XXI Century” – a holding company created by Grigoriy Surkis in 1992.  He later went on to become vice-president of a trade delegation of joint-stock company “Balchug.”

In 1995 Zinchenko became the director-general of the AO ZT IA “Ukraina-Express” and the director-general of AOZT “The Independent Ukrainian TV Corporation” – the TV channel “Inter.”  Until May 2002, Zinchenko was the honorary president of the channel.    

National deputy of three convocations. 

In the year 2002, Zinchenko got involved in the Parliament on a party ticket SDPU (u) (number 3 on the ticket). From May 2002 until September 2003, he was an authorized representative of the United Social-Democrat Faction.  In May 2002, he was elected as a vice-speaker of Parliament by a quota of SDPU. 

In 2003, Zinchenko had a falling out with Victor Medvedchuk’s party, and in July 2004 was selected to be the head of Victor Yuschenko’s electoral headquarters.  On September 25, 2004 he became the head of “Sila Naroda” – “People’s Power” coalition. 

In November 2004 Zinchenko was elected to be the Chairman of the Executive Committee on National Rescue.

On January 24, 2004, was chosen as State Secretary under President Victor Yushchenko. 

ForUm

Yanukovich has met with EU ambassadors

News / 26 April 2005 | 17:28

The meeting between the leader of "Party of Regions", Victor Yanukovich, and ambassadors of European Union took place today, the press-service of the party reported to ForUm.

In his speech before ambassadors Yanukovich pointed out that the new power did not manage to keep the dynamics of economic increase. Almost all national measures reduced twice.

According to him, Ukraine had one of the lowest levels of inflation among CIS-countries last year. Today Ukraine is the leader.

Yanukovich also underlined that the sum of unpaid salary has increased by 10% and makes 1.2 milliard hryvnias. "People pay three times more for foodstuff, necessaries of life. Energy costs, prices for cargo transportation and public services came up. Inflation reduced to zero those wage and pension rises, which were introduced by the new authorities," said Yanukovich.

"When the similar situations appeared previous years, we managed to agree with business, to find market instruments in order to prevent the people from negative consequences. The former opposition – the present power – criticized our actions, accusing of interference into economics and populism. Today, as they say, time put everything right.

To a certain extent, lack of effect in economic policy of the new government can be explained by an objective factor – new team did not achieve harmony in work. However, it worries that unsystematic actions become the work’s style of this team," underlined Yanukovich.

ForUm

Yushchenko signed an edict about formation of a new control system – National Council

News / 26 April 2005 | 16:30

The president of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko about formation of National Council charged with local self-government and regional development questions.
He declared about it on today’s whole-Ukrainian meeting of local self-government representatives.

As UNIAN reported, the president pointed out a necessity to form without delay an effective control system, which will coordinate the work of local self-governments. "It is needed to form a single organ – National Council charged with local self-government and regional development questions. I see it as a center of mobilization of intelligence, generation of ideas and support of initiatives," underlined Yushchenko.

ForUm

Yushchenko told about achievements of the new administration

News / 26 April 2005 | 15:45

Among achievements of the new power the president of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko named the liberty of speech in Mass-Medias, ForUm’s correspondent reported.

According to him, none of the officials explains Mass-Medias what to write, and what do not. "Still we have a lot of work to do … to overcome monopolism in the sphere of TV and radio broadcasting, but liberty of speech and independent Mass-Medias become reality in this country," said Yushchenko.

He also declared that the new power will force murderers of journalists and embezzlers of state property to pay for their crimes.

Besides, Yushchenko underlined that the new power managed to get back to the state budget more than 80% of means, stolen from the budget before.

ForUm

Melnichenko’s records were given to a Cabinet’s official

News / 26 April 2005 | 14:50

The head of Civil Liberty Fund Alexander Goldfarb delivered all records of the ex-major of State Security Nickolay Melnichenko to a member of Ukrainian government.

"We delivered ten compact discs, which contains all records, received from Melnichenko in 2002. There are about 700 hours of talks there, everything he had," said Goldfarb, "Interfax-Ukraine" reported.

According to Goldfarb, negotiations were holding during the whole last week. "Finally, we has found the way to deliver these records and now our Fund gets out of this mess," he pointed out.

In response to the question why these materials were given to a member of government, but not to the General Office of Public Prosecutor, Goldfarb replied that there was such agreement. "There was an agreement that Ukrainian side would personally declare about records delivery," he said.

Goldfarb has reported that he will leave Ukraine on Tuesday.

ForUm