What happened to Yushchenko?
Following an assassination attempt in late 2004 during his election campaign, Yushchenko was confirmed to have ingested hazardous amounts of TCDD, the most potent dioxin and a contaminant in Agent Orange. He suffered disfigurement as a result of the poisoning, but has since made a full physical recovery.
Who succeeded Yanukovych?
After the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, Viktor Yanukovych abandoned his office and fled the country. He was subsequently impeached, and replaced by Oleksandr Turchynov as the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, who serves as acting president when the office is vacant.
Why did Ukraine remove president Yanukovych from office?
The Verkhovna Rada Committee voted on February 22, 2014 MPs voted to “remove Viktor Yanukovych from the post of president of Ukraine” on the grounds that he was unable to fulfill his duties and to hold early presidential elections on May 25.
What is the Orange Revolution in Ukraine?
The Orange Revolution (Ukrainian: Помаранчева революція, romanized: Pomarancheva revoliutsiia) was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, which was claimed …
What is dioxin poisoning?
Dioxins are called persistent organic pollutants (POPs), meaning they take a long time to break down once they are in the environment. Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, damage to the immune system, and can interfere with hormones.
Does Ukraine have a president?
Since the office’s establishment on 5 December 1991, there have been six presidents of Ukraine. Leonid Kravchuk was the inaugural president, serving three years from 1991 until his resignation in 1994. The current president is Volodymyr Zelensky, who took the oath of office on 20 May 2019.
Is Ukraine a democracy?
The politics of Ukraine take place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic and of a multi-party system.
Who is prime minister of Ukraine?
Denys ShmyhalSince 2020
Ukraine/Prime minister
Unlike the President of Ukraine, who is directly elected by popular vote every five years, the Prime Minister is appointed by the President upon the ratification of the candidate by the parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Denys Shmyhal is the current Prime Minister of Ukraine since 4 March 2020.
What were the Berkut?
The Berkut (Ukrainian: Бе́ркут, “golden eagle”; Russian: Бе́ркут, Byerkut) is the Ukrainian system of special police (riot police) of the Ukrainian Militsiya within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Why was it called Euromaidan?
The name is composed of two parts: “Euro” is short for Europe and “maidan” refers to Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), the large square in the downtown of Kyiv, where the protests mostly took place.
What was the outcome of the Rose Revolution?
The revolution was brought about by widespread protests over the disputed parliamentary elections and culminated in the ousting of President Eduard Shevardnadze, which marked the end of the Soviet era of leadership in the country.
Is Agent Orange still used today?
Agent Orange was a herbicide mixture used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. Production of Agent Orange ended in the 1970s and is no longer in use. The dioxin contaminant however continues to have harmful impact today.