Yushchenko Returns to Ukraine
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INSIDE:• Anti-American campaign planned in Ukraine — page 2. • Commentaries: Why Kerry? Why Bush? — page 7. • Ruslana at World Music Awards in Las Vegas — page15. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXII HE No.KRAINIAN 42 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2004 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine YanukovychT aheadU in the polls, W Yushchenko returns to Ukraine has slim lead over Yushchenko Cause of his illness remains unknown by Roman Woronowycz in a rise in popularity of nearly 7 percent- Kyiv Press Bureau age points since September 22, a period of slightly more than three weeks. KYIV – Two weeks prior to election Mr. Yanukovych’s increased populari- day, one of the final polls allowed to be ty has come at the expense of Communist published prior to the presidential vote of Party Chairman Petro Symonenko, October 31 showed that Prime Minister whose ratings have plummeted from 7.4 Viktor Yanukovych had taken the lead percent to 3.4 percent in the same time over Viktor Yushchenko in the race for span, and Socialist Party leader the presidency. Oleksander Moroz, who has come down A Democratic Initiatives Foundation to a 4.8 percent rating from the 6 percent rolling poll conducted on October 9-10 popularity level he retained on showed that the Ukrainian prime minister September 22. now maintained a slim 34 percent to 31.6 None of the other 19 candidates that percent lead over Mr. Yushchenko whose will be listed on the October 31 presiden- campaigning abilities had been limited in tial election ballot managed to register the last weeks as he fought to recuperate even 1 percent support, with Progressive from the effects of a mysterious poison- Socialist Party candidate Natalia ing. Vitrenko coming closest at 0.9 percent. Ilko Kucheriv, director of DIF, said the Perhaps most importantly, however, lead change at the close of the presiden- 21.6 percent of the respondents said they tial horse race was the result of an effec- still hadn’t decided for whom they would tive although quite populist strategy used cast their ballot. Unusually the number of AP/Efrem Lukatsky by Mr. Yanukovych in the last weeks to undecided voters has risen since the Photos above show presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko before and after his appeal to older voters and Communist beginning of October. mysterious illness. On the left, he is seen on July 4, when he submitted his candida- Party sympathizers by dramatically rais- In a second survey on how a run-off cy papers. On the right, he is seen speaking to media on October 10 as he arrived at ing pensions and calling for official sta- between Mr. Yanukovych and Mr. Kyiv's Boryspil Airport from Vienna, where he had traveled for medical treatment. tus for the Russian language in Ukraine Yushchenko might look, the prime minis- while also promising dual citizenship ter also would get the nod, according to by Roman Woronowycz Airport, where he asked that journalists with Russia for those Ukrainians who the DIF poll, by a margin of 40.8 percent Kyiv Press Bureau not press him with questions. With his face heavily marked by blemishes, his would opt for such. to 39.4 percent. KYIV – Leading doctors of the Mr. Yanukovych’s ratings have risen The margin of error for both surveys nose a red bulb and his eyes slit shut by Rudolfinerhaus Clinic in Vienna, where the swelling around them, his looks gradually over the course of the year was +/- 2 percent. presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko from about 16 percent in January, but The September 10-11 DIF poll was to belied his words. has twice received treatment since Mr. Yushchenko hit the campaign trail have spiked since the end of September be the last one it would publish before September 9 for a mysterious ailment, after he began to assert a more Election Day because Ukrainian election immediately upon his return with an expressed disagreement on October 11 appearance in Lviv earlier that day, Communist-friendly policy in his appeal law forbids the publication of election over whether his symptoms could be to voters. survey results in the last two weeks prior where he was greeted by what some esti- construed as the result of biological poi- mated to be nearly 100,000 supporters. The Ukrainian prime minister has to an election so as not to influence the soning. watched as his new strategy has resulted thinking of individual voters. In Odesa three days later he told Rudolfinerhaus Clinic President 10,000 energized voters that nothing Michael Zimpfer on October 7 released a would split Ukraine into east and west, statement in which he explained that he no matter what the Yanukovych cam- INS detains Ukrainian awaiting deportation; and his chief doctor, Lothar Wicke, had paign team was warning could result officially requested help from bacterio- with a Yushchenko presidency. He also government will not discuss future with his family logical warfare experts to determine what apologized for his appearance. had poisoned the Ukrainian presidential “Please pardon the cosmetic defects. candidate. Subsequently, Dr. Wicke said This is the price you pay in Ukrainian by Andrew Nynka camp in Poland and then served as an he was forced to sign the request. armed guard at the slave labor camp politics,” Mr. Yushchenko said. PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The U.S. Mr. Yushchenko, looking worse than Dr. Zimpfer, president of there, as well as at the Budzyn slave ever and far older than his 50 years, Immigration and Naturalization labor camp. Rudolfinerhaus, who flew into Kyiv with Service abruptly detained an ailing, 81- returned to Ukraine on October 11 from the presidential candidate from the Power “Their claim is that he’s a flight the Viennese hospital, where he had spent year-old Ukrainian American man on risk,” Roman Wasylyk said of his to the People coalition, held a press con- September 24 and he is being held by another 10 days and received additional ference after his arrival to shed some father’s detention, referring to what he treatment for the mysterious illness. the Department of Homeland Security said were allusions made by INS offi- light on Mr. Yushchenko’s illness. at a federal detention center in Florida. Mr. Yushchenko is in a dead heat with Dr. Zimpfer continued to maintain that cials that his father would attempt to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in the Officials would not discuss Mykola dodge a March 2004 ruling by a U.S. the doctors of Rudolfinerhaus could not Wasylyk’s future with his family and race for the presidency of Ukraine, with yet confirm or deny the fact of a deliber- court that ordered his deportation from two weeks left to election day. his son told The Ukrainian Weekly that the United States on charges that he ate, premeditated poisoning. He said that he fears the government will deport his Mr. Yushchenko and his team believe the results of testing to determine lied to officials when he immigrated to he was deliberately poisoned sometime father without notifying the family. the U.S. in 1949. whether an agent used in bacteriological The elder Mr. Wasylyk was accused before or on September 5 to sideline his warfare could have caused Mr. “How can he be a flight risk if he candidacy and, perhaps, kill him. by the U.S. Justice Department of par- doesn’t have a passport and takes 10 Yushchenko’s condition would not be Government officials and supporters of ticipating in the persecution of Jewish different medications?” Roman known for some three weeks. Mr. Yanukovych have scoffed at such civilians during World War II. Wasylyk asked The Weekly on October Dr. Zimpfer explained that he had assertions and maintain that Mr. Documents filed by the Office of 12. Pursuant to a July 2001 decision flown to Kyiv with the presidential can- Yushchenko either suffered a viral infec- Special Investigations, the govern- by a district court in Syracuse, N.Y., didate at the behest of the Austrian ment’s Nazi-hunting arm, said that Mr. tion or was poisoned by a spoiled meal. Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that Wasylyk was trained at the Trawniki (Continued on page 13) “I have returned to Kyiv alive and well,” noted Mr. Yushchenko at Boryspil (Continued on page 12) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2004 No. 42 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Large-scale anti-American NEWSBRIEFS Ailing Yushchenko returns confirm that the Our Ukraine leader was deliberately poisoned, Ukrainian media campaign planned in Ukraine KYIV – Leading opposition presiden- reported on October 7. “[The commis- tial candidate Viktor Yushchenko on sion’s investigation] gives no grounds by Taras Kuzio posters, reminiscent of the worst period of October 10 returned to Ukraine from the today to assert that there has been an Eurasia Daily Monitor Soviet anti-Western propaganda, suggests Rudolfinerhaus hospital in Vienna, where attempt on the life of Viktor that, “The authorities have come to realize he underwent additional treatment last Yushchenko,” lawmaker Volodymyr Since October 1 representatives from the that they will lose the elections,” according week for a mysterious illness, Ukrainian Sivkovych, head of the commission, said headquarters of Ukrainian opposition presi- to Mr. Yushchenko’s election coalition. media reported. Before continuing on to in the Verkhovna Rada on October 7. dential candidate Viktor Yushchenko have “This is the work of those who only yes- Kyiv, a sickly looking Mr. Yushchenko discovered over 150 tons of illegal election “[The investigation] also gives no terday called for the holding of a free pres- addressed a cheering crowd of support- grounds to say that Viktor Yushchenko’s materials that are both anti-American and idential election campaign” (razom.org.ua, ers, estimated by some sources at anti-Yushchenko (see samples at: organism has not been influenced by October 4).