On August 18, 2008 President Victor Yushchenko granted him the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, though it was harshly opposed by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko who urged to " stop granting decorations to corruptionists ".

In the runoff election, Yanukovych officially won by a narrow margin, but Yushchenko and his supporters cried foul, alleging that vote rigging and intimidation cost him many votes, especially in eastern Ukraine.

John Laughland ( who said that reports of mass graves in Iraq were exaggerated for political purposes ) characterised some supporters of Ukraine's Viktor Yushchenko as " neo-Nazis " and many of those backing him on the streets as " druggy skinheads from Lvov " whereas principal elements of the Jewish community supported Yushchenko.

The election results were challenged by Viktor Yushchenko and his supporters with many international observers claiming that the election was rigged.

The election was held in a highly charged atmosphere, with the Yanukovych team and the outgoing president's administration using their control of the government and state apparatus for intimidation of Yushchenko and his supporters.

While Yanukovych supporters have claimed that Yushchenko's connections to the Ukrainian media explain this disparity, the Yushchenko team publicized evidence of many incidents of electoral fraud in favor of the government-backed Yanukovych, witnessed by many local and foreign observers.

In response, Yushchenko's opponents denounced him for taking an illegitimate oath, and even some of his moderate supporters were ambivalent about this act, while a more radical side of the Yushchenko camp demanded him to act even more decisively.

In Kiev the pro-Yanukovych demonstrators were far outnumbered by Yushchenko supporters, whose ranks were continuously swelled by new arrivals from many regions of Ukraine.

The next morning after the certification took place, Yushchenko spoke to supporters in Kiev, urging them to begin a series of mass protests, general strikes and sit-ins with the intent of crippling the government and forcing it to concede defeat.

This decision was seen as a victory for the Yushchenko camp while Yanukovych and his supporters favored a rerun of the entire election rather than just the run-off, as a second-best option if Yanukovych was not awarded the presidency.

Orange-clad supporters of Viktor Yushchenko gather in Independence Square in Kiev.

This was rejected by the opposition, with Yushchenko called on supporters to protest " the total falsification of the vote.

Later that night, Yushchenko told supporters to stay in the square overnight to keep the tent encampment safe from security forces, who wanted to dismantle it.

Not paying attention to the cold weather and fear caused by the relocation of the military vehicles and the special operations personnel, the supporters of Yushchenko gathered around 100-150 thousands of followers.

Approximately 100, 000 Yushchenko supporters gathered in Kiev awaiting a session of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, in the hope that it would discuss the accusations of fraud and come to a solution.

In a session of parliament boycotted by supporters of Yanukovych, Yushchenko took the oaths of president, though the parliament lacked the quorum to do this legally.

As a gesture of goodwill, Yushchenko agreed to tell his supporters to cease their blockade of official buildings in Kiev so that government work could resume.

As Yushchenko supporters have received what they wanted from Ukraine's Supreme Court, protests calmed down in Kiev although supporters of the Orange Revolution remain in Independence Square.

The city was the site of mass protests over the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election by supporters of opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko beginning on 22 November 2004 at Independence Square.

His father, Andriy Andriyovych Yushchenko ( 1919 – 1992 ), fought in the Second World War, was captured by German forces and imprisoned as a POW in a series of concentration camps in Poland and Germany, including Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Shortly after the Orange Revolution, as the elections and series of protests in Ukraine came to be called, Yushchenko appointed Nemtsov as an economic advisor ( Dow Jones International News, 14 February 2005 ).

* 1954 – Viktor Yushchenko, 3rd President of Ukraine

Viktor's mother, Varvara Tymofiyovna Yushchenko ( 1918 – 2005 ), taught physics and mathematics at the same school.

Viktor Yushchenko ( First round ) – percentage of total national vote

One was sitting Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, largely supported by Leonid Kuchma ( the outgoing President of Ukraine who already served two terms in the office and was precluded from running himself due to the constitutional term limits ), and the opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko, leader of the Our Ukraine faction in the Ukrainian parliament and a former Prime Minister ( 1999 – 2001 ).

On 29 November, a coalition was signed between the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine – People's Self-Defense Bloc, which was associated with President Yushchenko.

But, if Yushchenko and Yanukovych – who are ideologists of snap elections – throw the country into snap elections, then they will bear responsibility for all the consequences of the global financial crisis on Ukraine ".

* Viktor Yushchenko – 3rd President of Ukraine ( 2005 – 2010 ); Khoruzhivka village

* The Orange Revolution in Ukraine followed the disputed second round of the Ukrainian presidential election, 2004, leading to the annulment of the result and the repeat of the round – Leader of the Opposition Viktor Yushchenko was declared President, defeating Viktor Yanukovych.

After the Orange Revolution, President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine hosted a major commemoration of the 65th anniversary in 2006, attended by Presidents Moshe Katsav of Israel, Filip Vujanovic of Montenegro, Stjepan Mesić of Croatia, and Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau.

By the time of the presidential election of 2009, Yushchenko and Tymoshenko — allies during the Orange Revolution — had become bitter enemies.

Yushchenko did become president following the subsequent Orange Revolution and immediately launched a new investigation, replacing the country's prosecutor-general.

The alliance supported Viktor Yushchenko during the Ukrainian presidential election of 2004, and played an active role in the widespread acts of civil non-violent protest that became known as the Ukrainian Orange Revolution.

During the Orange Revolution the Ukrainian NBP decided not to support Yanukovych or 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.

Yushchenko with fellow opposition leader Oleksandr Moroz during the Orange Revolution

Yushchenko was declared the official winner and with his inauguration on 23 January 2005 in Kiev, the Orange Revolution ended.

President Viktor Yushchenko decreed in 2005 22 November ( the starting day of the Orange Revolution ) the non-public holiday " Day of Freedom ".

Putin also claimed that the organizers of the Russian protests in December 2011 were former ( Russian ) advisors to Yushchenko during his presidency and were transferring the Orange Revolution to Russia.

In 2005, after the success of Viktor Yushchenko in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election and the Orange Revolution, the new government has shown interest in using the pipeline in the direction originally intended, in order to transfer oil from the Caspian to Europe.

After the Orange Revolution of 2004, the party joined the opposition to new president Viktor Yushchenko in a coalition with the " Derzhava " ( State ) party led by former Ukrainian prosecutor Gennady Vasilyev.

Yushchenko did become president following the subsequent Orange Revolution and immediately launched a new investigation, replacing the country's prosecutor-general.

On the night of the " Orange Victory ," the 15-meter long scarf was handed by Lyzhichko to President Yushchenko as one of the main symbols of the brotherhood between Ukraine and Poland.