| Ukrainian presidential candidate claims he was poisoned The presidential campaign in Ukraine a month and a half before the vote is increasingly reminiscent of the plots of the Italian Renaissance, with their passions about poisons, etc. An attempt was allegedly made to poison 54-year-old Viktor Yushchenko, a Western-backed opposition leader and rival of the ruling party candidate. This was stated on September 17 by the head of Yushchenko's election headquarters, Alexander Zinchenko. Yushchenko's supporters are seeking the creation of a commission in the Rada to investigate the emergency. They do not trust the Prosecutor General's Office.
On the night of September 6, Yushchenko began to experience severe stomach cramps and vomiting. Doctors diagnosed “stomach flu”. After four days of treatment, the symptoms did not disappear. After urgent hospitalization in one of the Austrian clinics, a council of 11 doctors diagnosed “acute pancreatitis, complicated by rapidly developing edema.” The disease was caused by a “severe viral infection” and “chemical substances not included in food” (their composition could not be clarified). If Yushchenko had been taken to the clinic two to three hours later, the probability of death would have been 80%, Zinchenko said. According to him, two years ago one of the opposition deputies, Oleg Alekseenko, died with a similar diagnosis.
Already on Saturday, Mr. Yushchenko recovered from a mysterious illness and spoke at a rally in Kyiv. “I would like to give some compliments to the authorities: you won’t poison us!” - said the presidential candidate. Half of his face was slightly distorted, where swelling persisted.
People around the president believe that the poisoning is part of Yushchenko's political PR. “I don’t believe that anyone made an attempt on Yushchenko’s life,” said Sergei Tigipko, head of the election headquarters of the single candidate from the government. Viktor Yanukovych, according to Mr. Tigipko, “does not need victory at any cost,” he needs victory “only in fair elections,” because Ukraine is not interested in isolation. Svetlana STEPANENKO, Kyiv |
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