Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Who poisoned Yushchenko?
The Times (U.K.) ^ | 12/08/04 | Jeremy Page

Posted on 12/07/2004 3:11:02 PM PST by Pokey78

Doctors at the Austrian clinic that treated Ukraine’s opposition leader confirm there was a plot to kill him

MEDICAL experts have confirmed that Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine’s opposition leader, was poisoned in an attempt on his life during election campaigning, the doctor who supervised his treatment at an Austrian clinic said yesterday.

Doctors at Vienna’s exclusive Rudolfinerhaus clinic are within days of identifying the substance that left Mr Yushchenko’s face disfigured with cysts and lesions, Nikolai Korpan told The Times in a telephone interview.

Specialists in Britain, the United States and France had helped to establish that it was a biological agent, a chemical agent or, most likely, a rare poison that struck him down in the run-up to the presidential election, he said. Doctors needed to examine Mr Yushchenko again at the clinic in Vienna to confirm their diagnosis but were in no doubt that the substance was administered deliberately, he said.

“This is no longer a question for discussion,” Dr Korpan said. “We are now sure that we can confirm which substance caused this illness. He received this substance from other people who had a specific aim.”

Asked if the aim had been to kill him, Dr Korpan said: “Yes, of course.”

Proof that Mr Yushchenko was deliberately poisoned would be a devastating blow for his rival, the Prime Minister, Viktor Yanukovych, as the two candidates prepare for a repeat of a presidential run-off on December 26.

It would raise questions about whether the poisoning was ordered by Mr Yanukovych, his allies, or even the Kremlin, which fears that Mr Yushchenko will take Ukraine out of its sphere of influence by joining Nato and the EU.

Mr Yushchenko had said recently that he would soon reveal proof that his opponents had tried to assassinate him, but a spokeswoman said he had no plans to travel to Vienna.

Mr Yushchenko fell ill on September 6 and was rushed to Rudolfinerhaus four days later with severe abdominal pain and lesions on his face and trunk. His liver, pancreas and intestines were swollen and his digestive tract covered in ulcers, but doctors could not explain the symptoms. Against their advice he went back on the campaign trail after a week, but returned to the clinic two weeks later with back pain.

Again he returned to campaigning, with his face half paralysed and a catheter inserted in his back so that doctors — still baffled — could inject painkillers into his spinal column.

Rudolfinerhaus doctors had previously said that they did not have medical evidence to back up or rule out deliberate poisoning.

Mr Yanukovych’s supporters ridiculed the opposition, saying the illness was probably caused by bad sushi, too much cognac or a severe case of herpes. A parliamentary investigation found no evidence of poisoning.

But Dr Korpan said that toxicologists and other experts at laboratories in Britain, the US and France had since examined Mr Yushchenko’s blood samples and medical records. “We will reveal the results in the near future and confirm the cause of this mysterious illness,” he said. “We need to check him again here in Vienna. If we received him today, we could finish the whole investigation in two or three days.”

He declined to say exactly what the substance might have been, or where it might have come from. “Maybe it was administered through injection, maybe in water, maybe through eating, but the way to give it to him is very simple. This substance can be given very precisely — to only one person,” he said.

John Henry, a prominent British toxicologist, has suggested that Mr Yushchenko’s symptoms were consistent with dioxin poisoning, which causes a severe form of acne called chloracne. Doctors at Rudolfinerhaus did not initially test Mr Yushchenko for dioxin, in part because his skin changes were not as severe as they are now. He also refused a biopsy of his face because he did not want to campaign with stitches. Other doctors have suggested that Mr Yushchenko may have been struck down by a rare illness. Dr Korpan said that Mr Yushchenko should be able to make a full recovery but needed to get back to the clinic. “We are waiting to check him as soon as possible and then we can say what he needs.”

He said Mr Yushchenko was no longer having injections, but was taking a combination of vitamins and medicine to boost his immune system.

The offices of Leonid Kuchma, the outgoing President, and Mr Yanukovych did not comment on Dr Korpan’s disclosure.

But Viktor Pinchuk, Mr Kuchma’s billionaire son-in-law, said in a recent interview he did not believe that there was evidence that Mr Yushchenko was poisoned.

“I believe he is sure it was poisoning. He’s not a liar. But some people from his camp created this provocation against him, his image, the government and the country,” he said.


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; Russia
KEYWORDS: antidemocracy; assassinationattempt; bewaretheredmenace; brownshirts; coldwar2; coldwarii; communism; communists; dioxin; dirtytricks; election; electionfraud; electionviolence; espionage; hitsquad; kgb; kremlin; moscow; murder; murdermostfoul; poison; prostalin; russia; sovietunion; spies; spy; theredmenace; traitor; treason; ukraine; ukraineelection; ussr; viktoryushchenko; yanukovych; yushchenko
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141-158 next last

1 posted on 12/07/2004 3:11:02 PM PST by Pokey78
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Pokey78

The old commies are at it again. how many USSR Premiers look get one day and the next thing you know they were on deaths door. And low and behold they died.


2 posted on 12/07/2004 3:16:32 PM PST by marty60
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78

3 posted on 12/07/2004 3:16:35 PM PST by sigSEGV
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78

He' suffering from exhaustion.


4 posted on 12/07/2004 3:17:21 PM PST by First_Salute (May God save our democratic-republican government, from a government by judiciary.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78; jan in Colorado

Gee, why does this have me thinking of Georgi Markov again....


5 posted on 12/07/2004 3:17:22 PM PST by USF (I see your Jihad and raise you a Crusade ™ © ®)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78

BEFORE

6 posted on 12/07/2004 3:17:24 PM PST by bitt (I am smitten by the Prez.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78
"A parliamentary investigation found no evidence of poisoning."

Hah, that settles it then /s>

7 posted on 12/07/2004 3:17:34 PM PST by Bahbah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78

The KGB has a quite extensive knowlege of poisons which it has a history of using to dispose of its enemies.


8 posted on 12/07/2004 3:18:00 PM PST by anymouse
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78
This is a bombshell.

It is now confirmed that he was poisoned.

9 posted on 12/07/2004 3:19:08 PM PST by SkyPilot
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78
A Related Story

Check the pic out. Nasty.

10 posted on 12/07/2004 3:19:33 PM PST by Billthedrill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78

Personally, I think there could be a lesson to be leaned here. A couple of 'em.


11 posted on 12/07/2004 3:21:11 PM PST by riri
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78
KGB Poison Umbrellas.
12 posted on 12/07/2004 3:21:11 PM PST by SkyPilot
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: riri

leaned-learned


13 posted on 12/07/2004 3:21:27 PM PST by riri
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78

hopefully we won't see our own domestic leftists adopt similar tactics in the near future.


14 posted on 12/07/2004 3:26:39 PM PST by the invisib1e hand (if a man lives long enough, he gets to see the same thing over and over.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pokey78
"Other doctors have suggested that Mr Yushchenko may have been struck down by a rare illness."

Rare illness? Yeah, sure! You can be sure that if the Dems could get away with this sort of crap in this country, George Bush would be dead with a rare illness.

15 posted on 12/07/2004 3:27:11 PM PST by davisfh
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: marty60
Yeah, but they have to be soiling their drawers over this one. They didn't kill him. He's the new Rasputin...
16 posted on 12/07/2004 3:37:15 PM PST by Jokelahoma (Animal testing is a bad idea. They get all nervous and give wrong answers.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Jokelahoma

Well in the old days, they couldn't run to an Austrian Clinic. (London or Paris) They were prisoners. I guess some of the old commies forgot, with freedom comes the ability to go to a REAL hospital.


17 posted on 12/07/2004 3:40:02 PM PST by marty60
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Destro

Ping for more from your favorite Austrian doctors. *along with the US and UK.

I know you trust these Austrians so this is the article for you.


18 posted on 12/07/2004 3:43:56 PM PST by texasflower (Liberty can change habits. ~ President George W. Bush 10/08/04)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jokelahoma

Great post Jokelahoma!!! He's the new Rasputin.. Great Analogy!


19 posted on 12/07/2004 3:44:29 PM PST by Odyssey-x
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Peach; Mo1

Poisoning ping


20 posted on 12/07/2004 3:46:37 PM PST by prairiebreeze (It's my right to publically celebrate Christmas and state my faith in Christ. At least for now.....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141-158 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson