Editing History of Ukraine (section)

==== Strengthening and growing contradictions ====
{{Main|Cassette Scandal}}
{{See also|Viktor Yushchenko|Yulia Tymoshenko}}

The [[1999 Ukrainian presidential election|third presidential election in Ukraine]] took place in 1999, resulting in a victory for [[Leonid Kuchma]], who defeated [[Petro Symonenko]] in the run-off. This secured Kuchma a second consecutive term. However, his second term was plagued by widespread controversies, including allegations of authoritarianism, pervasive corruption scandals, curtailment of media freedoms, and large-scale public protests that challenged his leadership and legitimacy.<ref>[[Dieter Nohlen]] & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p. 1976. {{ISBN|9783832956097}}</ref>

[[File:Ukraine_Without_Kuchma_6_February.jpg|thumb|left|Protests of 6 February 2001 during Ukraine without Kuchma campaign]]
One of the darkest episodes of Kuchma’s presidency was the "[[Cassette Scandal]]", which erupted after recordings allegedly made by his former bodyguard, [[Mykola Melnychenko]], were leaked. These recordings implicated Kuchma in severe abuses of power, including involvement in the murder of journalist [[Georgiy Gongadze]], as well as corruption and electoral manipulations. The scandal provoked massive public outrage, culminating in the "[[Ukraine without Kuchma]]" protests of 2000–2001. These protests, marked by their intensity and broad support, severely undermined Kuchma's standing both domestically and internationally.<ref name="BBCprofileUkraine">[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18018002 Ukraine country profile – Overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325182022/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18018002 |date=25 March 2022 }}, [[BBC News]]</ref><ref>Adrian Karatnycky, "Ukraine's Orange Revolution," ''Foreign Affairs'', Vol. 84, No. 2 (March – April 2005), pp. 35–52 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/20034274 in JSTOR] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206103903/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20034274 |date=6 December 2018 }}</ref>

During his presidency, Kuchma’s administration was accused of suppressing opposition media outlets and harassing journalists and political opponents. High-profile figures like [[Viacheslav Chornovil]] died under mysterious circumstances, further fueling suspicions of state complicity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 September 2006 |title=Vyacheslav Chornovil was murdered, rather than killed in road accident |url=http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=148&listid=33534 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928014426/http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=148&listid=33534 |archive-date=28 September 2007 |access-date=5 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ukrainian Government Archives |url=https://www.archives.gov.ua/Sections/Ukraineomni/prechornovil.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233412/http://www.archives.gov.ua/Sections/Ukraineomni/prechornovil.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=26 October 2017}}</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1102303.stm#media "Country profile: Ukraine"], [[BBC News]]</ref> Historian [[Serhy Yekelchyk]] observed that Kuchma's government "employed electoral fraud freely", particularly during the 1999 presidential elections and the [[2000 Ukrainian constitutional referendum|2000 constitutional referendum]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_KRBCgAAQBAJ&dq=Ukrainian+constitutional+referendum+election+fraud+2000&pg=PA87 ''The Conflict in Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know''] by [[Serhy Yekelchyk]], [[Oxford University Press]], 2015, {{ISBN|0190237287}} (page 87)</ref>

Amid these challenges, [[Viktor Yushchenko]], a respected economist and reformer, rose to prominence. His tenure as the Governor of the [[National Bank of Ukraine]] earned him recognition for his professionalism and integrity, which led to his appointment as [[Prime Minister of Ukraine|Prime Minister]] in 1999, during Kuchma's re-election campaign. Yushchenko was perceived as a technocratic leader capable of addressing Ukraine’s economic stagnation and corruption.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Viktor-Yushchenko|title=Viktor Yushchenko|encyclopedia=Britannica|access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Viktor_Yushchenko_in_Polish_parliament..jpg|thumb|Yushchenko as prime minister visiting Poland in 2000]]
Initially, Yushchenko's government embarked on an ambitious reform agenda. These reforms included fiscal discipline, restructuring of key industries, and efforts to stabilize the economy, which had suffered during Kuchma’s first term. However, Yushchenko's policies soon clashed with the entrenched oligarchic networks that had flourished under Kuchma's protection. These oligarchic factions, wielding significant influence in Parliament and the Kuchma administration, actively resisted reforms that threatened their monopolistic practices and access to state resources.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/apr/27/iantraynor|title = Ukraine's popular PM forced out|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = 27 April 2001}}</ref>

One of the most contentious episodes of Yushchenko’s premiership was the dismissal of his deputy prime minister, [[Yulia Tymoshenko]], in 2001. Tymoshenko, who spearheaded anti-corruption initiatives and energy sector reforms, posed a significant challenge to oligarchic interests. Under pressure from Kuchma and oligarchic allies, Yushchenko was forced to dismiss Tymoshenko, a move that symbolized the constraints on reform under Kuchma’s presidency. Shortly after, the [[Verkhovna Rada]], dominated by pro-Kuchma factions, passed a vote of no confidence in Yushchenko’s government, effectively ending his tenure as Prime Minister. Kuchma’s lack of support during this political crisis highlighted the deepening rift between the two leaders.<ref name="LushnyckyRiabchuk2009">{{cite book|first1=Andrej N.|last1=Lushnycky|first2=Mykola|last2=Riabchuk|author-link2=Mykola Riabchuk|title=Ukraine on Its Meandering Path Between East and West|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cQqr7f9QkngC&pg=PA87|access-date=7 November 2015|year=2009|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=978-3-03911-607-2|page=87}}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=uU-uTX6IYCQC&pg=PT77 Energy Dependency, Politics and Corruption in the Former Soviet Union: Russia's Power, Oligarchs' Profits and Ukraine's Missing Energy Policy, 1995–2006] by Margarita M. Balmaceda, [[Routledge]], 2007, {{ISBN|978-0-415-43779-0}}, p. 59.</ref>

Following his dismissal, Yushchenko became a potent symbol of reform and anti-corruption, gaining significant public support. In 2002, he founded the "[[Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc|Our Ukraine]]" (''Nasha Ukrayina'') political coalition, which championed pro-Western and democratic ideals. This bloc emerged as a key opposition force against Kuchma’s policies and set the stage for the pivotal [[2004 Ukrainian presidential election|2004 presidential election]]. In this election, Yushchenko, as the leading opposition candidate, challenged [[Viktor Yanukovych]], Kuchma’s chosen successor, in a contest that would shape Ukraine’s political trajectory for years to come.<ref name=CarnIP>[https://books.google.com/books?id=X0PAQrsx-6YC&q=Force+of+the+people&pg=PA34 ''Revolution in Orange: The Origins of Ukraine's Democratic Breakthrough''] by [[Anders Aslund]] and [[Michael A. McFaul]], [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]], 2006, {{ISBN|0-87003-221-6}}; {{ISBN|978-0-87003-221-9}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Georgi gongadse.jpg|[[Georgiy Gongadze]], journalist, founder of a popular Internet newspaper ''[[Ukrainska Pravda]]'', who was kidnapped and murdered in 2000
File:Vladimir Putin at CIS Summit 30 November-1 December 2000-2.jpg|Leonid Kuchma with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] and Azerbaijani President [[Heydar Aliyev]]
File:Julija tymoschenko 2002.jpg|[[Yulia Tymoshenko]], Yushchenko's deputy prime minister, in 2002
</gallery>