What Was Viktor Yushchenko Poisoned With?

Ukraine’s former President, Viktor Yushchenko, was poisoned with a dioxin, a toxic chemical, fourteen years ago while taking on a presidential candidate favoured by Russia.

There was 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.

He suffered disfigurement as a result of the poisoning, but has since made a full recovery.

Yushchenko became seriously ill, so much so that he was transported to a hospital in Vienna, Austria, suffering from intestinal issues as well as face disfigurement with jaundice and pockmarks.

Tests confirmed Yushchenko had been poisoned with dioxin, a chemical found in agent orange, according to The New York Times. Doctors said his blood dioxin level was “more than 1,000 times” normal and suggested he had eaten the poison.

To this day, there is no definitive answer as to how and who poisoned Yushchenko, but many pointed to a dinner he had with Ukrainian officials who had ties with Russian officials after which he fell ill.