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Chicago TrubuneUkrainians lament 'lost hopes' after Orange Revolution
President Viktor Yushchenko, onetime agent of change, now the incarnation of dashed dreams
By Alex Rodriguez | Tribune correspondent
April 5, 2009
KIEV, Ukraine—Night after night, he appeared onstage here in a downtown plaza, his face ashen and pocked with cysts from a poisoning attempt on his life. At his feet were legions of Ukrainians wedged shoulder to shoulder, gleefully screaming his name until their throats were raw.
Viktor Yushchenko was the agent of change, followers of the 2004 Orange Revolution believed, a pathway to an era when rule of law would supplant corruption and cronyism. In the West, politicians held him up as the bulwark against Russian aggression. Not long after he led daily demonstrations that culminated in his ascent to the presidency, oddsmakers had him on their shortlist for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Today on the streets of Kiev—where Ukrainians cram into bank lobbies to pull their life's savings out before the money vanishes into Ukraine's economic black hole—Yushchenko is the incarnation of dashed dreams.
"This presidency has been all about lost time, lost opportunities and a lot of lost hopes of Ukrainians for a better life," said Dmitro Kazmirchuk, 28, a Kiev businessman. "No leader has ever been as trusted by Ukrainians as Yushchenko was. And now the people won't trust anyone anymore."
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