Editing Viktor Yanukovych (section)

==Early life and early career==
Viktor Yanukovych was born in the village of Zhukovka near [[Yenakiieve]] in [[Donetsk Oblast]], [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Ukrainian SSR]], [[Soviet Union]]. Of his childhood he has written: "My childhood was difficult and hungry. I grew up without my mother, who died when I was two. I went around bare-footed on the streets. I had to fight for myself every day.<ref name="Tele">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/6973451/Ukraines-Orange-villain-seeks-last-laugh.html "Ukraine's 'Orange villain' seeks last laugh"], ''U.K. Telegraph'' online (12 January 2010)</ref>

Yanukovych is of [[Russians|Russian]], [[Polish people|Polish]]<ref>[http://wyborcza.pl/1,76842,9037863,Janukowycz_zmienia_konstytucje_Ukrainy__przedluza.html Wojciechowski, M. ''Janukowycz zmienia konstytucję Ukrainy, przedłuża sobie kadencję i podkreśla polskie korzenie''.] "Gazeta Wyborcza". Kyiv, 02/2011.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://polskinetwork.org/strona,duma,43,znani-polacy-wspolczesnie.html |title= Polski Network. ''Znani Polacy współcześnie'' |publisher= Polskinetwork.org |access-date= 28 December 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130127045644/http://www.polskinetwork.org/strona,duma,43,znani-polacy-wspolczesnie.html |archive-date= 27 January 2013 |url-status= dead}}</ref> and [[Belarusians|Belarusian]] descent. Yanukovych is a surname of Belarusian origin,<ref name="birila">{{in lang|be}} Бiрыла, М. В. (1966). ''Беларуская антрапанiмiя. Уласныя iмёны, iмёны-мянушкi, iмёны па бацьку, прозвiшчы.'' Мінск: Навука i тэхнiка. с. 85–86.</ref> ''Yanuk''<ref>Unbegaun, B. O. (1972). ''Russian Surnames''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 529 p.</ref><ref>{{in lang|be}} Усціновіч, Г. К. (1975). ''Антрапанімія Гродзеншчыны і Брэстчыны (XIV—XVIII стст.).'' Мінск: Навука і тэхніка. с. 89–106.</ref> being a derivative of the Catholic name ''Yan'' ("John").<ref name="birila"/><ref>{{in lang|be}} [[Vaclaw Lastowski|Ластоўскі, В.]] (1924). ''Падручны Расійска-Крыўскі (Беларускі) слоўнік.'' Коўна. c. 761–767.</ref><ref>{{in lang|be}} Шур, В. В. (2010). ''Уласнае імя ў мастацкім тэксце.'' с. 93.</ref> His mother was a Russian nurse and his father, Fyodor Yanukovych, was a Polish-Belarusian locomotive-driver, originally from {{ill|Yanuki|pl|Januki}} in the [[Dokshytsy Raion]] of the [[Vitebsk Region]] which is in present-day Belarus.<ref>{{cite news|title= Politicians' roots: Ataman from Khoruzhivka and Kuzhel-Dolgorukaya|url= http://www.segodnya.ua/ukraine/korni-politikov-ataman-iz-khoruzhevki-i-kuzhel-dolhorukaja.html|publisher= [[Segodnya]]|date= 1 May 2009|access-date= 14 June 2009|language= ru}}</ref><ref name="kppolish">{{cite news|title= Yanukovych announces Polish roots ahead of Warsaw trip on 3 Feb. #comment-104899|url= https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/yanukovych-announces-polish-roots-ahead-of-warsaw-96150.html |newspaper= [[Kyiv Post]]|access-date= 2 February 2011}}</ref> On various occasions, Yanukovych's family has been dogged by accusations that Fyodor Yanukovych was a member of the ''[[Schutzmannschaft]]'' during World War II, in particular claims by members of the [[Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc]], which included documents from the [[NKVD]] supposedly revealing his involvement with the ''Schutzmannschaft''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 September 2007 |title=ПОЛИЦАЙСКАЯ БЛЯХА |language=ru |trans-title=Police Tin |work=ORD |url=https://ord-ua.com/2007/09/25/politsajskaya-blyaha/ |access-date=19 July 2022}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=4 December 2009 |title=Янукович – сын полицая или предок германского крестоносца? |language=ru |trans-title=Yanukovych – son of a policeman, or ancestor of a German crusader? |work=Zhytomyr.info |url=https://www.zhitomir.info/news_50597.html |access-date=19 July 2022}}</ref> However, it has also been stated by residents of Yanuki that Yanukovych's family left for the Donbas before 1917, and that the collaborator Fyodor Yanukovych was an unrelated individual.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 September 2007 |title=Was the Ukrainian prime minister's father a Nazi collaborator in Belarus? |work=[[Euroradio]] |url=https://euroradio.fm/en/was-ukrainian-prime-ministers-father-nazi-collaborator-belarus |access-date=19 July 2022}}</ref> Others, particularly members of the Party of Regions, have claimed that the documents were a falsehood with the intention of disparaging Yanukovych ahead of elections.<ref name=":2" />

By the time he was a teenager, Yanukovych's father had remarried. However, Viktor left home due to conflicts with his stepmother, and was brought up by his Polish paternal grandmother, originally from [[Warsaw]]. His grandfather and great-grandparents were [[Poles in Lithuania|Lithuanian-Poles]]. Yanukovych has [[half-sister]]s from his father's remarriage, but has no contact with them.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Viktorovych |first=Yana |date=4 August 2006 |title="Прємьєр-міністр" Янукович, или неофициальная биография для тех, кто подзабыл |language=uk |trans-title="Prime Minister" Yanukovych, or an unofficial biography for those who have forgotten |work=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]] |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/articles/2006/08/4/4403419/}}</ref>

On 15 December 1967, at the age of 17, Yanukovych was sentenced to three years imprisonment for participating in a robbery<!--(Article 141, part 2 [[Criminal Code]] of [[Ukrainian SSR]]) --> and assault.<!-- (Article 102 [[Criminal Code]] of [[Ukrainian SSR]])--><ref name="Gorina">{{cite news|first= Ivanna|last= Gorina|title= Criminal record of Yanukovych not purged|url= http://www.rg.ru/2005/07/13/yanukovich.html|work= Rossiyskaya Gazeta|date= 13 July 2005 |access-date= 12 April 2015|language= ru}}</ref> On 8 June 1970 he was convicted for a second time on charges of assault. He was sentenced to two years of imprisonment and did not appeal the verdict. Decades later, Yanukovych characterised his arrests and imprisonment as "mistakes of youth".<ref name="polit.ru">{{cite news|title= Yanukovych's criminal record re-instated|url= http://www.polit.ru/article/2005/07/12/sudimost/|publisher= Polit.ru|date= 12 July 2005 |access-date= 12 April 2015|language= ru}}</ref>

In 1971, Yanukovych married Lyudmyla Nastenko<ref name="UKPresWifes">[http://tass.ru/en/world/735058 "First ladies of Ukraine"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018204137/http://tass.ru/en/world/735058 |date=18 October 2015 }}, [[Information Telegraph Agency of Russia]] (6 June 2014)</ref> a niece of Yenakiyeve city judge Oleksandr Sazhyn.<ref>Kazmirenko, Y. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20141008232932/http://dosye.com.ua/articles/2010-02-25/s-chego-nachinalsja-janukovich/128/ From where started Yanukovych]. Gazeta po-kievsky. 25 February 2010''
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In July 1974, Yanukovych enrolled at the [[Donetsk National Technical University|Donetsk Polytechnic Institute]]. In 1976, as a second-year student, he was promoted to director of a trucking division within the ''Ordzhonikidzeugol'' coal-mining company.<ref name="pravdapublicimage">[http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2004/05/13/2999853/ "Public image of Yanukovych"]. ''Ukrayinska Pravda''.</ref> His appointment as the chief manager marked the start of his managerial career as a regional transport executive. He held various positions in transport companies in Yenakiieve and Donetsk until 1996.<ref name=Tele/>