INTERVIEW: Kateryna Chumachenko Yushchenko on life in Ukraine,
and as a politician's wife

Kateryna Chumachenko Yushchenko, wife of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko, was born in America, but considers Ukraine her homeland. Mrs. Yushchenko was interviewed for The Ukrainian Weekly by free-lance journalist Vasyl Zorya of Kyiv.

Last week, in the first part of this two-part interview, Mrs. Yushchenko spoke on such topics as how she identifies herself, how she made the move to Ukraine, and differences between Ukrainian Americans and Ukrainians. The conclusion of the interview follows.

(Readers will note that the family's surname, previously rendered in this newspaper as "Yuschenko," in accordance with the official transliteration system adopted by the government of Ukraine, now appears as "Yushchenko." According to Mrs. Yushchenko, this is the correct spelling.)

CONCLUSION

Q: How difficult is it to get used to the fact that there is a significant difference between Western understanding of democratic principles and Ukrainian practice?

The difference is indeed striking. There are different understandings of what democracy is, what should be the role of the citizen and voter in society, and what role the government and mass media should play in the election process.

For example, I was used to the concept that a politician's personal life should be more transparent than that of an average citizen. But I was not used to the idea that it is acceptable to consciously disseminate false information. Media here provide obvious disinformation or a biased party line while claiming it to be an independent view. In Ukraine there should be freedom of speech, but not freedom to spread lies.

I think, however, that people in Ukraine have begun to view politics more wisely, and it is now more difficult to fool them or buy them with promises.

Q: You went to court when you first encountered lies in the media. Are you happy with the court's decision?

A: In the spring of 2001, in the middle of the campaign to remove Viktor from his position as prime minister, the Russian government TV station ORT broadcast a program anchored by Mykhail Leontiev called "Odnako.". In it Leontiev claimed that I was an American spy who worked for Zbigniew Brzezinski, that I had been sent to Ukraine to meet Viktor Yushchenko and bring him to power, that he was nothing until I came along and made him what he was today - basically an American lackey. They implied that the tape scandal was all a part of this vast American conspiracy. The show wasrebroadcast the next day by the Ukrainian television station INTER and the newspaper Kievsky Vedomosti (both of which re affiliated with the Social Democratic Party (United)].

The Shevchenko Raion court partially ruled on my behalf regarding my case to, in legal terms, "defend my honor and dignity" and "not interfere in my private life." The court found the Russian television program "Odnako" to be libelous. Leontiev was found to have libeled me, to have violated my privacy and harmed my honor and dignity, and was fined 2500 hrv and told that he had to do another show of the exact same length admitting that what he had said was untrue. But the court did not hold the two Ukrainian media outlets to be guilty for rebroadcasting and printing this program.

The Russian anchor of the program has already refused in the most insulting and chauvinistic manner to carry out the court's decision and to admit to his lies on television. That is why I have filed an appeal to a higher court against the television station Inter and the newspaper Kievski Vedomosti.

Q: You were insulted by the lies on Russian television. What would you say if one day you daughter in Kyiv speaks with her friends in Russian?

A: First of all, I am not against having my children learn Russian. My father always taught me that every language you learn makes you a head taller. But I want them to do this consciously, and not because they are unconsciously ashamed of the Ukrainian language. I am very upset by this widespread tendency in Ukrainian society. Viktor and I are raising our children to be proud of the Ukrainian language.

They should know Russian just like English, French and other languages. Currently our Sophika attends a pre-school in Kyiv that teaches French. She already understands English from me. I would like my children to know various languages fluently and naturally.

I think that when our children are grown, the tensions surrounding the language issue will subside and the use of the Ukrainian language in Kyiv will be the norm. This is not an impossible dream. Ten years ago, some of my family and friends here did not know any Ukrainian, and now they speak it beautifully. No one forced them - they themselves came to the conclusion that it is beneficial to know it.

Q: The television program "Odnako" represented you as a wife who greatly influences her husband. Everyone indeed wants to know, what influence do you have over Viktor Yushchenko?

A: My husband is a very self-confident and independent individual. He is intelligent and professional, and does a lot of good for his country. I am very proud of him.

Given the strength of his convictions, it is not possible for me or anyone else to really change his views. Sometimes I find it difficult to influence even family decisions.

Contrary to the negative reports, I did not press my husband to go into politics, and even the opposite - as his wife and mother of his children, I often think that it would be better if he were in a different profession and away from politics. Because in Ukraine, politics is dirty and dangerous. But fate led him to this path, and I have to support his choice.

Returning to current political events, what is your prognosis for Ukraine's future in light of the upcoming March elections?

I have great hopes that Ukrainians will go to the polls, that the elections will be honest and transparent, and that people will be satisfied with the results of the new Parliament's work. Unfortunately, to date the current elections have been plagued with violations.

Q: Right now you have completely left your professional career and are concentrating on raising your children. What are your impressions from this change of activity?

A: I never expected so much satisfaction from raising children. I am trying to convince my husband that we should have more. It has been a year and a half since I left my job, but I have to admit that I have still not begun to miss work.

My husband and I try to give as much attention as possible to our children. We want to raise them to be honest, kind, polite, patriotic people with spiritual values. It is very important to me that my children feel that they can achieve anything in life, as long as they are willing to study and work for it. In the families in which Viktor and I grew up, love of work was a very important value.

Come to think of it, what really matters when a person is on his deathbed and thinks back on his life? It usually isn't that he didn't work enough or get involved enough in politics - it is that he should have spent more time with his family.

Q: What were Sophika's first words?

A: Sophika's first word was "mama" and her first sentence was "tata ma," which was her way of saying "tato's not here." She is very attached to her father and often watches television hoping to see him. Sometimes it seems quite funny to me that she considers it natural to see her father on television every day.

Q: What sort of education are you planning for your girls?

A: I think that grade school education is better in Ukraine than in America. Thus, I am very glad that our children will go to a Ukrainian grade school.

Q: What do you like best amongst household activities?

A: I like to cook both Ukrainian and foreign foods. My husband, however, is not very demanding when it comes to food. As long as there is borsch, vegetables and herring with potatoes in the house, he is happy!

I have always loved architecture and home design, and have to spend a lot of time with my husband's collection of Ukrainian antiques. We often entertain. But I consider my main task today to learn as much as I can about raising children, so I do it as well as possible.

In the near future, however, I hope to dedicate myself also to my husband's new foundation [the Viktor Yushchenko Foundation], which will focus on various issues, including cultural preservation, social and educational development.

Q: Do you find time to shop?

A: In the time I have spent in Ukraine, I think my tastes have changed, they have become "Europeanized."

My latest interest in this area is getting to know Ukrainian designers. I was invited for the first time to the fall season of Ukrainian fashion shows where I saw the collections of Anna Babenko, Victoria Gres, Lilia Pustovit. I was very pleasantly surprised. I liked their work and am proud to wear Ukrainian designs.

Q: Ukrainian women, especially in Kyiv, spend a lot of their time and money trying to look their best. How do you take care of yourself?

A: To tell the truth, this has never been a priority for me. I think that there have to be limits on this. A woman who spends too much time on herself becomes boring, both to others and to herself. I think that a woman's best asset is not her appearance, but her personality, her behavior, her internal harmony.

I have learned a lot from Ukrainian women, though, who manage to look lovely even while their lives are very difficult. I guess what is most important is healthy food and healthy habits. One health ritual my husband taught me is the sauna. This winter I even rolled in the snow after one!

Q: Which first lady do you admire most?

A: I suppose I would have to say Cheri Blair, since we have something in common - we both gave birth to a baby while our husbands were prime ministers. She is an intelligent and attractive woman who has a flourishing legal career and is considered an expert in her field in the United Kingdom. She gave birth to their fourth child when she was 45 years old. If you remember, she even influenced politics by forcing her husband to take maternity leave.

In general, I respect those women who have succeeded in their careers, whether it be writing, the sciences, politics, as well as those who have been able to create good homes for their families.

Women in Ukraine are heroines, period. They manage to keep a home, raise children, work in their profession, and sometimes they even engage in community activities. Often they work for a monthly salary that a woman in the West earns in a day or even an hour! It is a shame that such intelligent and hard-working women do not earn what they are worth.

Short Biography

Kateryna Chumachenko Yushchenko was born in Chicago in 1961. Her father, Mykhailo, an electrician, was born in the Donbas region, and her mother was from the Kyiv region. Her parents met as forced laborers in Germany, where her sister Lydia was born in 1945, and then immigrated to the United States.

Ms. Chumachenko graduated with a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in 1982, and received an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1986. From 1982 to 1984 she worked as the Washington representative of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. From 1986 to 1991 she worked in politically appointed positions at the State Department's Bureau for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, the White House Office of Public Liaison, the Treasury Department Office of Policy Management and the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.

In 1991 Ms. Chumachenko came to Ukraine as a founder and representative of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation. In 1993 she became the resident advisor for the USAID-financed Bank Training Program managed by KPMG Barents Group, and worked as the country manager for the company until 2000.

She and her husband, Viktor Yushchenko, have two daughters, Sophia (born 1999) and Chrystyna (born 2000). Mrs. Yushchenko is currently home raising her children. Since 1995 she has been active in the organization Pryiateli Ditei, which helps orphans in Ukraine. She plans to become involved in her husband's new foundation, created in February 2002. which she says will be involved in cultural preservation, educational programs, particularly leadership training, and social programs that will be oriented towards "people helping people."

PART I

CONCLUSION

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 17, 2002, No. 11, Vol. LXX

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