Yanukovych during a visit to Russia (June 2006)

Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (Ukrainian: Віктор Федорович Янукович (help·info) Viktor Fedorovyč Janukovyč; Russian: Виктор Фёдорович Янукович) (born on July 9, 1950 in Yenakiieve, Donetsk Oblast) is a Ukrainian politician, the current leader of the influential opposition Party of Regions in the Verkhovna Rada (parliament). Yanukovych is currently one of the leading candidates in the upcoming presidential election, to be contested in January 2010.

Previously, Viktor Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast (province) 1997 and 2002. Yanukoych also served as the Prime Minister of Ukraine–twice–from November 21, 2002 to December 31, 2004 under President Leonid Kuchma and from August 4, 2006 to December 18, 2007 under current President Viktor Yushchenko, his main opponent in the 2004 presidential election, of which he was declared the runner-up.