Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (Ukrainian: , pronounced[wiktor fdorowt jnkwt] (listen); Russian: , romanized:Viktor Fyodorovich Yanukovich; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine[3] from 2010 until he was removed from office in the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, after months of protests against his presidency. [116], Yanukovych stated that his "aim and dream" was to unify Ukraine, although in his opinion "there are already no borders between the East and West of the country today". "[citation needed] "The Holodomor was in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. [336], Other famous blunders by Yanukovych are his claim that Anton Chekhov was "a Ukrainian poet" in January 2010,[338][339][340] forgetting on 6 January 2011 to congratulate the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian community, which, along with the rest of the Ukrainian people, celebrates Christmas that day,[341] and confusing Kosovo with Serbia and Montenegro, and North Ossetia with South Ossetia in March 2010. [281] In 2006, the General Prosecutor closed the case due to lack of evidence. [224], In a press conference several days after leaving Kyiv, Yanukovych claimed that at the time he did not "flee anywhere", but that his car was shot at "by automatic rifles" as he left Kyiv for Kharkiv "to meet the representatives of local parties" and he was then forced to move around Ukraine amid fears for the safety of himself and his family. [317][318] Yanukovych himself stated[clarification needed] that his ex-wife did not wish for her grandson to pick up the bad habits of his grandfather, but Yanukovych did not specify what kind of habits those were. [297], Interpol later confirmed that Yanukovych and Oleksandr Yanukovych were no longer subject to an Interpol red notice or diffusion, and that they are unknown on Interpol's databases. All In The Family - Mar. 02, 2012 | KyivPost The second round of the election was subsequently annulled by the Supreme Court of Ukraine, and in the repeated run-off, Yanukovych lost to Yushchenko with 44.2 percent to Yushchenko's 51.9 percent. [118] He noted the importance of finding ways of reconciliation between Ukrainians fighting on opposite sides in World War II in his speech at the ceremony to mark Victory Day 2013. Almost 100 protesters were killed, as were 13 police officers. Having completely rejected such European values as human rights and democracy, the Ukrainian president uses Europe as a place to hide his dirty money with impunity. [50], In July 1974, Yanukovych enrolled at the Donetsk Polytechnic Institute. [238][239] In a June 2015 interview with BBC's Newsnight he thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for "saving his life". [242], On 26 November 2015, Yanukovych received a temporary asylum certificate in Russia for one year; later extended until November 2017. [253] He said he was surprised ("knowing the character of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin"[226]) by the silence of Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, on the events in Ukraine. In February 2017, Yanukovych admitted that after 45 years of marriage he had divorced Lyudmyla. These are people who advocate violence the Ukrainian parliament is illegitimate". He accused the opposition of violation of the 21 February agreements and asked the armed forces of Ukraine not to intervene in the crisis. [256] On 4 March 2014 Putin answered questions of reporters about the situation in Crimea. "I didn't want mothers to lose their children and wives their husbands. They had the right to use weapons. [23] Acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov declared that Yanukovych had been placed on Ukraine's most wanted list and that a criminal case for the mass killings of civilians had been opened against him. Viktor Yanukovych is known for being the fourth president of Ukraine until 2010 when he was. On the first warm Spring day in Ukraine on . Ukraine's ex-president Viktor Yanukovych found guilty of treason [67], Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko accused Yanukovych of financial fraud during the campaign. [101], On 25 June 2010, President Yanukovych criticised 2004 amendments in the Ukrainian Constitution which weakened presidential powers such as control over naming government ministers, passing those functions to parliament. [16] He said "When we arrived in Kharkiv, on the early morning of 22 February, the security service started to receive information that radical groups were arriving in Kharkiv. [189], On 21 November 2013, Yanukovych abruptly changed his mind on the Association Agreement with the EU, instead deciding to strengthen economic ties with Russia. [16], On 22 February 2014, the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove him from his post and schedule early elections on the grounds that he had withdrawn from his constitutional duties,[17][18] rather than through the impeachment process. ", "Prosecutors Seek 15 Years in Prison For Ukraine's Ex-President", "Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych Convicted of Treason", "Yanukovych reportedly hospitalized in Moscow Russian media", "Court finds Yanukovych's guilt of high treason, complicity in war proven", "Guilty: Yanukovych sentenced to 13 years in prison for high treason, complicity in war", "Kyiv court sentences Yanukovych in absentia to 13 years in prison for high treason", "Is Yanukovych's education paper-thin? He indicated that he was open to compromise with Russia on the Black Sea Fleet's future (this led to the April 2010 UkrainianRussian Naval Base for Natural Gas treaty), and reiterated that Ukraine would remain a "European, non-aligned state", referring to NATO membership. Yanukovych lost this second election to Yushchenko. As Viktor Yushchenko celebrates his sixty-seventh birthday this week, those words may well be applied to Ukraine's much maligned and often misunderstood third president. Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovych has the rare distinction of having been ousted twice from Ukraine's presidency after giant street protests. I didn't want dead bodies from Kyiv to flow down the Dnipro. The first protesters were killed in fierce clashes with police on Hrushevsky Street on 1922 January. This is evidenced by the data of the Anti-Raider Union of Entrepreneurs of Ukraine. March 7, 2014, 6:47 PM PST. [269], According to Ukrayinska Pravda's sources Yanukovych left Minsk on 7 March 2022, and again he vanished from the publics eye. [73] Tymoshenko withdrew her subsequent legal challenge of the result. 21, 2015", "Yanukovych, son off Interpol's wanted list", "Treason trial against Yanukovych begins in Ukraine", Case against Yanukovych was submitted to court ( ), "Ukrainian Prime Minister Reinvents Himself", "Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovich on trial. [300], On 4 May 2017 the first preliminary session commenced in Kyiv's Obolonskyi District Court under Judge Vladyslav Devyatko. [244] In 2017, Russian media suggested that Yanukovych is apparently living in Bakovka near Moscow, in a residence owned by Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The payments totalled $2 billion over years, ranging from $500,000 to $20 million paid in cash, the recipients included "ministers, heads of agencies, Verkhovna Rada members, civic activists, representatives of international organizations, top judges, including those of the Supreme Administrative Court and the Constitutional Court, and the Central Election Commission". It intended to accomplish these goals by 2012. At that time, multiple media houses reported major election fraud . Oh wait. [209] On 11 March he claimed he should return to Ukraine as soon as this was possible. Akhmetov is joined with Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov. [124] Currently Ukrainian is the only official language of Ukraine. [237] Yanukovych claimed that the decisions of the Ukrainian parliament adopted "in the atmosphere of extremist threats" are unlawful and he remains the "legal president of Ukraine". This also refers to foreign centres through which religious organizations sometimes seek to affect the internal political situation in Ukraine. Their combined net worth today is $51.5 billion. Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych speaks during a news conference in Kiev March 1, 2013. Yanukovych has denied that he embezzled funds and has said that his alleged foreign accounts do not exist. During the 'Maidan uprising', Independence Square was a huge protest camp occupied by thousands of protesters and protected by makeshift barricades. This is my rule of politics. "[33], In 2004, Yanukovych was seen as outgoing President Leonid Kuchma and Russian President Vladimir Putin's protg. [320], Yanukovych was seen by opponents as representing the interests of Ukrainian big business; they pointed out that his campaigns benefited from backing by Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov. [218] She had been imprisoned since 2011, in what many saw as political payback by Yanukovych. [137][138] A day later Yanukovych stated that the recognition of the independence of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Kosovo violates international law, "I have never recognized Abkhazia, South Ossetia or Kosovo's independence. Under a photo showing the new home's ornate ceiling, Leschenko remarks, "In a country where 35% of the population live under poverty line, spending 100,000 dollars on each individual chandelier seems excessive, to say the least." [92][93][94] Yanukovich announced $2 billion worth of pension and other welfare increases on 7 March 2012. [48], In 1971, Yanukovych married Lyudmyla Nastenko[49] a niece of Yenakiyeve city judge Oleksandr Sazhyn. [307] He was acquitted of the other charge relating to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Have you forgotten what fascism is?" The verdict was that Yanukovych was sentenced to 13 years of jail in absentia. Yanukovych was not present and was tried in absentia. [44], By the time he was a teenager, Yanukovych's father had remarried. In response, demonstrators occupied provincial government buildings in many regions of Ukraine. Five Years Ago The President of Ukraine's Son Was A Humble Dentist "[324] Yanukovych refers to himself as Ukrainian. Viktor Yanukovych | Facts, Biography, & Flight to Russia [258] Yanukovych said he would try to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to return Crimea to Ukraine. [203] Under the 2004 Constitution, which parliament had voted to reinstate, the President's powers would transfer to the Chairman if the President should resign or be unable to fulfill his duties. Later, during TV debates with Yushchenko he explained, "I called the traitors goats. [174], The Yanukovych family, a group of young businessmen described as "robber capitalists", have been buying up both public and private businesses at "rock bottom" prices available in the stagnating economic conditions brought on by Yanukovych's economic policies. [352][e], The Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, Jos Manuel Pinto Teixeira, stated during an April 2012 interview with Korrespondent that Yanukovych's presidency "fell short of expectations". The election was judged free and fair by international observers. [107], Yanukovych's Party of Regions wanted to increase social benefits, and raise salaries and pensions. The exact distribution of wealth and precise weight of influence are difficult to gauge, but most of the country's richest men were afraid to cross the Yanukovich family, even in cases where their own economic interests favored an economically pro-EU Ukraine. [16] He insisted he had not instructed Ukrainian forces to shoot at Euromaidan protesters. [88] He stated on 7 January 2010 that Ukraine is ready to consider an initiative by Dmitry Medvedev on the creation of a new Europe collective security system[88] stating "And we're ready to back Russia's and France's initiatives". [243] In October 2017, this was extended to another year. However, Manafort's friends have said that Yanukovych "stopped listening" to him after he became president in 2010; Manafort warned him of the consequences of "extreme" political measures. [77] Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree endorsing a plan of events related to Yanukovych's inauguration on 20 February 2010. Yanukovych lived in the estate from 2002, when he first . Ukrainians continue to tour the opulent Mezhyhirya estate of their ousted president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled Kiev on 21 February. His dad is brutally corrupt Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. [78] Yushchenko also congratulated and wished Yanukovych "to defend Ukrainian interests and democratic traditions" at the presidential post. [5][6] In November 2013, a series of events started that led to his ousting as president. In foreign affairs, Yanukovych's cabinet was considered to be politically close to Russia, although declaring support for Ukrainian membership in the European Union. Ukrainians were amazed at the opulence and extravagance of what they found at Mezhyhirya, including a private zoo, a fleet of cars, and a large boat. [257] In this interview he claimed "if I do decide to use the Armed Forces, this will be a legitimate decision in full compliance with both general norms of international law, since we have the appeal of the legitimate President. )[71][349][350][351] A public opinion poll taken by Sociological group "RATING" gave him 25.1% of the votes in an imaginary February 2013 presidential election. [70], Early vote returns from the first round of the election held on 17 January showed Yanukovych in first place with 35.8% of the vote. "I have never offended anyone. [71] He faced a 7 February 2010 runoff against Tymoshenko, who finished second (with 24.7% of the vote). [60][111] He saw the gas agreement signed in 2009 after the 2009 Russia-Ukraine gas dispute as very unprofitable for Ukraine and wanted to "initiate the discussion of the most urgent gas issues" after the 2010 presidential election. Ukraine's new government came to power last week following months of pro-democracy protests against the country's pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his decision to turn Ukraine towards Russia instead of the EU. He is wanted by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, charged with responsibility for mass murder of the Maidan protesters, as well as abuse of power, misappropriation of public funds, bribery, and property theft. [336] Thereafter, he came to be widely referred to with this nickname[clarification needed] in opposition media and opponents' speeches. ", "Was Yanukovych's Removal Constitutional? [322] The People's Movement of Ukraine labeled his election on 10 February 2010 as "an attack by anti-Ukrainian forces on our state" and stated that "all possible legal means should be used to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of anti-state politician Yanukovych and his pro-Moscow retinue". [203] Parliament held an emergency session. [88] Yanukovych had promised before his election as Ukrainian President to "solve the issue" concerning the Russian Black Sea Fleet, currently stationed in the Ukrainian port Sevastopol, "in a way so that the interests of Russia or Ukraine would not be harmed". [58] The press-service of the Ukrainian Cabinet asserted that Yanukovych suffered for the attempt to defend a girl from hooligans. [112], This led to the April 2010 UkrainianRussian Naval Base for Natural Gas treaty. [241] On the same day, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that he didn't know anything about this. [145], According to Yanukovych the main priority of his foreign policy was to integrate Ukraine "into the European mainstream", while improving relations with Russia. Yanukovych did plan to hold plebiscites also on other subjects. Former Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych, Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Indian killed in Kharkiv, Russia-Ukraine War, World War 3, Narendra Modi, India-Russia ties, evacuation of Indians,Russia . Viktor Yanukovych was born in the village of Zhukovka near Yenakiieve in Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. [74] Tad Devine, an associate of Rick Gates and Paul Manafort, wrote Yanukovych's victory speech. Who is Viktor Yanukovych & why is Russia eager to replace Zelenskyy [60][61], In January 2006, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine started an official investigation of the allegedly false acquittal of the criminal convictions which Yanukovych received in his youth. [69], On 11 December 2009, Yanukovych called for his supporters to go to Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kyiv's Independence Square, in case of election fraud. Then he moved to the Barvikha Sanatorium, the health resort of the President of Russia in Moscow Oblast. [240], On 3 October 2014, several news agencies reported that according to a Facebook post made by the aide to the Ukrainian Interior Minister, Anton Gerashchenko, Viktor Yanukovych had been granted Russian citizenship by a "secret decree" of Vladimir Putin. An Interview With Konstantin Kilimnik", "Manafort Worked With Russian-Ukrainian On Peace Plan Before -- And Long After -- Criminal Charges", "Kremlin's two plans. [26], In social polls conducted since his departure from office, Yanukovych is regarded as the worst president in Ukrainian history. He said that this law would need 226 votes in the Ukrainian parliament (half of the votes instead of two-thirds of the votes needed to change the constitution of Ukraine) and that voters told him that the current status of Russian in Ukraine created "problems in the hospital, school, university, in the courts, in the office". [7][8][9] After balancing the economic prospects for either receiving huge trade losses if he decided to reject Russias trade overtures[10] or receiving significantly more favorable trade terms from Russia than those offered by the European Union nations and International Monetary Fund,[11][12] Yanukovych delayed signing a pending association agreement with the EU, choosing to accept a Russian trade deal and loan bailout. [331] His native language is Russian,[332] similar to a majority of the population of his power-base and native Eastern Ukraine. [224] According to Dobkin at that time Yanukovych "thought this was a temporary difficulty" since he believed that the 21 February agreement could still provide for a graceful departure from office later in the year. A Ukrainian court has found the former president Viktor Yanukovych guilty of treason for his efforts to crush the 2014 pro-western demonstrations that eventually toppled his government. Viktor Yanukovych - Wikipedia The Mezhyhirya Residence (Ukrainian: ', romanized: Mezhyhiria, pronounced [meirj], Russian: , romanized: Mezhigor'ye) is an estate in Ukraine where Viktor Yanukovych lived when he was Prime Minister and then President of Ukraine and is now a museum displaying Yanukovych's luxurious lifestyle. [254], On 28 February 2014 Yanukovych claimed "eastern Ukraine will rise up as soon as they have to live without any means". [90], In early November 2011, Yanukovych claimed that "arms are being bought in the country and armed attacks on government agencies are being prepared. This sparked large protests by supporters of European integration, who occupied Kyiv's Independence Square and held rallies throughout Ukraine, in a wave of civil unrest dubbed the "Euromaidan". [ 5][ 6][ 7] Rethinking Yushchenko - Atlantic Council [16], Yanukovych said that an "armed coup" had taken place in Ukraine, and that he was still the legitimate president because there had been no impeachment, resignation, or death. However, Viktor left home due to conflicts with his stepmother, and was brought up by his Polish paternal grandmother, originally from Warsaw. [293][294][295][296] According to the Ukrainian Interpol office, this was a temporary measure due to Yanukovych's complaints that the charges were politically motivated. (VIDEO, UPDATE)", "Ukrainian parliament, after ousting president, tries to consolidate power, frees prisoners", "Ukraine's Acting President Warns Economy Is in Dire State", "Ukraine Leader Was Defeated Even Before He Was Ousted", "Ukraine crisis live: Russia admits its troops are moving in Crimea", " , , ", Putin: Russia helped Yanukovych leave Ukraine, "Putin: Russia helped Yanukovych to flee Ukraine", "Ukraine uprising: The private zoo, the galleon moored on a private lake, the fleet of vintage cars Ukrainians left open-mouthed", " : ", " : , , ", 5% (Fewer than 5% of Ukrainians want the return of Yanukovych to the presidential chair), "ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part", " $52 ", "Russia 'grants Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovych protection', ": ", "Kyiv Says Yanukovych Obtained Russian Citizenship", "No information about Russian citizenship granted to Yanukovych Kremlin spokesman", "Yanukovych was allowed to stay in Russia for another year", "Viktor Yanukovych, there you are!

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