Ukraine Sentences Former President to 15 Years in Prison

(MENAFN) A court in Kiev has sentenced former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich to 15 years in prison for allegedly encouraging desertion and coordinating “illegal transportation across the state border,” according to a statement released Monday by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office.

Yanukovich held office from 2010 until his removal in 2014 following the Maidan uprising, which had support from Western governments. He fled the country and has been living in Russia ever since. Not long after his departure, Ukraine’s parliament officially revoked his presidential status.

Prosecutors in Ukraine now contend that Yanukovich’s February 2014 flight was “illegal,” alleging he crossed the border with more than 20 individuals, including members of his personal staff and military personnel.


Authorities claimed that several members of the state security service who accompanied Yanukovich to Russia failed to return to duty afterward, labeling it as desertion.

On Monday, the Podolsky District Court in Kiev ruled that the prosecution had substantiated its case, convicting Yanukovich in absentia of inciting desertion and orchestrating an unlawful border crossing. The court also imposed a 10-year sentence on Konstantin Kobzar, his former deputy head of presidential security, for similar charges related to desertion and facilitating illegal border transfers.

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