In foreign affairs, Yanukovych's cabinet was considered to be politically close to Russia, although declaring support for Ukrainian membership in the European Union. [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. [211] Parliament did not vote to impeach the President, which would have involved formally charging Yanukovych with a crime, a review of the charge by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and a three-fourths majority vote in parliamentat least 338 votes in favor. Yanukovych was not present and was tried in absentia. "[226], According to the Ukrainian State Border Service, Yanukovych tried to flee Ukraine via a charter flight from Donetsk, but was stopped by border guards. Yanukovych is a surname of Belarusian origin,[36] Yanuk[37][38] being a derivative of the Catholic name Yan ("John"). [91][132], Yanukovych's first foreign visit was to Brussels to visit the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and the EU Foreign Affairs chief, Catherine Ashton. [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". The estate is located in a former forest preserve on the outskirts of Kyiv. On self-removal of the President of Ukraine from the exercise of constitutional powers and appointment of extraordinary elections of the President of Ukraine. Viktor Yanukovych 's revenue is $1.9M in 2016. 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. [266], In a 22 February 2017, interview with Christopher Miller of Radio Free Europe, Konstantin Kilimnik explained the existence of a peace effort between Russia and Ukraine called the "Mariupol Plan" in which Viktor Yanukovych would return as president of Russia's illegally controlled regions and Crimea in Ukraine. He won a Ukrainian comedy competition and went on to produce and star in numerous films and TV shows with his Kvartal 95 production company. [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. Other cases of strong colloquialisms used by Yanukovych include the incident when he called former president Viktor Yushchenko "a coward and a babbler",[citation needed] as well as a speech in Donetsk during the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, when he referred to the electorate of his opponent Yushchenko as "goats that make our lives difficult" (" , "). According to the Bible, the goat is a traitor, and there are also rams, sheep. However, the election was fraught with allegations of electoral fraud and voter intimidation. [68] Yanukovych's campaign was expected to have cost $100 to $150 million. Yanukovych's Party of Regions support allowed for the establishment of Yuriy Yekhanurov's government in late 2005. [2][290][291][292], On 16 July 2015, some Russian media reported that Interpol had suspended its Red Notice for Yanukovych. [53] Yanukovych began his term as Prime Minister on 21 November 2002 following a 234-vote confirmation in the Verkhovna Rada, eight more than needed.[54][55]. Viktor Yanukovych is a former Ukrainian politician who has a net worth of $100 million. [276] Russian prosecutors stated that they had not received such a request from Ukraine. Then he moved to the Barvikha Sanatorium, the health resort of the President of Russia in Moscow Oblast. [193][194] Police assaulted the camp several times, causing further anger. The cost of monitoring the mass media was reportedly $5.7 million just for the month of December 2010.[184]. This government was marred by growing conflict between Yushchenko and Tymoshenko. [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. [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". [114], Yanukovych rejected accusations that improvement of Ukrainian-Russian relations harmed relations with the European Union. . [220], Yanukovych was soon disowned by the Party of Regions. Yanukovych lost this second election to Yushchenko. The verdict was that Yanukovych was sentenced to 13 years of jail in absentia. During his second foreign visit to Moscow in March, Yanukovych vowed to end years of acrimony with Russia, saying that ties between Russia and Ukraine "should never be the way they were for the past five years". Viktor Pinchuk, $2.6 billion Pinchuk, 60, whose assets span from steel works to media, saw his net worth almost double over the past year from $1.4 billion to $ 2.6 billion. [210] Unlike his 28 February press conference, Yanukovych did not take questions from reporters. [95][96][97], In May 2012, Yanukovych set up the Constitutional Assembly of Ukraine, a special auxiliary agency under the President for drawing up bills of amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine; the President then can table them in parliament. [348], Opinion polls showed that Yanukovych's popularity sank after his election as president in 2010, with polls giving him from 13% to 20% of the votes if a presidential election were to be held in 2012 (in 2010 he received 35.8% of the vote in the first round of that election. [228][b], Following his flight from Kyiv, protesters gained entry to Yanukovych's Mezhyhirya Residence, as police and security had abandoned their posts. They had the right to use weapons. March 7, 2014, 6:47 PM PST. [204], On Saturday 22 February, Yanukovych could not be found, and parliament were not informed of his whereabouts. Because a small handful of people, who have been plundering the country for 20 years is only a handful, from which the whole society, the whole state and our image in the world have been suffering. The Chairman of parliament, Volodymyr Rybak, resigned that morning. [286] Yanukovych is being charged with abuse of power (Article 364) and state treason (Article 111) that are being investigated since April 2014 as well as the new procedure on creation of criminal organization (Article 255) that is being investigated since the summer. [308][309], The former president's official website stated that he graduated from Donetsk Polytechnic Institute with a major in Mechanical Engineering, holds a master's degree in International Law at the Ukrainian Academy of Foreign Trade and is a member of the Academy of Economic Sciences of Ukraine, PhD in economics. [259], On 28 March 2014, Yanukovych asked the Party of Regions to exclude him. [citation needed], Manafort would later go on to serve as campaign chairman for Donald Trump in 2016. [269], According to Ukrayinska Pravda's sources Yanukovych left Minsk on 7 March 2022, and again he vanished from the publics eye. "[312], Website Pravda.com.ua reported that Yanukovych received the honorary title of docent (lecturer) of the Faculty of Automobile Transport at the Donetsk State Academy of Administration, a tertiary education establishment that specialised in Economics and Management[313] [108] In late 2009, a law that raised the minimum wage and pensions was passed in the Ukrainian 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. [256] On 4 March 2014 Putin answered questions of reporters about the situation in Crimea. [15] Later that day, however, he secretly fled the capital for Kharkiv, claiming his car was shot at as he left Kyiv, and travelling next to Crimea, and eventually to exile in Russia. [49] With his wife Yanukovych had two sons, Oleksandr and Viktor, and three grandsons Viktor, Oleksandr and Iliya. [14][199][200][201][202], In June 2015 interview with BBC Newsnight Yanukovych stated that he never ordered the security forces to open fire, but he also said he had not done enough to prevent bloodshed. [329] In another Wikileaks diplomatic cable, Volodymyr Horbulin, one of Ukraine's most respected policy strategists and former presidential advisor to then-President Viktor Yushchenko, told the United States Ambassador to Ukraine John E. Herbst in 2006 that Yanukovych's Party of Regions was partly composed of "pure criminals" and "criminal and anti-democracy figures. He allegedly sustained back and knee injuries while "playing tennis". "[344] In spite of this claim, on 22 September 2007, during the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election campaign, while delivering a speech in Vinnytsia, he compared Yulia Tymoshenko's performance as Prime Minister to "a cow on ice",[345] (" '-, .", "She is a prime minister like a cow on ice") most likely referring to her skills and professionalism as a prime minister. [203] Parliament held an emergency session. The Berkut, later disbanded on 25 February 2014, were a special police force under his personal command and were accused of defending Russian interests. Since the revolution, Yanukovych has been convicted in absentia of high treason against Ukraine. The Dubious Business of the Yanukovych Clan", "-2013: , ", "Ukraine Treasury 'Stripped' By Ousted Regime", "With Viktor Yanukovych gone, Ukraine hunts for secrets of former leader", "Ukrayinska Pravda exposes president's Mezhygirya deal", "Yanukovych Spent $800 on Fish Medical Treatment, Leaked Documents Show", "Ukraine crisis: Yanukovych regrets bloodshed in Kiev", "Why Ukraine's Berkut Special Police Force Is So Scary", "Parliament passes statement on Ukraine's aspirations for European integration", "Ukrainian president asks for laws to be passed to facilitate EU association agreement", "Ukraine leader urges pro-Europe drive despite Kremlin pressure", "From Russia Without Love: The Ukrainian president's decision not to sign the Association Agreement illustrates Russia's ongoing power in the region", Yanukovych Offers Opposition Leaders Key Posts, Anatomy of Maidan. Due to the Crimean crisis he was put on the US sanction list on 17 March 2014, an action which had been already previously been considered. [203], The vote came an hour after Yanukovych said in a televised address that he would not resign. [203] Parliament then elected Oleksandr Turchynov as Chairman. Once Yanukovych was announced as a winner, massive. What is he being accused of? [251] In the press conference he stated that he was still President of Ukraine and "I can't find words to characterise this new authority. [232][233], According to an April 2014 poll conducted by the Razumkov Centre, only 4.9% of respondents would have liked to see Yanukovych return to the presidency. Breaking news "NovostiMira", " 24. [209] On 11 March he claimed he should return to Ukraine as soon as this was possible. Yanukovych did not reveal the price he paid, although he called it a "very serious price". Viktor Yanukovych had entered politics in 1997 at the age of 46 and was chosen as the governor of Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. Yanukovych first ran for president in 2004: he advanced to the runoff election and was initially declared the winner against former Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko. [260] He was excluded on 29 March during a party congress[260][261] along with several senior figures of his rgime. Viktor Yanukovych was born in the village of Zhukovka near Yenakiieve in Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. According to RBC sources, Yanukovych arrived at the Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow (often referred by its former name as "Hotel Ukraine") on the night of 25 February 2014. [170][171] In a press conference 12 May 2010 President Yanukovych's representative in the Verkhovna Rada Yury Miroshnychenko stated that Yanukovych was against political repression for criticism of the regime. Early Life [113] As of June 2010, both did not happen. Who would govern Ukraine if Kyiv fell", "Who is Viktor Yanukovych? News reports at the time highlighted several similar deaths of people with ties to Yanukovych's father. The protesters, united under the Maidan People's Union, demanded Yanukovych fulfill his pledge to sign the Agreement or else resign. [269][271][272][d], On 2 March 2022 the Security Service of Ukraine raided the Kyiv District Administrative Court[uk] in an attempt to physically block Yanukovych's lawsuits to overturn his removal of the constitutional powers as President of Ukraine to be heard. [114] In February 2012, Yanukovych stated, referring to relations with Russia, "It is not wise to fall asleep next to a big bear". In 2006, a criminal charge was made for the falsification of documents regarding the retraction of Yanukovych's prior conviction. On the first warm Spring day in Ukraine on . ", "Criminal record of Yanukovych not purged", "Yanukovych's criminal record re-instated", "The countries of the former Soviet Union at the turn of the twenty-first century: the Baltic and European states in transition" (page 556), "How Ukraine Became a Market Economy and Democracy", Peterson Institute for International Economics, "Pressure Mounts on Yanukovych to yield. On 28 February 2014, the General Prosecutor of Ukraine, Oleh Makhnitsky, formally asked Russia to extradite Yanukovych. Han dmdes i sin frnvaro. [120][121], Yanukovych's stance on the Holodomor was: "Holodomor took place, was denounced and the international society gave an evaluation of the famine, but it was never labeled as a genocide of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine viewpoint: Novelist Andrey Kurkov, Ukraine ex-PM Tymoshenko charged with misusing funds, The Party of Regions monopolises power in Ukraine, Ukraine launches battle against corruption, Ukraine:Journalists Face Uncertain Future, Yanukovych Tells U.K's Cameron No Fears for Ukraine's Democracy, Yulia Kovalevska:Only some bankrupt politicians try to use the Day of Unification with the aim of self-PR, President: Ukraine must fulfill its commitments to Council of Europe, Our Ukraine comes to defense of Tymoshenko, Lutsenko, Didenko, Makarenko in statement, "U.S. Government Statement of Concern about Arrest of Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko", "Q&A: Ukraine's Yulia Tymoshenko on trial", "A Stockholm Conspiracy: The Underbelly of Ukrainian Gas Dealings", Trials of Tymoshenko, other officials fall short of European standards, Yanukovych admits, Yanukovych says he will protect freedom of speech and interests of journalists, 1+1 TV journalists claim censorship of news reports, Journalists, in defensive crouch, swing news coverage to Yanukovychs favor, Semynozhenko: No examples of censorship on Ukrainian TV channels, Opposition benefiting from topic of censorship at mass media, says Hanna Herman, : , , Yanukovych bears no grudges against Tymoshenko, "Yanukovych, the luxury residence and the money trail that leads to London", "Ukraine crisis: Yanukovych and the tycoons", "Yanukovych Must Go Ukrainians Will Protest as Long as His Corrupt Regime Exists", "Anti-Corruption Action Center calls for freeze of Yanukovych, other assets abroad", "Profiting from Power? He was Prime Minister of Ukraine from 21 November 2002 to 7 December 2004 and from 28 December 2004 to 5 January 2005, under President Leonid Kuchma. In 2013, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) overwhelmingly approved finalizing the agreement with the EU,[187] and Yanukovych urged parliament to adopt laws so that Ukraine would meet the EU's criteria and be able to sign the agreement in November 2013. ", "Was the Ukrainian prime minister's father a Nazi collaborator in Belarus? [124] Currently Ukrainian is the only official language of Ukraine. Individual cases have been reported of citizens grouping together and fighting back against the Berkut in order to preserve election integrity and results. [48], In 1971, Yanukovych married Lyudmyla Nastenko[49] a niece of Yenakiyeve city judge Oleksandr Sazhyn. Arseniy Yatsenyuk has claimed that treasury funds of up to $70 billion were transferred to foreign accounts during Yanukovych's presidency. 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". From 2006 to 2007 he was the prime minister of Ukraine; he also served in this post from November 2002 to January 2005, with a short interruption in December 2004. [63] Viktor Yanukovych's Party of Regions won the 2006 Ukrainian parliamentary election. [188] Russia, however, put pressure on Ukraine to reject the agreement. [226] On 28 February 2014 the BBC reported him as insisting that military action was "unacceptable" and as stating that he would not request Russian military intervention. He testified via video link from Russia. [163], According to Yanukovych (on 4 February 2011), "[M]any lies [have been] told and attempts made to misinform the international community and ordinary people in Ukraine about the true state of affairs in the country." [235], According to Russian politician Oleg Mitvol, Yanukovych bought a house in Barvikha for $52 million on 26 February 2014. [129] The 2012 law was ruled unconstitutional and was struck down by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in 2018, 4 years after the Euromaidan. [80] Patriarch Kirill also attended the inauguration[citation needed] along with High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, United States National Security Advisor James Jones and speaker of the Russian parliament Boris Gryzlov. [130], In a late July 2013 speech Yanukovych stated: "All churches and religious organizations are equal for the state. [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. [158][159] Other high-profile political opponents under criminal investigation include Leonid Kuchma,[160] Bogdan Danilishin, Igor Didenko,[161] Anatoliy Makarenko,[162] and Valeriy Ivaschenko. Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (file photo) Ukraine on April 28 started returning an estimated $1.5 billion in assets allegedly stolen from the . [131], Social benefit cuts for Chernobyl rescue workers, small business owners and veterans of the SovietAfghan War caused fierce protests in Kyiv in October/November 2011 by several thousand protesters. What an inspirational rags to riches story! Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych speaks during a news conference in Kiev March 1, 2013. One was Denis Voronenkov, who was shot dead in downtown Kyiv at the end of March 2017. The first protesters were killed in fierce clashes with police on Hrushevsky Street on 1922 January. [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. [181] Authorities in Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein froze the assets of Yanukovych and his son Oleksander on 28 February 2014 pending a money laundering investigation.

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