15 years for treason and fleeing Ukraine: Yanukovych’s sentence has come into force
The verdict against former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has finally come into force — he has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
According to Censor.NET, this is stated in an official announcement published by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
The Kyiv Court of Appeals upheld the ruling of the Podilsky District Court of Kyiv, which found Yanukovych guilty of illegally crossing the state border and inciting desertion.
The sentence was determined taking into account a previous conviction—13 years in prison for treason and aiding the Russian Federation in waging war against Ukraine, handed down in 2019.
What Yanukovych was convicted of
The court found that on February 23, 2014, Viktor Yanukovych, with the assistance of Russia and the participation of the former leadership of the security forces, illegally left the territory of Ukraine. His evacuation was carried out by three Russian military helicopters from Donetsk region to the Russian Federation, and later to the temporarily occupied Crimea.
Later, while in Sevastopol, Yanukovych persuaded members of the State Security Service to desert. Some of his bodyguards left with him for Russia and did not return to duty in Ukraine. The investigation established that all of the former president's movements were coordinated by the Russian military and special services and agreed directly with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Sentences for other defendants in the case
In addition to Yanukovych, the court also found the former deputy head of the State Security Service guilty. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for organizing the illegal transfer of persons across the state border of Ukraine and for desertion.
"The court's decision has entered into legal force and is final," the Office of the Prosecutor General said.
Thus, the Ukrainian judicial system has confirmed the responsibility of the former head of state for actions that harmed the country's sovereignty and national security.
- Earlier, we reported that the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv found the former Prime Minister of Ukraine during Viktor Yanukovych's presidency, Mykola Azarov, guilty of high treason and actions aimed at violently changing the constitutional order. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
