Yanukovych received second sentence in Ukrainian court: 15 years’ imprisonment for inciting military personnel of Department of State Protection of Ukraine to desertion, - Office of Prosecutor General. PHOTOS
Following a public prosecution by prosecutors of the Prosecutor General's Office, the fourth President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, and the former Deputy Head of the State Protection Department of Ukraine, the Head of the Presidential Security Service, were sentenced.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press centre of the Prosecutor General's Office.
What did the court decide?
As noted, the Podilskyi District Court of Kyiv found them guilty of committing the crimes and sentenced them to punishment:
- the former President of Ukraine - 15 years in prison for organising the illegal transfer of persons across the state border of Ukraine and incitement to desertion (Article 332(2), Article 27(4), Article 408(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
- the former deputy head of the State Protection Department of Ukraine was sentenced to 10 years in prison for organising the illegal transfer of persons across the state border of Ukraine and desertion (Article 332(2), Article 408(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The verdict is another result of the Prosecutor General's Office in the process of bringing to justice former Ukrainian officials who facilitated Russian aggression against our country.
The prosecutors of the Department for Maidan Affairs requested 15 and 10 years' imprisonment respectively. The court agreed that the charges were substantiated and proven and sentenced them to the maximum possible punishment.
Details of the case
Prosecutors proved in court that on 23 February 2014, the former president of Ukraine, acting in collusion with the former head of the Presidential Security Service and representatives of the Russian Federation, illegally crossed the state border of Ukraine by air and organised the transfer of at least 20 people from his inner circle and servicemen of the State Protection Department of Ukraine.
"The flight took place outside the state border crossing point for air traffic. They took off in three Russian military helicopters piloted by a pilot of the Russian armed forces from the outskirts of the village of Urzuf, Manhush district, Donetsk region, in the direction of the Russian Federation, to the military airfield in the city of Yeysk. After staying there for a while, they flew to Anapa, and from there, on a military transport aircraft provided by representatives of the Russian Armed Forces, they headed to the 'Hvardiiske' military airfield in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea," the statement said.
How did Yanukovych incite the servicemen of the State Protection Department of Ukraine to desert?
Subsequently, the former president decided to leave Ukraine with the assistance of the Russian Armed Forces. While on the territory of the military unit of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the area of Kozacha Bay in Sevastopol, he incited the servicemen of the State Protection Department of Ukraine who provided his personal security to desert and leave for Russia. The ex-president was taken from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea by the Russian military by sea.
As a result, a number of state security officers left Sevastopol for Russia on a ship with the former president. They did not return to military service.
The route of the fugitive president's movement through the territory of Ukraine and Russia was drawn up, fully controlled and accompanied by the federal security service and the military of the southern military district of the Russian Federation. It was coordinated directly with the President of Russia.
The case was considered under the procedure of special court proceedings in absentia (in the absence of the accused), as the persons are fugitives from justice.
The special pre-trial investigation was conducted by the State Bureau of Investigation.
This is the second sentence for the former president. In January 2019, he was convicted of high treason and aiding and abetting in the conduct of an aggressive war (Article 111(1), Article 27(5), Article 437(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Earlier, 15 former employees of the Presidential Security Service of Ukraine of the State Protection Department were also served with a notice of suspicion on the fact of desertion (part 2 of Article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
