Ukraine hands 15-year jail term to ex-president
Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has been handed a 15-year prison sentence by a Kiev court for allegedly inciting desertion and organizing 'illegal transportation across the state border,' Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office announced on Monday.
Yanukovich served as president of Ukraine from 2010 until 2014, when he was ousted during the Western-backed Maidan coup and forced to leave the country. He has since sought refuge in Russia. Shortly after his escape, the Ukrainian parliament officially stripped him of his title as president.
Ukrainian prosecutors have now claimed that Yanukovich's escape in February 2014 was 'illegal' and have accused him of taking at least 20 other people across the border with him, including his personal entourage and military personnel.
The prosecution alleged that after Yanukovich fled Kiev, a number of state security workers that traveled with him to Russia did not return to military service, constituting desertion.
On Monday, the Podolsky District Court of Kiev said that prosecutors had proven Yanukovich's transgressions and sentenced the former leader in absentia to 15 years in prison, finding him guilty of organizing an illegal border crossing and inciting desertion. Additionally, the court also sentenced Yanukovich's former deputy head of the presidential security service, Konstantin Kobzar, to ten years in prison for desertion and organizing the illegal transfer of persons across the state border.
The sentence marks the second time Yanukovich has been convicted in Ukraine. In 2019, he was given a 13-year prison term for alleged treason and aiding Russia's supposed 'aggressive war against Ukraine.' At the time, Yanukovich's lawyer dismissed the verdict as illegal, arguing it was issued under pressure from the Ukrainian government ahead of the 2019 presidential elections.
Yanukovich's successor, Pyotr Poroshenko, has also faced legal challenges in Ukraine as he seeks to run for office again once presidential elections are held.
In February, Vladimir Zelensky imposed personal sanctions on Poroshenko and several other individuals, claiming he was 'protecting' the country and 'restoring justice.'
Zelensky, whose presidential term officially expired last year, has repeatedly refused to hold new elections or relinquish power, citing martial law and the ongoing conflict with Russia.
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