The second sentence for Viktor Yanukovych has come into effect — 15 years in prison

The Kyiv Court of Appeals rejected the appeals of Viktor Yanukovychʼs lawyers and upheld the former presidentʼs sentence for incitement to desertion and illegal border crossing — 15 years in prison.

This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

Prosecutors have proven that on February 23, 2014, former Ukrainian President Yanukovych, in collusion with the former head of the Presidential Security Service and with the assistance of the Russian military, illegally crossed the state border.

Together with about 20 people from his entourage and security, they flew in Russian military helicopters from the Donetsk region to Yeysk in the Russian Federation, and then via Anapa to Crimea.

In Sevastopol, the ex-president incited his bodyguards to leave for Russia. Some of them never returned to military service in Ukraine.

The entire route was controlled and escorted by the Russian military, and coordinated directly by the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin.

The appeals court also rejected the complaints of the head of the State Security Department of Ukraine — the head of the Security Service of the President of Ukraine during the Yanukovych era — and upheld his sentence — 10 years in prison for illegally smuggling people across the border.

• In January 2019, Yanukovych was sentenced to 13 years in prison for high treason and aiding and abetting the war against Ukraine. Earlier, 15 former employees of the Presidential Security Service were also reported for desertion. In April 2025, the former president received a second sentence in a Ukrainian court.

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