The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has informed that 15 former bodyguards of fugitive ex-president Viktor Yanukovych are suspected of desertion. They fled to Russia in 2014.
The investigation established that the then management of the guards had forged documents about their supposed release before escaping. On February 21, 2014, Viktor Yanukovych, together with his roommate, accompanied by security guards, military personnel of the DSS of Ukraine, flew by helicopter from his residence "Mezhyhirya" to Kharkiv. The next day, he arrived in Donetsk, from where he tried to illegally fly to the Russian Federation.
The departure was then blocked by border guards. In order to cross the border, Yanukovych and his security guards conspired with representatives of the Russian law enforcement agencies. For this purpose, the fugitive president and his close entourage, including his son and roommate, as well as security, were first taken to the territory of the Russian military airfield in Crimea.
There, Yanukovych decided to finally leave the territory of Ukraine. In order to provide himself with protection, he persuaded the servicemen of the DSS of Ukraine to desert and leave with him to the Russian Federation. Because of this, 16 servicemen of the DSS of Ukraine left for the Russian Federation on a Russian naval ship. They did not return to the place of service, and most of them received Russian citizenship after leaving.
In order to hide the desertion, an order was issued on February 23, 2014, on the dismissal of 15 of these employees of the DSS of Ukraine from military service. However, according to the results of an official inspection of the DSS of Ukraine in 2023, it was established that the employees of the DSS left for the Russian Federation on February 24, 2014 in the status of military personnel. These materials were used as evidence in the case of the desertion of Yanukovychʼs bodyguards.
In the near future, the suspect will be given a preventive measure.
- In October 2023, SBI completed the investigation of the largest Maidan case. The indictment against the former leadership of Ukraine was referred to the court.
- The Washington Post wrote that during Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) was preparing two puppet governments — headed by fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych for Kyiv and his former associates for southeastern Ukraine.
- One group headed by Yanukovych was in Belarus. He arrived there on March 7. After that, Yanukovych wrote an open letter to Zelensky, in which he called on him to stop the war, surrender and sign peace agreements. Ukrainian intelligence assures that during the week the head of Yanukovychʼs security spoke at least three times with a senior FSB officer who dealt with Ukraine.
- The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (also known as GUR) of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov said in September 2022 that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia did not know who to appoint as the new "president" of Ukraine in case of the capture of Kyiv. One of the options was fugitive president Viktor Yanukovych.