The Pechersk District Court of Kyiv found former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov guilty of high treason and actions aimed at forcibly changing the constitutional order, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
This is stated in the court verdict, published on Tuesday, December 2.
Since the former prime minister is hiding in Russia, the sentence was passed in absentia.
Azarov was charged with high treason, encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, calls for the overthrow of the constitutional order, and justification of Russian aggression. According to the investigation, he actively used his Telegram channel to spread Russian propaganda.
The investigation also established that two Ukrainian citizens — a current and former employee of the Shevchenko Regional State Administration in Kyiv — participated in his informational and subversive activities. They prepared and edited provocative materials for further publication.
- Mykola Azarov headed the government under Viktor Yanukovych and was associated with the Party of Regions and the pro-Russian political course. In 2013, his cabinet stopped preparations for signing the Association Agreement with the EU, which was one of the reasons for the Euromaidan.
- During the protests, Azarov discredited the participants of the Revolution of Dignity and supported the adoption of "dictatorial laws" on January 16, 2014. After Yanukovych fled, he also left Ukraine and is currently hiding in the Russian Federation.
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