The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has completed a special pre-trial investigation in the case of the "Kharkiv Agreements", which involves the former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and the then Prime Minister Mykola Azarov. Both are suspected of high treason and abetting Russia, which was conducting "subversive activities against Ukraine."
The case was referred to the court, as "Babel" was informed in SBI.
As the investigation established, in 2010, Yanukovych received instructions from the Russian leadership to extend the stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. The agreement concluded in 1997 was supposed to expire in 2017.
At first, Ukraine did not intend to continue this agreement — on April 15, 2008, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Volodymyr Ohryzko handed over to his Russian colleague Lavrov a Memorandum on the procedure for the withdrawal of the Russian fleet from the territory of Ukraine.
However, the Russians ignored the requirement of the Memorandum, and after the election of Yanukovych as president, they started blackmailing energy — in the end, the countryʼs leadership extended the agreements that later led to the annexation of the peninsula.
In April 2010, the Ukrainian delegation headed by Mykola Azarov received the final draft of the new agreement. Then, at a closed meeting of the government, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostyantyn Hryshchenko assured those present of the need to sign it — as if for this Ukraine would receive a discount on Russian gas.
In addition to violating the Constitution and a number of laws, the agreement essentially provided for the placement of a new military base on the territory of Ukraine and introduced new rules for extending the stay of the Russian fleet in Crimea until 2042.
After that, in a matter of days, Yanukovych introduced a draft law on the ratification of the agreement as an urgent matter. The Verkhocna Rada considered it out of turn and adopted it on April 27, 2010 — with 236 votes in favor.
Therefore, Russia began to build up troops and equipment in Crimea, which it later used to annex the peninsula. The Kharkiv agreements caused losses to the state of over 1.08 trillion hryvnias.
Who signed the "Kharkiv Agreements"
Under the documents named "Kharkiv Agreements", there are signatures not only of Viktor Yanukovych and Mykola Azarov. As can be seen from the certificates on the approval of the draft government order and the draft of this agreement, other officials at the time were also involved in the preparation of these documents:
- Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostyantyn Hryshchenko;
- Minister of Justice Oleksandr Lavrynovych;
- Minister of Finance Fedir Yaroshenko;
- Minister of Economy Vasyl Tsushko;
- Minister of Fuel and Energy Yuriy Boyko;
- Minister of Defense Mykhailo Yezhel;
- Minister of Transport and Communications Kostyantyn Yefimenko;
- Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Valerii Khoroshkovskyi;
- head of the State Customs Service Ihor Kaletnik;
- head of the State Border Service Mykola Lytvyn.
In this case, the former ministers of defense, justice and foreign affairs have been declared wanted, and the investigating judge chose a preventive measure for them in the form of detention.
Currently, the extradition of former ministers of justice and foreign affairs, who are hiding in Cyprus and the USA, is ongoing.
But the former Minister of Defense of Ukraine, who is suspected of committing treason, is hiding on the territory of Belarus, which currently makes his extradition impossible.