Ukraine’s ex-President Yanukovych sentenced to 15 years in absentia

A court in Kyiv has sentenced former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to 15 years in prison for inciting desertion and facilitating the illegal crossing of Ukraine’s border during the 2014 political upheaval.

The Podil District Court found Yanukovych guilty alongside the former Deputy Head of Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, who received a 10-year prison sentence, according to a statement from the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Prosecutors said that on 23 February 2014, Yanukovych, acting with his security chief and representatives of the Russian Federation, illegally crossed into Russian territory by air. They also alleged he organized the evacuation of at least 20 members of his inner circle, including personnel from Ukraine’s State Security Service.

The verdict was issued in absentia, as Yanukovych remains a fugitive and is believed to be living in Russia.

This is Yanukovych’s second conviction. In 2019, a Kyiv court found him guilty of high treason and complicity in waging an aggressive war against Ukraine, sentencing him to 13 years in prison.

Yanukovych fled Ukraine during the Maidan protests in February 2014, a mass uprising that ultimately led to his removal from office.