Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
Photo: Kremlin.ru / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
The court has found former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych guilty of illegal border crossing and incitement to desertion, Orda.kz reports.
Yanukovych was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine. The verdict was delivered by the Podilskyi District Court of Kyiv.
He was convicted of organizing the illegal crossing of Ukraine’s state border and inciting military personnel to desert.
According to investigators, on February 23, 2014, Yanukovych, with the assistance of Russian representatives, evacuated his close associates and members of the state security service from Ukraine.
He crossed the border outside of official checkpoints: a convoy of helicopters departed from near the village of Urzuf in the Donetsk region, heading to a military airfield in Yeysk. From there, Yanukovych was transported by sea through Crimea into Russian territory. Several state security officers also deserted alongside him.
This marks Yanukovych’s second sentence in absentia. In 2019, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for high treason.
Previously, we reported that other former leaders of post-Soviet states have also faced convictions: former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was sentenced to nine years in prison for embezzlement of public funds, while former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was sentenced in absentia to 30 years for corruption related to the development of the Kumtor gold mine.
Original Author: Ruslan Loginov
Latest news
- Activist Amangeldy Dzhakhin Detained in Kokshetau, Home Searched
- Kcell Doubles Profit in First Three Quarters of 2025
- Toqayev Briefed by Interior Minister Sadenov on Declining Crime Rates
- Axios: Trump Administration Holding Secret Talks With Russia on Ukraine Peace Plan
- Kazakhstan: Blogger Nordkazakh Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Prison
- Exxon, Carlyle, and ADNOC Line Up for Lukoil’s International Portfolio
- Archaeologists Uncover a Large Bronze Age Settlement in East Kazakhstan
- Armenian Court Prolongs Detention of Tashir Group Founder Samvel Karapetyan
- ALMEX Preps to Sell 4% Stake in Halyk Bank Worth 159 Billion Tenge
- Inside the Algabas Tragedy: What Is Known So Far
- What’s Being Kept from the Commission on the Almaty–Oskemen Road, and Why Billions Are at Risk
- Fourteen-Year-Old Boy Dies After Alleged Assault in Talgar: Family Disputes Investigation
- Kazakhstan Welcomes UN Gaza Peace Plan
- Smog Engulfs Oskemen: Multiple Pollutants Exceed Limits
- Chinese Refinery Drops Russian Oil, Turns to Kazakhstan and UAE
- Zelenskyy Heads to Türkiye for Talks as Kremlin Spokesperson Says Russian Reps Won’t Participate
- Kazakhstan Introduces Fines for Misuse of Artificial Intelligence
- Estonia to Store Kazakh Grain Free for 90 Days Under New Export Deal
- Twelve People, Including Nine Children, Killed in House Fire in Turkistan Region
- No Buyers for Satybaldyuly’s Confiscated Market Asset
