The Podil District Court of Kyiv has issued a guilty verdict against former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and former Deputy Head of the State Protection Administration of Ukraine Konstantin Kobzar. Following the court proceedings, they have been sentenced to 15 and 10 years of imprisonment, respectively.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Charges and Key Circumstances of the Case
According to the investigation, Yanukovych was found guilty of organizing the illegal transportation of individuals across the state border of Ukraine and inciting desertion. Kobzar is suspected of the same crimes, as well as organizing illegal transportation. As stated in the verdict,
“Yanukovych is found guilty of organizing the illegal transportation of individuals across the state border of Ukraine and inciting desertion (part 2 of article 332, part 4 of article 27, part 2 of article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine); Kobzar – for organizing the illegal transportation of individuals across the state border of Ukraine and desertion (part 2 of article 332, part 2 of article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).”
The pre-trial investigation established that on February 23, 2014, Yanukovych, in collusion with representatives of Russian forces and the former head of the Security Service of Ukraine, illegally crossed the Ukrainian border. He made this crossing by air, flying in three Russian military helicopters from the outskirts of the village of Urzuf in the Mangush district of Donetsk region towards Russia, with a subsequent flight to a military airfield in the city of Yeisk. After a short stay there, he, along with his entourage, flew to Arabat, and from there – on a military transport aircraft provided by the Russian military, they headed to the military airfield “Gvardeyskoye” in Crimea.
Yanukovych’s Transportation and Desertion
Subsequently, with the assistance of Russian military forces, the ex-president decided to permanently leave Ukraine. Therefore, he was located at a military unit of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the area of Kozacha Bay in Sevastopol, where he incited Ukrainian UDO military personnel to desert and flee to Russia. By sea, with the help of Russian military forces, he was evacuated from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to Russia. As a result, along with him, some members of the state protection service left by sea from Sevastopol and subsequently did not return to duty.
Control over Yanukovych’s movement through the territory of Ukraine and Russia was carried out by officers of the Federal Protective Service and military personnel of the Southern Military District of Russia. All actions were coordinated directly with the President of Russia.
Court Proceedings and Legal Consequences
The case was heard under the special court proceedings in absentia, as the individuals are evading justice. The special pre-trial investigation was conducted by the State Bureau of Investigations.
In January 2019, Yanukovych was sentenced to 13 years in prison for treason and aiding in the conduct of an aggressive war, and as a result, he was assigned a punishment in this regard.