Meet Viktor Yanukovych, The Former President Of Ukraine Putin Wants To Put Back Into Power

According to a Ukrainian news source, Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to reinstall former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych if his forces succeed in seizing Kyiv and deposing the country’s present democratically elected leadership.

According to Ukrayinska Pravda, an independent online journal, Yanukovych, who has been living in exile in Russia since fleeing Ukraine in 2014, is currently in Belarus, waiting for Russian soldiers to take Kyiv and Putin to name him the country’s new president.

Yanukovych, 72, was Ukraine’s president from 2010 until his removal from office in February 2014, following widespread protests over his decision to reject the country’s agreement to align more closely with the European Union, with an eye toward future membership in the bloc, instead of a Russian financial bailout package and closer ties to Moscow.

Many Ukrainians and international civil society organizations had also accused Yanukovych of operating a corrupt administration, including allegations that he embezzled government funds. (Yanukovych has denied stealing government funds.) He favoured a tiny cabal of affluent Ukrainian business tycoons, which included his son, Oleksandr Yanukovych, and members of his extended family. He also amassed a substantial personal fortune.