Victor Yanukovych to testify via video conference on Novermber 25 2016

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/news/yanukovych-to-testify-via-video-conference-on-novermber-25-807296.html

Russian side agreed to hold a video conference in court


The ousted Ukrainian ex-president Victor Yanukovych will give his testimony on the criminal case of the five former Bercut riot police officers via video conference on November 25th, the UNIAN agency reports, referring to the statement of the Yanukovych's lawyer Vitaliy Serdiuk.

Sviatoshyn district court of Kyiv obtained an agrement from the Russian side to arrange this interrogation online. November 25th has been chosen as the date for the testimony.

Victor Yanukovych is to give his evidence being in the status of the witness, the lawyer also noted.

As reported previously, the mentioned five Bercut riot police officers, including Pavlo Abroskin, Sergiy Zinchrenko, Olexander Marychenko, Serhiy Tamtura and Oleh Yanishevsky, are accused of mass killings during the events of the Euromaidan revolution in Kyiv.


Victor Yanukovych, a former Ukrainian president who fled the country amid the turmoils in Ukraine in spring 2014, is wanted by the Ukrainian authorities and himself accused of top-level corruption and involvement in mass murders and violent oppression towards the pro-European activists. Having received the asylum by the Kremlin, he is fleeing from Ukrainian justice in Russia.

 

[Hindustani78]

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http://uatoday.tv/crime/evidence-sa...idan-activists-was-planned-lawyer-807286.html

Berkut officer's testimonies, tensions between prosecutors and date of possible verdict – Ukrainian lawyer Markiyan Halabala's interview with Ukraine Today

It's been almost three years since Ukraine initiated a criminal investigation into the murders of the Euromaidan protesters, known as the Heavenly Hundred.

Several chiefs of the Prosecutor General's office vowed to bring the people behind the killings to justice. The latest of them, Mr. Yuriy Lutsenko recently said ‘he couldn't imagine the investigation would take more years.

Ukrainian lawyer Markiyan Halabala, involved in the case, says there has been progress on the investigation, although much more could be achieved in this time.

‘One of the titushka (hooligan – UT) leaders, said he received information on February 18, that there will be shooting on the Euromaidan activists. This evidence is very helpful for us, and can explain that shooting of the protesters was kind of planned, it wasn't just a reaction from the Berkut units', Mr. Halabala said, saying the source of the information is kept secret.

Several Berkut officers are on trial for their reported involvement in the shooting. One of them, Viktor Shapovalov partially admitted his guilt and pointed at colleagues, who were given pump-action shotguns during the protests, instead of rubber bullets. Some officers were also paid extra for their activities, Halabala said.

It remains difficult, though, to legally prove where the money and orders came from.

‘It's a problem, when we go much higher it's hard to get evidence who had given the orders. We know, that the orders were given by Ukraine's highest-ranking officials at the time, Zakharchenko (former Interior Minister), Yanukovych and so on, but we are working to get the evidence', Halabala said.

Watch the full interview to learn about the relations between top prosecutors, and when Ukrainians should expect the verdict.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/politics/poroshenko-questioned-for-6-hours-on-euromaidan-809173.html
The President answered prosecutor's questions on November 18, sources said

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was questioned on the events of the Euromaidan on November 18, a source in the Prosecutor General's office told Interfax.

The questioning reportedly took six hours, and was held in the building of the Poroshenko administration, even though initially it had been planned to take place in the Prosecutor's office.

The President had to answer the questions as the prosecutors are conducting an investigation into the events of the Euromaidan revolution and the murders of the protesters, known as the Heavenly Hundred.

Back in February 2014, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted after the mass demonstrations against him resulted in bloody clashes with the country's riot police Berkut.

Kyiv vowed to investigate the reported corrupt activities of Yanukovych, as well as where the orders for violent dispersal of the Euromaidan activists came from.

Two and a half years later, the truth still has not been uncovered.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=716504

November 22, 2016 21:55

Kyiv court rules to question Yanukovych via video link on Nov 25

KYIV. Nov 22 (Interfax) - Kyiv's Svyatoshynsky District Court ruled on November 25 to question former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and former Ukrainian Interior Ministry's Interior Forces Commander Stanislav Shulyak via video link as witnesses in a case against five former members of the Berkut special task force.

Judge Serhiy Dyachuk, presiding over the hearing, announced on Tuesday that the video system was ready for a questioning procedure, and the court, in the presence of the parties to the proceedings, will decide in the next session on November 24 whether the evidence may be examined this way.

However, one of the accused Berkut members, Oleh Yanishevsky, asked the court on Tuesday to postpone the hearing to November 25, as he has had a high temperature for the second day.

The court took this into consideration, and ruled to modify the evidence examination procedure, planning Yanukovych's and Shulyak's questioning via video link in the next hearing. "The court announces a recess in the proceedings to organize the said process until 1:00 p.m. on November 25, 2016," Judge Dyachuk said.

 

[Hindustani78]

Viktor Yanukovych to answer questions of Ukrainian prosecutors through Skype


http://uatoday.tv/politics/ukraine-to-question-its-ousted-president-today-813193.html

The former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia during the events of the Maidan Revolution back in 2014, will be interviewed today about the murders of the Euromaidan activists.

That's it for today! We are closing this live newswire on Yanukovych interrogation.

Ending summary:

• Ukraine's ousted ex-president Victor Yanukovych did arrive at the Rostov regional court in Russia as a witness for the Ukrainian Sviatoshyn court of Kyiv on the case of the five former Berkut officers accused of mass murders during the Euromaidan events in 2014
• The accused were blocked inside Lukianivska jail by the nationalist activists, so they couldn't be conveyed to the court.
• With acceptance from both Kyiv and Rostov court, a new interrogation hearing was postponed till November 28, 13.00 EET.
• Victor Yanukovych, who bears 'witness status' in the criminal case, has confirmed his readiness to be interrogated via online video conference by the Kyiv court again on November 28.

14.10 The accused former Berkut officers can be interrogated from within the jail, lawyers say.

The defendants haven't been prepared to be conveyed to the courthouse in Kyiv, since they cannot be present at the hearing, their advocates claim during the briefing. They also accuse the Lukianovska jail officials of sabotaging Yanukovych interrogation.

14.02 The court hearing has now been announced finished

The today's Victor Yanukovych interrogation has failed because of the absence of the accused Bercut ex-officers.

13.57 The Ukraine court postpones the next hearing to 13.00, November 28.

After coordination with Rostov court, a new video conference interrogation has been planned on November 28. Both Russian and Ukrainian judicial institutions have no complaints upon each other. Victor Yanukovych confirms his availability for the mentioned date.

13.54 The Right Sector explained the reason why it is blocking Lukianovska jail

The accused former Bercut officers may be released by the law enforcers immediately after participation the interrogation, the Right Sector nationalistic organisation officials say.

13.50 Ukrainian journalists are prevented from entering Rostov court

Ukrainian media are being impeded to be present at Rostov court, where Victor Yanukovych and his lawyers await for resuming a Rostov-Kyiv court video conference, UNIAN reports.

13.33 The law officers in Kyiv started brawling over reasons of absence of the accused

Ukrainians court official blame each other for unavailability of the five accused ex-Bercut servants.

13.23. The court announced a 20-minute pause

The Russian and Ukrainian side discuss holding a new hearing and interrogation on November 28 or December 2 due to the absence of the accused

13.20 Dozens of people are blocking the convoy from Lukianivska jail

The accused former Berkut officers are prevented from being transported to court, the UNIAN reports.

13.16 Rostov lawyers propose to postpone the current hearing until November 25

Both sides discuss on what to do due in the absence of the accused.

13.13 Russian Rostov regional court confirms its readiness to participate in interrogation via video conference

Victor Yanukovych is shown to be present at court hearing in Rostov

13.10 Advocates ask for delay in court hearing

The accused former Berkut officers are absent at the court hearings, and their advocates ask for an hour long delay.

13.05 112 news outlet starts live broadcasting


13.00 Yanukovych's motorcade arrived at Rostov court

The ousted Ukraine's former president Victor Yanukovych has arrived at court in Rostov, Russia, to be interrogated by Ukrainian law officers via video conference.


Yanukovych is expected to be interviewed as a witness, although many in Ukraine believe he had given the order for police to open fire, which eventually resulted in deaths of protesters, known nowadays in Ukraine as the Heavenly Hundred, and 18 law enforcers.

The ousted President will be sitting in a court in Russia's Rostov and answering the questions, asked from a Kyiv court via Skype.

‘He is in a good mood. It's a good opportunity for him to tell position to the people, the court and help the prosecutors uncover the truth', Yanukovych's lawyer said in an interview with a Ukrainian media agency ahead of the questioning.

At the same time, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko was pessimistic about the video questioning, saying it might not help the investigation.

‘It would be most effective (to hold the interview in person – UT). Welcome to Ukraine, come, Viktor Fedorovych, law and justice awaits you', Lutsenko said.

The interview takes place as five former officers of Ukraine's now dissolved riot police Berkut are under criminal investigation for their reported involvement in the bloody clashes between the law enforcers and the Euromaidan activists.

After his questioning, Viktor Yanukovych is also expected to hold a press conference in Russia, which will be his first since 2014.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/386659.html

Ukraine's authority, Verkhovna Rada Deputy Speaker Oksana Syroid said.

"The prosecutors are so interested in questioning Yanukovych as a witness, but they are not demonstrating any interest in questioning him as a suspect," Syroid said on Facebook on Friday.

"Are our prosecutors so unprofessional, primitive, and negligent that they don't see that Russia is interested in their actions and the state's authority is inevitably being undermined? Or are they working in Russia's interests on purpose?" Syroid said.

The prosecutors should be held accountable for lack of professionalism, she said.


********************************
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/386660.html

ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych People has claimed rallying on Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) in central Kyiv in 2014 were shot by snipers from buildings controlled by Maidan activists.

"Everyone knows that snipers were shooting from buildings controlled by Maidan, and both law enforcement officials and those rallying on Maidan were shot simultaneously. And how can you investigate these events and not investigate those? How can you declare some people heroes and just bury others? Not only does this blatantly violate the Constitution, but this also doesn't work in terms of the presumption of innocence and inevitability of punishment," he said.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/386662.html

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (2010-2014) said he has no funds in accounts in foreign banks and that he had taken only his personal belongings in hand baggage out of Ukraine.

"As for some fantastic money they wrote about a lot, there is not a cent of my money in any bank in the world to date. I have never had and have no accounts," Yanukovych said at a press conference in Russia's Rostov-on-Don on Friday evening.

He also said that he had never taken money and valuables out of Ukraine. "I never took out anything, except for my personal belongings in hand baggage," Yanukovych said.

In addition, the ex-president confirmed the death of his youngest son, Viktor. "I have heard plenty of insults in that period of time, I would have to say, even slander, lies, open and most diverse, cynical; for example, when it concerned death of my youngest son," Yanukovych said.

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/386663.html

Ousted Ukrainian ex-president Viktor Yanukovych supports Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions allegedly to protect Russian-speaking residents of Crimea during the change of government in Kyiv in 2014.

"This behavior deserves respect," Yanukovych said at a press conference in Rostov-on-Don on Friday evening.

At the same time, Yanukovych deplored the fact that Kyiv has lost its jurisdiction over Crimean territory. "Is it good that Crimea has been separated from Ukraine? No, I believe it's bad," he said.

At the same time, he laid the blame for the radicalization of sentiments in Crimea and its residents' desire to join Russia on the organizers of the Euro-Maidan events.

"Crimea started seeking help from Russia. But the referendum on Crimea's separation from Ukraine is a result of Maidan's provocation. Until Ukraine returns to the legal framework and until it conducts true investigations, it will be impossible to build the future without the truth," Yanukovych said.

 

[Hindustani78]

On November 25, the Svyatoshinsky District Court of Kyiv holds a hearing in the case of the Maidan events, with plans announced to question as a witness Ukraine's disgraced ex-president Viktor Yanukovych via video conference.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/crime/lutsenko-reads-out-indictment-of-treason-against-yanukovych-814958.html
16:01 Nov. 28, 2016

Ukraine's Prosecutor General grabbed an opportunity to declare the fugitive president a suspect in treason

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has read out official accusations of high treason that have been brought against former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

"Given the fact that Yanukovych is outside [the country], does not appear under subpoena and is actually hiding from Ukraine's law enforcement agencies, the charges are being announced in verbal form. But the notice of suspicion was sent one hour ago to all known addresses and the place of last residence of Viktor Yanukovych. After my speech it will be handed over to his lawyer. The above-mentioned notice of suspicion has been drafted by me as Prosecutor General of Ukraine," he said.


According to Lutsenko, criminal proceedings of this case No. 42016000000001594 are being investigated by the main military prosecutor's office.

"According to the notice, Viktor Yanukovych is suspected of the fact that on March 1, 2014, as a citizen of Ukraine, staying at an undisclosed location in territory of the Russian Federation, acting intentionally, in violation of Articles 1, 2, 65, 68, 132, 133.134 of the Constitution of Ukraine, he committed an act of high treason. What is more, to assist the Russian Federation and its representatives in violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, hoping for support and protection from the authorities of the Russian Federation for further long-term stay in that country and to avoid criminal responsibility in Ukraine, to legitimize actions by the authorities and officials of the Russian Armed Forces, [namely] incursion and occupation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian armed forces, while realizing clear unlawfulness of his actions, he signed an address to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the use of the armed forces of that state on the territory of Ukraine, thereby he assisted a foreign state in carrying out subversive activities against Ukraine...," Lutsenko said.

"And now, not as Prosecutor General, but as a citizen of Ukraine, I accuse Yanukovych of the fact that he opened the door to aggressive war against our country, he destroyed the sovereignty of the state whose Constitution he swore an oath of allegiance to. As a result of which, 2,263 soldiers have been killed, 7,394 people have been injured, and 700 million have become refugees... It's all on the conscience of the one who dares to lie in the eyes of all the Ukrainian people today. The day of reckoning is nearing," he said.

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http://uatoday.tv/crime/second-try-...e-questioned-over-maidan-massacre-814803.html


Authorities were not able to transport from jail to court five Berkut riot police officers, accused of carrying out the shootings, as protesters from the Right Sector nationalist group blocked the route. Right Sector pledged more rallies on November 28.

Many in Ukraine are angry that Yanukovych, who fled Ukraine for Russia on Feb. 21, 2014 after more than 100 demonstrators were killed on Maidan square, is appearing as a witness and is not facing trial himself.

12:50 Defendants in the case, the five Berkut riot police, are brought up to the courtroom. That is according to Zoryan Shkirayk, an advisor to the Interior Minister.

12:40 Disgraced Ex-President of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych has arrived in Russia's Rostov court to testify via video link in Euromaidan killings case. UNIAN correspondent reports tightened security measures around the court building, while journalists' interest has significantly decreased in comparison with his first, November 25, appearance.

13:50 Yanukovych reads out an excerpt from research published in San Francisco. This document allegedly proves that all the events on the Independence Square were staged. The fugitive ex-president talks about the role of far-right and nationalist forces, argues Right Sector and Maidan self-defence forces had firearms, including sniper rifles.

13:45 Yanukovych says he handed to his lawyers all the chronology of events in Kyiv, from late 2013 through February 2014, comprising 3 bundles.

13:35 Victor Yanukovych, the twice-convicted felon, says he has no criminal record

16:11 Prosecution concludes questioning. Representatives of victims are the next to put questions.
13:32 Yanukovych takes witness stand, refuses to name his residential address in Russia's Rostov region

14:00 Yanukovych says EU-Ukraine Association violated his country's national and economic interests. The Association deal was not rejected, but suspended, according to him. The ex-president blames provocations, provocateurs and biased media reporting for bloodshed in Kyiv.

14:08 The disgraced former president reflects on talks with opposition, meeting with students, argues he insisted on peaceful settlement all the way through the events in Kyiv. But all his efforts were hindered by "provocations". "I am convinced that people who stood on Maidan were not guilty. Radicals who manipulated them are to blame," Yanukovych stated.

14:28 Current Kyiv authorities are to blame for today's ‘civil war' in Ukraine, claims the ousted president echoing the official version of the Kremlin. Yanukovych says he did not order any forceful crackdown.

15:32 Prosecutor: On the 19 Feb night Ukraine's former PM Mykola Azarov met Putin in Russia. Yanukovych does not know anything about the meeting as he was not in close contacts with Azarov at that time.

Prosecutor reports about at least two overnight conversations with Russia's Putin. Yanukovych again says he does not remember, advises to search this information on the presidential web-site.

15:39 Yanukovych denies having any contacts with Kremlin's aide Vladislav Surkov, known as a mastermind of Russia's strategy in Ukraine

Yanukovych: No contacts, no phone conversations with Surkov [Putin's aide on Ukraine] during Maidan.

Prosecutor: Did you know that he came to Ukraine several times?

Yanukovych: I got this information from media

16:07 Ex-president could not explain how he ended up in Russia, says his life was in danger so he proceeded to Crimea.


16:52 Yanukovych says he has never contacted with anyone inside Ukraine and abroad on Maidan crackdown.

16:55 Yanukovych says he does now remember the exact number of casualties of Maidan crackdown

17:12 Yanukovych cannot remember the names of persons who were ordered to stop bloodshed on Maidan

17:26 Suspension of the Ukraine-EU association agreement was right decision, no referendum was needed - Yanukovych

18:21 Yanukovych refuses to answer question on what he was accounted for while calling on Russia to sent troops in Ukraine

18:30 Yanukovych received calls and SMS messages from Russia and Crimea, but he says he cannot remember who was calling him

19:14 Rostov court agrees to hold a new interrogation on December 2

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/crime/outstanding...n-how-yanukovych-admitted-treason-816513.html
15:47 Nov. 30, 2016

Ukraine's fugitive president confirmed he had asked Putin for military intervention

Ukraine's former president Victor Yanukovych has, in fact, admitted his complicity in Russia's occupation of Crimea and aggression in eastern Ukraine.

Speaking on November 25 at a press conference in Russia's Rostov, Yanukovych has confirmed existence of the letter to Vladimir Putin, in which he asked the Russian leader to use military force and ‘save Ukraine.'

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko said Yanukovych's confession was needed to indict him, as Ukraine does not have the original of the ill-famed letter.

"Why this case was not possible before? Because Victor Fedorovych, having an outstanding idiocy talent, stated himself at the press conference that he had signed that letter," Lutsenko said to 112 Ukraine TV channel.

"Now we are conducting expert examinations to document that it was him appearing on TV, his voice, and that was exactly what he'd said. The three expert reports are to be ready within a very short time. After that, the indictment will be laid down," added the Prosecutor General.

On November 28, Lutsenko declared Yanukovych a suspect in high treason case.

In March 2014 Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin told a UN Security Council meeting that Ukraine's ousted president has sent a letter to his Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting to restore law and order in Ukraine.

"The country has plunged into chaos and anarchy," Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin read from an unofficial translation of the letter "The country is in the grip of outright terror and violence driven by the West."

"People are persecuted on political and language grounds," he read. "In this context, I appeal to the President of Russia Vladimir V. Putin to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation to re-establish the rule of law, peace, order, stability and to protect the people of Ukraine."

Commenting on the request on November 25, Yanukovych said he was driven by emotions at that time.

"This document [a letter addressing Putin] indeed existed. There was an emotional decision to somehow influence the offensive of illegal armed formations, [to stop] violence in Donbas," Yanukovych said at a press conference in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on Friday, answering a question from an UNIAN correspondent.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/388191.html

Former commander of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's Internal Troops, Stanislav Shuliak, who is giving testimony via video link in the case against five former Berkut special operations division officers accused of killing Euro-Maidan activists, said that the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has not notified him about suspicion of committing crimes and his testimony will be limited solely to the case on trial.

An Interfax correspondent reported that prior to the beginning of questioning Kyiv's Sviatoshynsky District Court drew Shuliak's attention to the fact that his surname is mentioned in the pre-trial investigation files "as an individual involved in organizing abuse of power and office by law enforcement officers for the purpose of use of force against the protest rally." Due to that, the court asked representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office whether the witness Shuliak was notified about suspicion.

A public prosecution representative said that the Prosecutor General's Office notified Shuliak about the suspicion of his committing a crime under the article on desertion on January 9, 2015, and about suspicion of his involvement in a criminal organization and crimes committed by it on November 17, 2015. Apart from that, the prosecutor said, Shuliak is suspected of organizing abuse of power by law enforcement officers resulting in grave consequences.

"In accordance with the law on criminal procedure a notice [of suspicion] was sent to Stanislav Shuliak," the prosecutor said.

After obtaining this information the court explained to Shuliak that as part of these proceedings he has a right to refuse to give testimony in the court and reply to questions and not to be held responsible for this under the Article 63 of the Constitution of Ukraine. Shuliak replied that he understood this provision of the law and said: "No [notices of] suspicions were handed over and voiced to me."

He requested the limiting of the questioning within the criminal case against former Berkut officers considered by the Sviatoshynsky District Court.

Shuliak also said that he has Ukrainian citizenship and resides in Simferopol.

 

[WaLeEdK2]

Poor guy gets DEMOCRATICALLY elected then gets ousted. The majority voted for him. The west backed an ousting of a pro-Russian leader that sent a huge message to Moscow. Russia had every right to take back Crimea after this buffoonery. Tit for tat situation. If you wanna play dirty we can too. Putin, being a former KGB officer, demonstrated a true master stroke to which they are still burning today.

 

[vostok]

Poor guy gets DEMOCRATICALLY elected then gets ousted. The majority voted for him. The west backed an ousting of a pro-Russian leader that sent a huge message to Moscow. Russia had every right to take back Crimea after this buffoonery. Tit for tat situation. If you wanna play dirty we can too. Putin, being a former KGB officer, demonstrated a true master stroke to which they are still burning today.

He was not pro-Russian. He was neutral and slightly more pro-Western. Yanukovych has not adopted the law on the status of the Russian language, as he promised before the election. Yanukovych hold course on European integration.

 

[WaLeEdK2]

He was not pro-Russian. He was neutral and slightly more pro-Western. Yanukovych has not adopted the law on the status of the Russian language, as he promised before the election. Yanukovych hold course on European integration.

He wasn't neutral. He leaned toward Russia.
As president, Yanukovych promptly demonstrated his pro-Russian leanings. In April 2010 he struck a deal with Russian Pres. Dmitry Medvedev to extend Russia’s lease of the port at Sevastopol, the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, until 2042. In exchange, Ukraine would receive a reduction in the price of Russian natural gas.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Viktor-Yanukovych

No doubt if Russia hadn't taken Crimea, the black sea fleet wouldn't be there by lease anymore.
If he wasn't leaning towards Russia or pro-Russian how come he went to Russia for asylum?

 

[vostok]

He wasn't neutral. He leaned toward Russia.
As president, Yanukovych promptly demonstrated his pro-Russian leanings. In April 2010 he struck a deal with Russian Pres. Dmitry Medvedev to extend Russia’s lease of the port at Sevastopol, the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, until 2042. In exchange, Ukraine would receive a reduction in the price of Russian natural gas.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Viktor-Yanukovych

If he wasn't leaning towards Russia or pro-Russian how come he went to Russia for asylum.

He won the election, promising to return the Russian language its official status, and also promised integration with Russia.
Instead, he adopted the law about the non-alternative course of European integration.
Regarding Sevastopol. Even Yushchenko, who came to power after the coup did not dare to try to expel Russian Fleet from Sevastopol.
Snowden also flew to Russia. Yanukovych just had no other place to go. He was like Mubarak - believed that if you serve to the West, the West needs you.

 

[WaLeEdK2]

He won the election, promising to return the Russian language its official status, and also promised integration with Russia.
Instead, he adopted the law about the non-alternative course of European integration.
Regarding Sevastopol. Even Yushchenko, who came to power after the coup did not dare to try to expell Russian Fleet from Sevastopol.

To expel them you need to join NATO first which they are in the process of doing. Yanukovych stopped that process in 2010 (after they applied in 2008) when he got elected. I guess you could say he was neutral but if you were to say which we he leaned it was Russia and the wasn't good enough for Washington. They don't want a Russian Black Sea fleet.