Viktor Yanukovych, ex Ukraine President Russia’s top pick to replace Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Viktor Yanukovych, former Ukrainian President, is rumoured to be Russia’s top choice to replace Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Pro-Russian Ukrainian leader had fled to Russia in 2014 after being deposed from his position.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to reinstate Yanukovych as president of Ukraine, as per The Kyiv Independent. The Ukrainian media outlet reported that Viktor Yanukovych is allegedly in Minsk and the Kremlin is preparing an operation to replace Zelensky with the ex-president.

⚡️Media: Putin wants to reinstate Yanukovych as president of Ukraine.

Viktor Yanukovych is allegedly in Minsk, and the Kremlin is preparing an operation to replace Zelensky with the ex-president ousted by the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014, according to Ukrainska Pravda’s sources

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 2, 2022

Viktor Yanukovych was ousted as President of Ukraine by the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014. He has been in exile in Russia since then. Viktor Yanukovych’s proximity to Russia and his previous tenure as a democratically elected President of Ukraine, makes him a viable candidate for Russian President Vladimir Putin to replace current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Read more: UNGA resolution on Ukraine: UNGA adopts resolution demanding Russia to withdraw from Ukraine, India abstains from voting

Who is Viktor Yanukovych?

Viktor Yanukovych served as the fourth President of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. The pro-Russian leader was ousted from Presidency in 2014 after the Ukrainian revolution.

Yanukovych had first run for President in 2004 and had advanced to the runoff election and was even declared the winner initially against former Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko but the elections were marred with allegations of electoral fraud and voter intimidation.

This resulted in the Orange Revolution in Ukraine and the Supreme Court of the country nullified the runoff election and ordered a second runoff, which Yanukovych lost to Yushchenko.

He later served as the Prime Minister of Ukraine from August 2006 to December 2007 under President Yushchenko. He had also served as the Prime Minister of the nation earlier from 21 November 2002 to 7 December 2004 and from 28 December 2004 to 5 January 2005 under the Presidency of Leonid Kuchma.

Why was Viktor Yanukovych ousted from power?

• Viktor Yanukovych had become the President of Ukraine in 2010 after beating Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in Ukrainian Presidential Elections that were judged as free and fair.
• Though initial years of his presidency were peaceful, protests started against him in late 2013 after he rejected a pending European Union (EU) association agreement and allowing a Russian loan bailout to build closer ties with Russia.
• This led to protests and occupation of Kyiv's Independence Square. The protests were dubbed as "Euromaidan" by proponents of aligning Ukraine toward the European Union.
• The protests turned into deadly clashes in January 2014 with Ukrainian citizens clashing with the Berkut and other special police units, leading to many deaths and injuries.
• On February 21, 2014, Yanukovych after a long discussion with the opposition, left Kyiv for Kharkiv, travelling to Crimea and then eventually to southern Russia.
• The Ukrainian Parliament voted to remove Viktor Yanukovych from the post of President on February 22, 2014 and schedule new elections.
• The Parliament also issued a warrant for arrest, accusing him of mass killings of civilians.
• Though Yanukovych claimed in many press conferences that he was the legitimate head of the Ukrainian state, he was officially deprived of the title by the Parliament in June 2015.
• On January 24, 2019, a Ukrainian court sentenced Yanukovych in absentia to thirteen years' imprisonment for high treason.

It was after Viktor Yanukovych’s ouster from power that Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Read more: Is Moldova next? Belarus President Lukashenko's photo with battle map goes viral