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Summary

Yanukovych, Viktor: case study

A former Ukrainian politician who has been widely accused of corruption and links to Russia.

Victor Yanukovych served as both president (2010– 14) and prime minister (2002– 05, 2006– 07) of Ukraine. His presidency collapsed amidst the Maidan Revolution, following Yanukovych's decision to prioritize Russian ties over cementing Ukraine's political and economic association with the European Union. Tension was further sparked by high levels of perceived corruption and the power of oligarchs in Ukrainian politics.

In the wake of the violent protests Yanukovych, along with many other ministers, fled Kyiv and in his absence the Rada voted to remove him from power and hold elections on the grounds that he had reneged on his con-stitutional duties. Yanukovych labelled the action a coup. In 2019, he was found guilty by a Ukrainian court of treason and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for his role in suppressing the pro-Western protests in 2014 (which led to 88 deaths) and aiding Vladimir Putin in his aggression against Ukraine once he had fled the country (Roth 2019). He remains in exile in Russia (see strategic corruption).

The charges against Yanukovych are extensive. He has been accused of corruption, embezzlement, cronyism, and vote-rigging. While in power Yanukovych was known to privilege his family and friends with public money and contracts in what has been described as a form of state capture. He was also accused of embezzling some $70 billion in state assets and moving them to offshore financial centres, leaving Ukraine in a dire economic situation (Walker & Grytsenko 2014). On his departure from Kyiv in 2014 Yanukovych's luxurious compound on the outskirts of the city was accessed by the public and photographed for the first time. Within its 345 acres, among other indulgences, it accommodated an extravagant home and a private zoo; and papers discovered in a nearby river also suggested lavish spending by the family (BBC 2014).

RDP