Incitement to desertion and illegal border crossing. Yanukovych and Kobzar receive sentences in Ukrainian court

Ex-president Yanukovych sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for illegal crossing of border and incitement to desertion
Former president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and former Deputy Head of the Department of State Security, who was the head of Yanukovych's Security Service, Kostiantyn Kobzar, received absentia sentences in a Ukrainian court: they were sentenced to 15 and 10 years in prison, respectively.

This was announced by the Prosecutor General's Office, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

In particular, it is reported that the Podilskyi District Court of Kyiv found them guilty of committing crimes and imposed the following punishment:

ex-president Yanukovych - 15 years in prison for organizing the illegal crossing of persons across the state border of Ukraine and incitement to desertion (Part 2 of Article 332, Part 4 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);

former deputy head of the Department of State Security of Ukraine Kobzar - 10 years in prison for organizing the illegal crossing of persons across the state border of Ukraine and desertion (Part 2 of Article 332, Part 2 of Article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

As noted in the Prosecutor General’s Office, prosecutors in court proved that on February 23, 2014, the ex-president of Ukraine, acting in collusion with the former head of the Presidential Security Service and representatives of the aggressor country, the russian federation, illegally crossed the state border of Ukraine by air and organized the crossing of at least 20 people from among his close circle and servicemen of the Department of State Security.

According to prosecutors, the flight was carried out outside the state border checkpoint for air traffic.

They flew in three russian military helicopters under the control of a pilot of the Armed Forces of the russian federation from the vicinity of the village of Urzuf, Manhush district, Donetsk Region, towards the russian federation to the military airfield in the city of Yeysk. After staying there for some time, they flew to Anapa, and from there, on a military transport plane provided by representatives of the russian Armed Forces, they headed to the Hvardiyske military airfield in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Then, ex-president Yanukovych decided, with the assistance of the russian Armed Forces, to finally leave Ukraine.

While on the territory of the military unit of the russian Black Sea Fleet in the area of ​​​​Cossack Bay in Sevastopol, Yanukovych incited the servicemen of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, who provided his personal security, to desert and leave for russia.

The ex-president was taken out of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea by sea by russian military personnel.

As a result, some state security officers left Sevastopol for the russian federation by sea vessel with the ex-president, but they did not return to military service.

The Prosecutor General’s Office emphasized that the entire escape route through Ukraine and the russian federation was planned and controlled by russian special services and the military, and the route was coordinated directly with the russian president.

"The case was considered under the procedure of special judicial proceedings in absentia (in the absence of the accused), since the individuals are absconding from justice. A special pre-trial investigation was carried out by the State Bureau of Investigation," the prosecutor's office said.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, this is Yanukovych's second sentence: in January 2019, he was convicted of high treason and aiding and abetting in waging an aggressive war (Part 1 of Article 111, Part 5 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 437 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Also, 15 former employees of the Security Service of the President of Ukraine, the Department of State Security, were previously reported as suspected of desertion (Part 2 of Article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Former president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych is currently in the Moscow Oblast of the russian federation.