18 January 2018, Thursday, 17:18 138

Former President's Bodyguard: 3 Russian Military Choppers Pick Yanukovych In Zaporizhia Region, Fly Him To Crimea On February 22-23, 2014

Редактор: Daria Zubkova

Three Russian military helicopters picked former president Viktor Yanukovych somewhere in Zaporizhia region and flew him to Crimea on February 22-23, 2014.

Staff member of the State Guard Service Viktor Riznichenko said this at the Obolonskyi District Court of Kyiv, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

Riznichenko testified before court that on February 21-23, 2014 he was accompanying Yanukovych as he ran from Ukraine.

According to Riznichenko, late on February 21, Yanukovych, his family and guards left his Mezhyhirya countryside estate (Kyiv region) on two helicopters that brought them to Kharkiv.

From Kharkiv they took off on Falkon planes in an unknown direction, but a traffic controller of the Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services passed an order from Oleksandr Turchynov to the plane's crew ordering them to return to the air field.

The planes landed in Donetsk, and Yanukovych accompanied by bodyguards sat in automobiles and drove in the direction of Crimea.

On their way they were picked up by helicopters with red stars on the bodies, and the pilots of the helicopters wore military uniform without distinction marks.

The helicopters brought Yanukovych first to Anapa (the Russian Federation).

From Anapa, on February 23, Yanukovych was flown on a plane to Crimea (Yalta), to the military base of the Black Sea War Fleet of the Russian Federation.

There some of the bodyguards left Yanukovych who then went to Russia.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on August 10, 2017, the court started hearing in substance the high treason case of Yanukovych.