The secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), Oleksandr Turchynov, threatened to use military aircraft to force an airplane carrying former president Viktor Yanukovych to land in Donetsk on February 22, 2014.
Oles Sharan, an employee of the Office of the State Security Guard Service, stated this while giving testimony in the treason case against Yanukovych at the Obolonskyi District Court of Kyiv, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.
Sharan told the court that he was a security guard for Yanukovych and that he accompanied Yanukovych during his escape from Ukraine in the period of February 21-23, 2014.
According to Sharan, two Falcon airplanes carrying Yanukovych and his security guards were forced to land at the Donetsk airport after the air traffic controller relayed Turchynov's demand.
"The words of the air traffic controller were: 'Forced landing of the means of transport,' Sharan said, adding that Turchynov threatened to use military aircraft.
According to Sharan, the air traffic controller described Turchynov as the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces while relaying his demand.
Yanukovych's lawyer asked Sharan why this demand was met, since Turchynov became Ukraine's acting president and commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on February 23 and not on February 22.
Sharan was unable to answer this question.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Viktor Riznychenko, another former security guard for Yanukovych, told the court that three Russian military helicopters picked up Yanukovych in the Zaporizhia region and transported him through Russia to the Crimea during the period of February 22-23, 2014.
In addition, Riznichenko said that Yanukovych held a meeting with businessman Rinat Akhmetov in Donetsk on February 22, 2014, before fleeing Ukraine.
Sharan also told the court that Member of Parliament Mykhailo Dobkin of the Opposition Bloc faction provided transportation and met with Yanukovych in Kharkiv before he fled Ukraine.
The court has adjourned hearings in the Yanukovych treason case to 10:00 a.m. on January 31.
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