Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a former Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of the Verkhovna Rada from 2006 to 2010. A member of the pro-Russian Party of Regions, Yanukovych provoked mass protests — the Euromaidan — against his rejection of closer integration with the EU and was removed from the presidency by the Ukrainian parliament in 2014, at the time neighboring Russia started to annex Ukrainian Crimea and started the Russo-Ukrainian War. Since then, he has lived in exile in Russia.
Some of the key events about Viktor Yanukovych
- 1967Convicted of robbery and assault, serving three years in prison
- 1997Appointed as Governor of Donetsk Oblast
- 2002Became Prime Minister of Ukraine for the first time
- 2004Received the highest number of votes in the first round of presidential elections
- 2004Accused of rigging the presidential election, leading to the Orange Revolution
- 2006Appointed as Prime Minister of Ukraine for the second time
- 2010Won the presidential election and became the fourth President of Ukraine
- 2010Signed an agreement extending Russia's lease on naval facilities in Crimea
- 2010Signed a law allowing Russian to be used as an official language, seen as undermining Ukrainian identity
- 2010Extended the Russian Black Sea Fleet's lease in Crimea, viewed as compromising national sovereignty
- 2011Initiated pension reform to address the country's aging population
- 2011Arrested and imprisoned political rival Yulia Tymoshenko on controversial charges
- 2012Signed a law on languages, giving regional languages official status
- 2012Hosted the UEFA Euro 2012 football championship in Ukraine
- 2013Negotiated a $15 billion bailout package from Russia to support Ukraine's economy
- 2013Refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union, sparking mass protests
- 2014Ordered security forces to violently crack down on Euromaidan protesters, resulting in over 100 deaths
- 2014Fled Ukraine to Russia amid impeachment proceedings, abandoning his post as president
- 2014Accused of embezzling billions of dollars from the Ukrainian state
- 2019Convicted in absentia of treason for his role in Russia's annexation of Crimea
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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