Crimes against the Maidan and the usurpation of power: law enforcement agencies have concluded their investigation into Yanukovych and 16 former officials
This has been reported by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General, Ruslan Kravchenko.
The following officials from the Yanukovych era are implicated in the case:
- Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.
- Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka.
- Minister of Internal Affairs Vitaliy Zakharchenko.
- Commander of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Internal Troops Stanislav Shulyak.
- Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Yakimenko.
- First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine — Head of the Anti-Terrorist Centre, Volodymyr Totskyi.
- Minister of Defence Pavlo Lebedev.
- Chief of the General Staff Yuriy Ilyin.
- Other senior officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (in particular, ‘Berkut’) and the Security Service of Ukraine.
The investigation established that, after coming to power, Yanukovych used his authority to establish personal control over the state apparatus, thereby breaching his oath of office. To this end, he recruited people from his inner circle into a criminal organisation.
They were appointed to key posts in Ukraine’s state bodies and created the appearance of legitimate activity, but in reality acted in the interests of Yanukovych and the criminal organisation. The system enabled the organisation of serious and particularly serious crimes.
During the Revolution of Dignity, Yanukovych ordered the use of law enforcement agencies and the Armed Forces against protesters in central Kyiv. As a result of the criminal group’s actions, 70 civilians were killed and a further 1,200 were injured.
The defendants have been charged in absentia with establishing and operating a criminal organisation. They face between 8 and 13 years in prison.
It should be noted that Yanukovych has already been convicted in absentia in three other cases. Up to 13 years’ imprisonment for treason and aiding and abetting the war against Ukraine, up to 15 years for inciting desertion and illegally smuggling people across the border, and a further 15 years in the case concerning the seizure of land belonging to the Sukholutsk community’s forest fund in the Kyiv region.
In December 2025, a court found Azarov guilty of treason and acts aimed at the violent overthrow of the constitutional order. He was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.
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