The SBI has completed the investigation into the high treason of Yanukovych and Azarov, who contributed to the russian aggression

The SBI employees, in close cooperation with the Prosecutor General's Office, completed a special pre-trial investigation on suspicion of the former President and Prime Minister of Ukraine of committing high treason by prior conspiracy. They prepared and implemented the so-called "Kharkiv agreements".

It was established that a number of former high-ranking officials contributed to the aggressor state's military plans. They "took care" of the increase in the number of personnel and military equipment of the occupiers. First, their "assistance" was used for the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in 2014, and later - for the full-scale aggression of russia against Ukraine in February 2022.

The fugitive former president provided legalization of the relevant treacherous agreement under Ukrainian law. On his instructions, a draft interstate agreement was prepared, agreed by the central executive authorities and approved at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. Later, the so-called "Kharkiv agreements" were ratified by the Verkhovna Rada and implemented.

The fourth President purposefully distributed roles for the preparation of required documents and the appearance of legality of the relevant procedures. He involved almost all high-ranking government officials and controlled MPs in the "task".

Despite Ukraine's national interests, the documents signed on the extension of the Black Sea Fleet's stay in Ukraine for another 25 years, as well as the build-up of the enemy's armed forces and military equipment in Crimea, posed threats to our state's sovereignty and territorial integrity. According to the agreements of 1997, the russians had to reduce their troops on the peninsula. Instead, the "Kharkiv agreements" allowed the aggressors to have enough resources to occupy the peninsula in 2014 and to fully invade Ukraine in February 2022.

Due to these criminal actions in late 2013 and early 2014 on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the number of russian federation military personnel and military equipment exceeded the quantitative levels established by the Basic Agreements, with at least 2 thousand 917 marines, 152 armored combat vehicles, and 30 artillery systems of 100 mm caliber and above present. The russian federation was quietly modernizing its equipment, which the Ukrainian leadership ignored.

With the consent of the then President of Ukraine, more than 37 thousand personnel of the armed forces of the russian Federation were deployed above the quantity established by the Agreements of 1997, which posed a threat to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability, defense capability and state security of Ukraine.

All this contributed to the seizure of the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea by the russians and the further formation of new military units and subdivisions of the russian armed forces in the occupied territories, which in turn were used by the russian federation for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

It should be reminded that the former Ministers of Defence, Justice and Foreign Affairs of Ukraine were also notified of suspicion and put on the wanted list for committing treason under the described circumstances, and the investigating judge imposed on them a preventive measure in the form of detention.

Extradition proceedings against the former Ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs are currently ongoing, one of them is reportedly hiding in Cyprus, while the location of the other is being verified. 

The former Minister of Defence of Ukraine, suspected of treason, is hiding in Belarus, which currently makes his extradition impossible. Moreover, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus is taking measures to grant him a military pension.

Procedural guidance is provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General.