The State Bureau of Investigation has obtained court permission to conduct a special pre-trial investigation in absentia into Yanukovych's high treason while signing the agreement on russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea

Upon motion of the State Bureau of Investigation, the court granted permission to conduct a special pre-trial investigation into former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Investigators of the State Bureau of Investigation established that the former Ukrainian president in 2010 signed the Agreement between Ukraine and russian federation on the stay of russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine, understanding that he was acting to the detriment of the state's sovereignty.

It was revealed that the terms and conditions of this agreement were imposed in Moscow by russian President Dmytro Medvedev.

Viktor Yanukovych set up conditions for prolonging the stay of russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine for 25 years and contributed to the increasing (instead of withdrawal) of military equipment and personnel of the Armed Forces of the aggressor state in Ukraine, which were used during the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in 2014.

Contrary to Part 3 of Article 4 of the Law of Ukraine "On International Treaties of Ukraine", the Agreement draft before the signing was not even legally examined.

The SBI investigators received original documents that testify to the purposeful actions of senior officials of Ukraine to the detriment of our state's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the instructions of the top leadership of russian federation.

These acts were carried out by the former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov and then President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych upon prior conspiracy by a group of persons. Both are put on the wanted list within the framework of this criminal proceeding.

The special pre-trial investigation will enable the transfer of the proceedings to the court.

Procedural guidance is provided by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

It should be reminded that on May 25, 2022, upon motion of the SBI within the framework of this criminal proceeding, the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv granted permission to place the former president Viktor Yanukovych into custody (in absentia).

For reference: The signing and ratification of the Agreement on the stationing of the russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine set up preconditions for an increase in the number of russian federation troops on Ukrainian territory, the military intervention and occupation of the Crimean Peninsula by russian armed forces, instead of their reduction and withdrawal from Ukrainian territory by the basic Agreements.

In particular, at the beginning of 2014, the russian federation's military personnel and military equipment on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol exceeded the norms established by the Framework agreements; in particular, there were at least: 2917 marines, 152 armoured combat vehicles, 30 artillery systems of 100 millimetres calibre and above. During the period mentioned above, without the permission of the Ukrainian side, using operative camouflage measures, the russian federation carried out rearmament and modernization of its military equipment in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, including rocket-propelled infantry flamethrowers, 122-mm self-propelled howitzers, anti-aircraft vehicles, anti-tank guided missiles, and special transport vehicles.