In Ukraine, fugitive former President Viktor Yanukovych and ex-Prime Minister Mykola Azarov will be tried for signing the so-called Kharkov agreements in favor of Russia.
The details were reported in the Office of the Prosecutor General and the State Bureau of Investigation.< /p>
The pre-trial investigation into this case has been completed. The indictment has been sent to court.
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Yanukovych and Azarov are accused of committing high treason and assisting the Russian Federation in carrying out subversive activities against Ukraine (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Under Article 111 (Part 1) there is a threat of imprisonment for a term of 12 to 15 years with possible confiscation of property.
Details of the case on the Kharkov Agreements
According to the investigation, Yanukovych in 2010 received instructions from the Russian leadership to extend the stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea, in particular, in the city of Sevastopol.
This period should end in 2017 (according to the basic agreements between Ukraine and the Russian Federation from 1997).
According to the SBI, Ukraine previously announced its intentions not to renew the agreement and even prepared a bilateral memorandum on the withdrawal of the Russian fleet from Crimea .
– The Russian side ignored the official appeal. Due to energy blackmail, the Russians decided to force the then Ukrainian leadership to extend the stay of the Russian fleet in Crimea. This subsequently led to the annexation of the peninsula, the SBI emphasized.
In April 2010, the Ukrainian delegation led by Azarov received the final text of the draft agreement on extending the stay of the Russian fleet in Crimea. This happened during negotiations at the Russian state residence Novo-Ogarevo.
Subsequently, a closed meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers was held, at which Mykola Azarov and Foreign Minister Konstantin Grishchenko assured those present of the need to sign the agreement “in the economic interests of the country.” Ukraine was supposed to receive a discount on the cost of Russian gas in exchange for decisions on the fleet.
On April 21, 2010, in Kharkov, Yanukovych signed this agreement with Russia on behalf of Ukraine. Hence the name of the Kharkov Agreement.
The ex-president violated the norms of the Constitution, which clearly states that “the placement of foreign military bases is not allowed on the territory of Ukraine” (v. 17). And the signed agreement actually provided for the placement of a new military base on the territory of Ukraine and actually introduced new rules for extending the stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in our country.
The document extended the stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea by 25 years (from 2017 to 2042 year).
At the same time, Azarov signed an order on the approval by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kharkov agreements in favor of the Russian Federation.
Pleasing Russia, Yanukovych in a matter of days introduced a bill on the ratification of the agreement as urgent to the Verkhovna Rada . On April 27, 2010, people's deputies approved this decision.
