MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said he would like to return to politics and is in contact with current Ukrainian political figures.
“I want to return to politics. Today, I’m doing everything within my powers. First of all, I’m helping many people who are being oppressed in Ukraine, as well as those who have, for example, already left Ukraine, and not only for Russia. I obviously have contacts with them in Russia, and am doing everything I can to help,” Yanukovych told RIA Novosti in an interview.
“Many of them today aren’t as timid or afraid as they once were a year ago. They already feel comfortable when we meet and discuss issues,” Yanukovych said.
Yanukovych served as Ukraine's president from 2010 until his ouster in February 2014 by the Ukrainian parliament, when he fled Ukraine in fear for his life. The coup was preceded by months of pro-European protests in Kiev sparked by Yanukovych's rejection of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement over unfavorable terms.
Ukrainian authorities have accused Yanukovych of embezzling public funds, following which he was placed on Interpol's wanted list. He was later removed from the list due to the unsound evidence presented by Ukraine's security services, according to Interpol.
