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Ukraine's Yanukovych Slams Der Spiegel for Misrepresenting Facts From Interview

© Sputnik / Iliya Pitalev / Go to the mediabankFormer Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych interviewed by RIA Novosti
Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych interviewed by RIA Novosti - Sputnik International
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The press service of ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych has criticized the German magazine Der Spigel for distorting facts from his interview, saying that such practices are "unacceptable" for high-profile journalists.

Maidan square in Kiev, Ukraine, February 19, 2014 - Sputnik International
Ex-President Yanukovych Says Supports Ukraine's Territorial Integrity
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The press service said Thursday that Der Spiegel represented the facts from his interview wrongfully, and demanded the edition to deny the information.

"The article includes a number of incorrectly represented facts of Viktor Yanukovych’s direct speech which is unacceptable for a journalist of your level," the open letter addressing Editor-in-chief of Der Spiegel Klaus Brinkbaumer read.

The ex-president's press service explained that Yanukovych had not stated that Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash and Ex-Head of Presidential Administration Serhiy Lyovochkin had planned to disperse protesters at Maidan on November 30, 2013.

According to the letter, referring to the video recording of the interview, "Yanukovych said that on the morning of November 30, 2013, he learned from the media that Serhiy Lyovochkin had resigned, and understood that he started playing his own game."

The press-service stressed this in no way implied that Lyovochkin and Firtash planned to disperse protesters.

"In this connection, we ask you to familiarize yourself in detail with the direct speech of Viktor Yanukovych and publish the denial of the incorrectly represented facts," the letter added.

Yanukovych’s press service offered Der Spiegel the video recording of the interview and expressed hope that the issue would be resolved within the shortest possible time.

Maidan square in Kiev, Ukraine, Feb 19, 2014 - Sputnik International
Yanukovych: I Couldn't Order Use of Weapons in Dispersing 2014 Protests
The interview with Yanukovych was published by Der Spiegel on January 22, 2017.

On November 23, 2013, protests started on Kiev's Independence Square following the Ukrainian authorities’ decision to suspend the agreement on association with the European Union.

Maidan subsequently witnessed clashes between the police and protesters, which resulted in dozens of people killed by both sides. The responsibility for the deaths was put on Yanukovych and Berkut special assignment units. Yanukovych and Berkut staff denied their involvement in the deaths.

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