Yanukovych 'tried to leave'

[n2doc]

Source: Sky News

Ukraine's border police blocked Viktor Yanukovych from flying to Russia and the embattled president is thought to be 'hiding' in the country's east, the newly elected parliament Speaker says.

'He tried to take a plane to Russia but he was blocked in doing so by border police. He is currently hiding somewhere in the Donetsk region,' Oleksandr Turchyno was quoted as saying by Ukrainian news agency Interfax on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's border guard service said that a governor and a mayor from the president's eastern base have fled to Russia.

A spokesman for the border guard service, Oleh Slobodyan, said Kharkiv regional governor Mikhaylo Dobkin and Kharkiv Mayor Hennady Kernes left Ukraine across the nearby Russian border on Saturday.

Read more: http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=952577

[Fred Sanders]

1. Viktor Yanukovych voluntarily gave up political power, has agreed to another election,

having already just one such election, agreed to all major opposition/corporate demands, everyone ignoring that and whining about him taking a holiday?

There are impeachment proceedings going on, according to their NOT God written Constitution, a constitution written by men, gasp, a little patience with the democratic rule of law would be outrageous it seems.

[hrmjustin]

2. Seems like he is on the run.

[pscot]

3. Volodya has pulled the plug on him

He embarrassed the boss and now he's running for his life.

[Diclotican]

5. Fred Sanders

Fred Sanders

I do not know - voluntarily or "voluntarily" is prober ly the better word for it, all the time he was doing his best to keep to power - and then deiced to let things slide - after trying to stop the demonstrations with violence.....

I guess he might wanted to flee to Russia - and in the arms of Putin, who might be helpfully restoring him to power using its military power - or economical power by starting Ukraine for the gas she need now as the winter is there.. Nothing like shutting down the fuse of a rebel government - when you have the ability to freeze the population from a long distanse...

Diclotican

[Submariner]

7. I guess McCain was right again -- Obama should have bombed them days ago

so there would be a bunch of dead 'commies' laying around. Instead, our president was 'naive' in letting that mess sort itself out by the people who live there.

Oh well, another war opportunity missed for Johnny and Lindsey.

[Fred Sanders]

10. Exactly my point, the political situation is getting sorted out, hopefully by legal means, but by

peaceful means because a leader did not resort to violence and the army in the face of a violent protest to legitimate democratically elected power, he resorted to peace, also known as "fleeing" and "appeasement" to some. And to see DU people hate on peace is a disappointing thing to behold, the power of American propaganda and misinformation.

DU is NOT as liberal as it might let on.

[pampango]

14. For a leader who "did not resort to violence" "in the face of a violent protest"

certainly a lot of protesters were killed by snipers compared to the number of security force deaths.

... he resorted to peace, also known as "fleeing" and "appeasement" to some.

"Mr. Peaceful" canned his army chief who was reluctant to use the army against protesters and replaced him with someone who would. There were reports that top officers were worried that many, if not most, of the soldiers would refuse to shoot protesters. Since the army has made it clear that it will not intervene. Perhaps "Mr. Peaceful" knew that soldiers would not shoot so he decided that leaving was a wise career move.

[Fred Sanders]

15. Since Yanukovych has NOT left Ukraine, has NOT resigned and since you choice to ignore

he was democratically elected and still the President per their constitution, then we can not debate the point about "who started it".

[pampango]

16. As you are no longer portraying him as "Mr. Peaceful" nor the denying

that the government was responsible for more many deaths, I will acknowledge that he was democratically elected.

Of course, even democratically elected leaders are not allowed to use snipers to kill peaceful demonstrators. If you believe that presidents that do that have a right to complete their term in office, we disagree.

[another_liberal]

12. Democracy can be so unpredictable.

If one has no doubts about one's set-in-stone, uncompromising beliefs, then why would one want to take the risk of resorting to rule of law or a popular vote? Coups by armed gangs are much more certain (at least if one has the biggest gang, that is).

[tabasco]

22. "and ordered the murder of innocent civilians."

You forgot that part!

I don't think he'd be running if he wasn't responsible.

[VA_Jill]

4. I'm a little surprised

that parliament hasn't sent police to arrest him. I would have thought that would be the next step…but maybe the loyalties of the police are suspect.

[Diclotican]

6. VA_Jill

VA_Jill

I suspect anyone suspect the police - who of them is loyal to the STATE, and not to the MAN who have been in power for a long time - Ukrainian politic is as complicated as any east european politic - and the former President staffed his cabinet - and the higher echelons of his power structure with loyal followers who might not be trusted in the same way by an another government who might have other ideas about how to govern - than the deposed one had... After all - some detachment of the current police have been shooting at civil demonstrations using sniper rifler from a long distance - and police in Ukraine is seldom to be trusted sad enough...

Diclotican

[dipsydoodle]

13. Steps have been taken to start impeachment proceedings

under their constitution. He has yet to be impeached.

[Octafish]

8. Daily Mail has outstanding photos...

Anti-government protesters attack a deputy of the Party of Regions Vitaly Grushevsky (centre) outside the Ukrainian Parliament building.

More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2565394/Ukrainian-protesters-claim-control-capital.html

[Fred Sanders]

11. But, but what happened to the "peaceful" protesters against the democratically elected government?

[Nanjing to Seoul]

17. they were shot at and killed when they were peaceful, but that's okay, right?

Unbelievable how DU has become the forum for those who believe government can squash protests. No wonder so many of you were against Occupy.

Just accept your master's bidding, shut up and go to work.

[joshcryer]

18. +1

[tabasco]

23. They were attacked and murdered by government forces.

Please try to keep up.

[another_liberal]

9. "Yanukovich accuses opposition of coup d’etat, calls on EU to fulfill obligations."

It seems, and no surprise, that we are getting conflicting stories from Ukraine concerning Yanukovich, his intentions and his recent actions:

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has called the latest developments in the country a coup d’etat, denying speculations of his resignation. He also accused international mediators of not fulfilling their obligations. “I'm always threatened with ultimatums. I'm not going to leave the country,” Yanukovich said in an interview with local UBR TV channel. “I'm not going to resign. I'm a legitimately elected president.”

The interview with the embattled president was broadcast right after the opposition claimed it had received verbal assurances that Yanukovich was resigning. But as parliament deputies said they were waiting for the written confirmation on his resignation, the president announced his plans to travel across the country's southeast, which is, “. . . so far, less dangerous. Everything that is happening today is, to a greater degree, vandalism and bandits and a coup d'etat," Yanukovich said in a televised statement.

. . .

Yanukovich says the motions passed by parliament are illegitimate, and says he will not sign any of them. “The decisions that they are now approving are illegal. I won't sign anything,” he told UBR journalists in Kharkov. "This is not an opposition, these are bandits.”

The president said his car had been shot at while he was traveling to the airport to go to Kharkov. "But I have no fear. I am overwhelmed by grief for our country. I feel responsibility. I'm doing everything to prevent the bloodshed of the people who are close to me,” Yanukovich stated, referring to his supportive deputies who he said are being threatened, beaten, and targeted by stone-throwing rioters.

http://rt.com/news/ukraine-opposition-yanukovich-coup-273/

[dipsydoodle]

19. Embattled President Reportedly Blocked from Fleeing Ukraine

MOSCOW, February 23 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine's embattled president was blocked from taking a plane to Russia, hours after Ukrainian MPs voted to remove him from office, new parliamentary speaker said Sunday.

President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned his lavish estate Saturday and tried to board a charter plane in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk, but was prevented from doing so by Ukraine’s customs officers, Oleksandr Turchynov said.

“He [Yanukovych] is now hiding in the Donetsk region,” Russian media reports quoted Turchynov as saying. He gave no details on Yanukovych’s destination, as the flight did not undergo the registration procedure.

>

A report by Donetskie Vesti claimed Yanukovych could be now outside the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv at a dacha, belonging to an unnamed official. The presidential plane reportedly landed at the airport of the United Arab Emirates Saturday to distract attention.

http://en.ria.ru/world/20140223/187806769/Embattled-President-Reportedly-Blocked-from-Fleeing-Ukraine.html

[bemildred]

20. Things can go bad pretty fast when you order the soliders/cops to shoot,

and not enough of them do. Starting to be a regular occurrence.

[eppur_se_muova]

21. Mumbling to himself, "Whatever you do, don't think about Ceausescu" ... "Whatever you do, ..." nt