Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, after he was ousted from the presidency in a popular uprising in early 2014, requested that Russia send troops into Ukraine, official United Nations documents show.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko published part of a letter from the United Nations on Jan. 17 confirming that Yanukovych, on March 1, 2014, requested that the Russian armed forces intervene to “restore order” in Ukraine.
A press spokesperson for the United Nations, Eri Kaneko, confirmed to the Kyiv Post on Jan. 17 that Yanukovych’s request was put forward by Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vitaliy Churkin to then UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
In his request, Yanukovych stated:
“As the legally elected President of Ukraine, I hereby make the following statement.
“The events on the Maidan and the illegal seizure of power in Kyiv have brought Ukraine to the brink of civil war. Chaos and anarchy reign in the country, and people’s lives, safety and human rights are under threat, particularly in the south-east and in Crimea. With the influence of Western countries, open acts of terror and violence are being perpetrated and people are being persecuted on political and linguistic grounds.
I therefore appeal to the President of Russia, V. V. Putin, to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation to restore law and order, peace and stability and to protect the people of Ukraine.”
Yanukovych fled Ukraine shortly after 100 protesters against his regime were shot dead in central Kyiv on Feb. 20, 2014.
Within days, Russia deployed troops in unmarked uniforms in Crimea and took control of the Ukrainian territory, which hosted a large Russian naval base. Within weeks, the Kremlin had organized a sham referendum and annexed the peninsula.
Then in mid-April 2014, Russian special operations forces, led by Russian intelligence officer Igor Girkin, began to seize security service, police and government offices in the south-east of Ukraine, sparking the present war in the Donbas.
Russia denies sending its troops into the Donbas, but there is overwhelming evidence these denials are false. The Kremlin also initially denied that its troops had invaded and occupied Crimea, but Russian President Vladimir Putin later admitted that his forces had indeed seized Crimea from Ukraine in a military takeover.
