Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted during the former Soviet republic's 2014 revolution, wants to return home in his former capacity as head of state, his lawyer says.
"He [Yanukovych] has the intention of returning to Ukraine, and legal steps will be taken for this," lawyer Vitaly Sergyuk told the Kyiv-based Glavkom news outlet on March 1.
Yanukovych fled Ukraine in February 2014 after three months of Euromaidan protests against his rule in Kyiv, which culminated in the deaths of dozens of demonstrators and police officers. Russia have political asylum to Yanukovych and started its annexation of the Crimean Peninsular in March 2014. Later, a pro-Russian rebellion erupted in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
Sergyuk added that the former president had not relieved himself of duties as president and said the procedure of his dismissal from office violated Ukrainian law. He also noted that Yanukovych still faces a threat to his life and security in Ukraine.
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