ISW: The Kremlin wants to show that it considers Yanukovych the legitimate head of Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
The Institute for the Study of War assesses the Kremlin's publication of a statement by former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych as an attempt by Moscow to legitimize him. This was likely a staged information operation timed to Putin's speech at the SCO summit.
The publication of the alleged statement by former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych by Russian media demonstrates that the Kremlin considers him to be the legitimate head of the Ukrainian State. This is stated in the material of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.
Details
According to analysts, the Kremlin likely timed the release of Yanukovych's video address to coincide with Russian dictator Putin's speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, "to legitimize Putin's demand for regime change in Ukraine."
Yanukovych's last public appearance in the media was in July 2022, when he called on Ukrainians to surrender to Russia
They indicate that the time of Yanukovych's video address filming is unknown, but he began by stating that Putin is "absolutely right" – "apparently in response to Putin's remarks about Ukraine at the SCO summit, which indicates that this was likely a staged information dump."
"The Kremlin may be setting conditions by claiming that Yanukovych is the legitimate leader of Ukraine, not President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, such claims are false, as Yanukovych fled Ukraine of his own free will after the Revolution of Dignity, and several democratic elections have taken place in Ukraine since then," analysts summarize.
Recall
Earlier, Russian media disseminated a statement by former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, in which he, in particular, noted that he had worked to bring Ukraine closer to the EU, but was categorically against joining NATO, which would lead "to civil war."