Yezel, who was the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian naval forces, approved the necessary documents to implement the “Kharkiv Agreements” signed by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his Russian counterpart in 2010. , Dmitry Medvedev.
The approval “created the conditions for the Russian Black Sea Fleet to stay on Ukrainian territory for more than 25 years,” SBI said in a statement.
The Russian presence contributed to an increase in equipment and personnel in Crimea, rather than its reduction and withdrawal, as provided for in a bilateral agreement signed in 1997, the organization added.
Under the deal, Russian gas conglomerate Gazprom agreed to supply subsidized gas to Ukraine, which the opposition accused Yanukovych of “betraying national interests”.
A Ukrainian judge already ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov in October, in the same case in which former foreign and justice ministers were also charged.
Yezel, who has been wanted by Ukrainian authorities since 2016, was granted refugee status in Belarus in 2018 for selling two warplanes to Russia while he was defense minister.
In early 2019, a Ukrainian judge sentenced Yanukovych to 13 years in prison for complicity in Russian military aggression.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24 has already forced nearly 17 million people from their homes – more than six million internally displaced people and more than ten million to neighboring countries – according to the latest UN data. The refugee crisis is the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
According to the United Nations, about 16 million people in Ukraine are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and militarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the generality of the international community, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing economic sanctions on Russia. Affecting almost all sectors from banking to energy and sports.
The UN confirmed that 5,401 civilians were killed and 7,466 wounded in the fighting, which entered its 166th day today, stressing that the true toll would be much higher and would only be known during access to fenced-off areas or intense fighting.
