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Viktor Yanukovych Quotes

Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a former Ukrainian politician, who was the fourth President of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as Prime Minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of the Verkhovna Rada from 2006 to 2010. A member of the pro-Russian Party of Regions, his removal from the presidency via revolution in 2014 led to the Russo-Ukrainian War. Since then, he has lived in exile in Russia.Prior to entering national politics with his successful run for parliament in 2006, Yanukovych was the Governor of his native Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002. He was simultaneously the Chairman of the oblast's legislature from 1999 to 2001.

Yanukovych first ran for president in the 2004 election, where he advanced to the runoff and was declared the winner against former Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko. However, allegations of electoral fraud and voter intimidation caused widespread protests and Kyiv's Independence Square was occupied in what became known as the Orange Revolution. The Ukrainian Supreme Court ultimately nullified the runoff election and ordered a rerun, which Yanukovych lost to Yushchenko. Yanukovych ran for President again in the 2010 election, this time beating Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in an election that was judged free and fair by international observers.Yanukovych argued in favour of economic modernisation, increased spending and, initially, continuing trade negotiations with the European Union that was started by his predecessor. He pledged to remain non-aligned in defence policy. However, his years in power saw what analysts described as democratic backsliding, which included the jailing of Tymoshenko, a decline in press freedom and an increase in cronyism and corruption. In November 2013, a series of events began that ultimately led to his ousting as President. This centred around Yanukovych's decision, amidst economic pressure from Russia, to withdraw from signing an association agreement with the EU and instead accepting a Russian trade deal and loan bailout. This sparked mass protests against Yanukovych. The civil unrest peaked in February 2014, when almost 100 protesters were killed. The unrest continued despite a last-minute agreement reached with the opposition, and he fled from the capital to eastern Ukraine on 21 February. The next day, Ukraine's parliament voted to remove him from his position and schedule early elections on the grounds that he had withdrawn from his constitutional duties, rather than through following the impeachment process outlined in the Ukrainian constitution. His party was not present during the vote.On 24 February 2014, the new government issued a warrant for Yanukovych's arrest, accusing him of being responsible for the death of protestors. Yanukovych went into exile in Russia, claiming to still be the legitimate head of state. On 18 June 2015, Yanukovych was officially deprived of the title of president by parliament. In various polling conducted since his departure from office, Yanukovych was ranked the least popular of the six presidents in Ukraine's history. Yanukovych has also given his name to a collective term for blunders made by Ukrainian politicians: Yanukisms. On 24 January 2019, he was sentenced in absentia to a thirteen year prison term for 'high treason' by a Ukrainian court. Wikipedia  

✵ 9. July 1950
Viktor Yanukovych photo
Viktor Yanukovych: 23 quotes0 likes

Famous Viktor Yanukovych Quotes

“We must search for ways ... so that Crimea may have the maximum degree of independence possible ... but be part of Ukraine.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: "AP Interview: Yanukovych admits mistakes on Crimea" in Associated Press https://apnews.com/article/8b795952e78a47a3beff026800eb508a (2 April 2014)

“We support the complex approach that has been initiated in connection with sustainable energy for all, sustainable consumption and production, the elimination of hunger, and ensuring urban infrastructure development.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: "Speech at the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly" https://undocs.org/en/A/67/PV.9 (26 September 2012)

“If to cast aside spread by our opponents' nonsense, I’ll use chess-players phrase: we have sacrificed quantity to quality and showed such respect to our partners and readiness to properly account for their interests which others neither could or wished to reveal.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: "Speech by Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych at the International conference "Ukraine and European Union: new approaches"" http://old.kmu.gov.ua/kmu/control/en/publish/article?art_id=69148733&cat_id=244315174 (28 February 2007)

“And I would like to say: Glory to Ukraine, and I hope everything will be fine in my country.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: "Transcript: Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovych on the situation in his country" in The Washington Post https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:DGoGVKRGNYMJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/transcript-ukraines-viktor-yanukovych-on-the-situation-in-his-country/2014/03/11/ffb8fefe-a942-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.html+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us (11 March 2014)

“I would like you to warn that the economic situation in Ukraine is going to degenerate, and those who usurp the power are going to shift the blame for this economic crisis on my shoulders, and perhaps even on Russia.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: "Transcript: Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovych on the situation in his country" in The Washington Post https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:DGoGVKRGNYMJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/transcript-ukraines-viktor-yanukovych-on-the-situation-in-his-country/2014/03/11/ffb8fefe-a942-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.html+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us (11 March 2014)

“The United States and a number of other countries have been stressing that I have allegedly lost my legitimacy because I fled the country. Let me say again: I never fled anywhere.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: "Transcript: Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovych on the situation in his country" in The Washington Post https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:DGoGVKRGNYMJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/transcript-ukraines-viktor-yanukovych-on-the-situation-in-his-country/2014/03/11/ffb8fefe-a942-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.html+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us (11 March 2014)

Viktor Yanukovych Quotes

“I would like to remind you that I am not only the -- not only the legitimate president of Ukraine, but I’m also the chief of staff, the commander of the army.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: "Transcript: Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovych on the situation in his country" in The Washington Post https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:DGoGVKRGNYMJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/transcript-ukraines-viktor-yanukovych-on-the-situation-in-his-country/2014/03/11/ffb8fefe-a942-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.html+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us (11 March 2014)

“I supported the ostriches, what's wrong with that? They just lived there. What am I supposed to do, go around with my eyes closed?”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: "Viktor Yanukovych accepts blame for Ukraine bloodshed, defends zoo" in The Sydney Morning Herald https://www.smh.com.au/world/viktor-yanukovych-accepts-blame-for-ukraine-bloodshed-defends-zoo-at-his-residence-20150623-ghvvj9.html (24 June 2015)

“My principles which I always follow are that no authority, no power is worth a drop of blood.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: "Yanukovych: 'I Was Wrong' To Ask Russian Troops Into Crimea" in NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/04/02/298385578/yanukovych-i-was-wrong-to-ask-russian-troops-into-crimea (2 April 2014)

“I will say that no one envies me. Do you believe this or not? No one envies me. [...] I live with my family and, as they say, I don't count your money, please don't count mine.”

Viktor Yanukovych

2018
Source: * Янукович у Москві поскаржився на бідність ** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQjqkefINDM ** en ** 2022-06-12

“Ukraine is our strategic partner.”

Viktor Yanukovych

2014, Conference in Rostov-na-Donu
Source: * Янукович: Украина - наш стратегический партнер ** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To_rOnhrGl0 ** en ** 2022-06-12
Source: [2014-02-28, Свіжі ляпи Януковича: "я не міг літати на повітрі" і "Україна – наш партнер", https://tsn.ua/politika/svizhi-lyapi-yanukovicha-ya-ne-mig-litati-na-povitri-i-ukrayina-nash-partner-337299.html, 2022-06-12, ТСН.ua, uk]

“Healthcare is the field which should go ahead, like smoke from a steam train.”

Viktor Yanukovych

2012
Source: [Янукович: Медицина должна идти впереди, как дым от паровоза, https://zn.ua/POLITICS/yanukovich_meditsina_dolzhna_idti_vperedi,_kak_dym_ot_parovoza_.html, 2022-06-12, Mirror Weekly]

“Be as happy as the sea of Monaco, as the spoil tips of Donbas!”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: [2011-09-14, Янукович: я був у Монте-Карло – Донбас круче! - Укрaїнa - ТСН.ua, https://web.archive.org/web/20110914001604/http://tsn.ua/ukrayina/yanukovich-ya-buv-u-monte-karlo-donbas-kruche.html, 2022-06-12, web.archive.org]

“Our sacred duty is to overcome the shadows of the past, make new tragedies possible. Any encroachments on the peaceful future of Ukraine will meet with instant and resolute response...”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: [2011-06-22, Янукович обмовився, пообіцявши "уможливити нові трагедії", https://tsn.ua/video/video-novini/yanukovich-obmovivsya-poobicyavshi-umozhliviti-novi-tragediyi.html, 2022-06-12, ТСН.ua, uk]

“It is important for me to feel that the barometer, which the business is, helps me understand whether the winds blow the right way or not.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: [2011-06-23, Янукович хочет понять, куда движется Украина, https://news.liga.net/economics/news/yanukovich-khochet-ponyat-kuda-dvizhetsya-ukraina, 2022-06-12, LIGA, ru]

“I may say without exaggeration that this is a revolutionary approach; it is very painful, because this system of permission was the underpinning of the great bureaucratic system on all levels. And that democratic system, a corrupt one, it has been built for years and decades.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: [2011-06-21, В Страсбурге Янукович перепутал демократию с бюрократией, https://focus.ua/politics/190373, 2022-06-12, ФОКУС, ru]

“I am against the idea when we, so to say, throw someone behing the bars, which is the place where they would hide and flee from responsibility. We will surely find them, but they first have to return public money.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: [Янукович про корупціонерів: ховатись не будуть, - одна розмова, будуть – інша, https://www.unian.ua/politics/482166-yanukovich-pro-koruptsioneriv-hovatis-ne-budut-odna-rozmova-budut-insha.html, 2022-06-12, www.unian.ua, uk, 2011-04-11]

“I don't want to drop salt on the wound, as it already hurts.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Speaking of the proposed increases of utility prices
Source: [Янукович взялся за старое, хоть и не хочет “капать соль на рану”, http://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2009/05/28/4487095/, 2022-06-12, Украинская правда, ru, 2009-05-28]

“I'd rather go to prison for the third time rather than let the current government [of Yulia Tymoshenko] assume power. It would cost the country less for one person to suffer than for the whole country to suffer.”

Viktor Yanukovych

2009
Source: [2020-10-27, Янукович пожалел, что в третий раз не сел в тюрьму - Украина - TCH.ua, https://tsn.ua/ru/ukrayina/yanukovich-pozhalel-chto-v-tretii-raz-ne-sel-v-tyurmu.html, https://web.archive.org/web/20201027065326/https://tsn.ua/ru/ukrayina/yanukovich-pozhalel-chto-v-tretii-raz-ne-sel-v-tyurmu.html, 2020-10-27, 2022-06-12, web.archive.org]

“Speaking of the agriculture, we should at least stop selling grain but instead we should process it, for example, into meat or meat products.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: * Янукович: Перерабатывать зерно в мясо ** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAmDEwlydIw ** en ** 2022-06-12 ** 2009-12-25

“I would like to say that in the end, our task should be, if we are speaking of metal, to process it to the highest depth so that we can trade with the most sophisticated products...”

Viktor Yanukovych

Source: * Янукович: Перерабатывать зерно в мясо ** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAmDEwlydIw ** en ** 2022-06-12 ** 2009-12-25

“I am sure... I don't remember who said that "beauty would always win"? Who said these words?”

Viktor Yanukovych

Yanukovych misquoted Dostoyevsky's Idiot; the original was: "beauty will save the world"
Source: [“Завжди перемагає краса! Хто сказав ці слова?...” Янукович не склав екзамен по Достоєвському, http://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2007/01/31/3203615/, 2022-06-12, 2007-01-31, Українська правда, uk]

“What is happening in our country is a slow-motion coup d'état.”

Viktor Yanukovych

Speaking of the Orange Revolution
Source: [2004-12-06, Янукович назначил нового руководителя своего штаба и ушел в отпуск, https://www.newsru.com/world/06dec2004/yanuk.html, NewsRU]

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