November 28, 2016 Viktor Yanukovych became no. 1 news-maker in Ukraine. He was a star of a court session in the case of ex-BERKUT police unit charged with murders in 2013-2014 Euromaidan protests, February 20, 2014 in particular when over 100 protesters were killed. Viktor Yanukovych appeared as both charged and witness. Unexpectedly Yuriy Lutsenko, Prosecutor General of Ukraine, announced to him a suspicion of high treason. How did Ukrainian society react to Yanukovych’s TV-appearance?Yanukovych grew up in a Russian-speaking community. Yet, still a Prime-Minister in the early 2000s, he was learning the Ukrainian language to position himself as a politician appealing to whole Ukraine. As he was elected President in 2010, it was again important for him to underline that. So a logical assumption was developed as soon as he was rumoured to be speaking on a Ukrainian trial: if he speaks Ukrainian, he has intentions to come back.
And Yanukovych was speaking Ukrainian. As no way he is an independent player, but a Kremlin puppet, he is still considered by his Russian master as an asset in Ukrainian politics.
This assumption has every chance to fail as not a single Ukrainian stratum aligns with him: he is regarded as either a Russian traitor, or a week loser incapable “to put down a riot”.
Media presence is vital in Ukrainian politics: one may have the most advanced ideas, but without general support he/she cannot gain the mass attention necessary to win at the elections. Most Ukrainian media are controlled by the oligarchs; as of moment they do not need Yanukovych, for political, business or even personal reasons. The only supporter of Yanukovych might be Viktor Medvedchuk as they both seem to play in the same Russian league; his media assets try to create a picture of Yanukovych reign time as at least not so hard as today’s; yet their appeal is limited.
Considering Yanukovych’s participation in the trial and the way he was tried, the only conclusion that can be drawn is Yanukovych might have given some damning answers if there were any question aimed to catch him in a crime; prosecution seem to have worked hard to find the most evasive wording. Anyway, it is a worldwide tradition – an incumbent President tends not to prosecute a previous one not to be prosecuted himself.
