Former President Yanukovych and Ex-PM Azarov to be tried in absentia for signing Kharkiv Agreements

Former President Viktor Yanukovych and Ex-Prime Minister Mykola Azarov will be tried in absentia for signing the Kharkiv agreements in April 2010.

The Prosecutor General's Office has charged them with treason.

The investigation found that Yanukovych had violated the Constitution and laws when he signed an agreement on behalf of Ukraine extending the stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Aqyar (Sevastopol) for 25 years.

Azarov signed a decree approving the so-called Kharkiv agreements by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

Due to the fact that Yanukovych and Azarov are currently in Russia, the pre-trial investigation was conducted under a special procedure.

"The Kharkiv Agreements are an agreement between Ukraine and Russia that extended the stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Aqyar (Sevastopol) from 2017 to 2042 with subsequent automatic extensions for the next five-year periods in exchange for discounts on gas supplied by Russia to Ukraine.