During the interview with Russian and Ukrainian journalists timed to the 3rd anniversary of the state coup in Ukraine, Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovich semphasized that he never asked Russia to send troops to his country back in 2014, TASS informs.
"I never betrayed my people, I tried to protect my people, to do it within my competences," he said. According to him, his goal was to stop illegal gangs (illegal armed groups) that obeyed no one and that began to kill people in Donbass.
"This was the goal for me. It may seem to be emotionally-driven but I tried to find a way to protect people," he said.