Russia said Monday the turmoil in Ukraine was a threat to Russian
citizens as Ukraine's Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for
ousted president Viktor Yanukovych.
In a statement on his official Facebook page, Interior Minister Arsen Avakhov said Yanukovych arrived in the pro-Russia region of Crimea on Sunday and relinquished his official security detail then drove to an unknown location.
He said Yanukovych and several other officials are under investigation for mass killings of civilians during anti-government protests in the capital of Kiev. More than 80 people protesting for Yanukovych's resignation were killed last week by government forces.
On Sunday, lawmakers elected parliament's new speaker as caretaker president until new elections can be held in May. The lawmakers also fired officials loyal to the previous government and began repealing a series of deeply unpopular laws while creating new ones.
Yanukovych had struck a deal with opposition leaders Thursday in which he would remain in power until new elections in December, and that no charges would be brought against protesters. That was not good enough for the protesters, who refused to leave the streets despite the killings and said Yanukovych had to go.
The president disappeared Friday and was last reported to be in east Ukraine, which is where many of his supporters reside.
In spite of deep divisions between the Russian-speaking east and the western region of the country, many say unity is paramount.
"We are united," lawmaker Vyacheslav Kerilenko said in parliament. "There can be no split."
Read more: Russia threatens Ukraine; ousted president vanishes
In a statement on his official Facebook page, Interior Minister Arsen Avakhov said Yanukovych arrived in the pro-Russia region of Crimea on Sunday and relinquished his official security detail then drove to an unknown location.
He said Yanukovych and several other officials are under investigation for mass killings of civilians during anti-government protests in the capital of Kiev. More than 80 people protesting for Yanukovych's resignation were killed last week by government forces.
On Sunday, lawmakers elected parliament's new speaker as caretaker president until new elections can be held in May. The lawmakers also fired officials loyal to the previous government and began repealing a series of deeply unpopular laws while creating new ones.
Yanukovych had struck a deal with opposition leaders Thursday in which he would remain in power until new elections in December, and that no charges would be brought against protesters. That was not good enough for the protesters, who refused to leave the streets despite the killings and said Yanukovych had to go.
The president disappeared Friday and was last reported to be in east Ukraine, which is where many of his supporters reside.
In spite of deep divisions between the Russian-speaking east and the western region of the country, many say unity is paramount.
"We are united," lawmaker Vyacheslav Kerilenko said in parliament. "There can be no split."
Read more: Russia threatens Ukraine; ousted president vanishes
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