Russia insists that Yanukovych was the victim of a "fascist" coup, but a recent New York Times article suggests that he fled after being deserted by his inner circle of allies and abandoned by the security forces, Ukraine Today reports.

Ukraine's new government has accused the former president of robbing state coffers and plundering national assets. As almost a year has passed since Yanukovych fled to Russia in February 2014, the Kyiv residents say that the Interpol move is overdue.

On January 12, Russia’s Interfax state news agency quoted an anonymous source as saying Russia was unlikely to grant any request to extradite Yanukovych to Ukraine.

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