Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The Kremlin does not seem to have moved on from the Orange Revolution.
The Kremlin does not seem to have moved on from the Orange Revolution.
What is happening?
On September 1, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych emerged publicly for the first time in years, releasing a video in which he claimed to have always supported Ukraine’s integration with the European Union.
The footage aired on Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti and marked a rare intervention from a figure long considered politically irrelevant in Ukraine.
Coincides with Putin’s SCO summit
The timing of Yanukovych’s reappearance was notable: it came just as Vladimir Putin attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China, where he once again pushed false narratives about Ukraine.
The synchronization suggests a coordinated Kremlin effort to amplify old disinformation.
“I always supported EU accession”
In the video, Yanukovych insisted:
“I worked purposefully to bring Ukraine closer to the European Union, ultimately setting the goal of EU accession.”
He went on to criticize EU negotiators for being “arrogant” and failing to grasp Ukraine’s economic hardships. The remarks contrast sharply with his actions in office.
The 2014 EU agreement fallout
Despite his new claims, Yanukovych’s legacy tells a different story.
In 2013, his government refused to sign a pivotal Association Agreement with the EU, sparking the EuroMaidan protests.
His decision pushed Ukraine into months of unrest that eventually led to his downfall in February 2014.
Anti-NATO rhetoric
Yanukovych also took aim at NATO, stating:
“Ukraine’s accession to NATO would be a disaster… a road to nowhere, a direct path to civil war.”
This mirrors the Kremlin’s longstanding justification for its aggression toward Ukraine and attempts to blame Kyiv’s Western orientation for the ongoing conflict.
A message for Russian ears
Experts argue the video is not aimed at Ukrainians—who have long rejected Yanukovych—but at Russian audiences and international forums.
His statements reinforce Moscow’s disinformation campaign, particularly as Putin seeks to legitimize his version of history on global stages like the SCO.
An irrelevant voice in today’s Ukraine
Despite the publicity, Yanukovych is widely discredited in Ukraine.
Political analyst Yevhen Mahda noted in an interview with Kyiv Independent that the former president “has no influence on politics in Ukraine” and that his statements carry no weight domestically.
His name is more associated with corruption and repression than with diplomacy or reform.
Living in exile, still wanted at home
Since fleeing Ukraine in 2014, Yanukovych has lived in exile in Russia, reportedly in the upscale village of Barvikha.
His escape followed a bloody crackdown on protesters, in which nearly 100 people were killed.
Ukrainian authorities have since charged him with multiple crimes, including high treason.
Convicted twice
Yanukovych has been convicted in absentia twice.
In 2019, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for high treason.
More recently, in April 2025, he received an additional 15-year sentence for organizing illegal border crossings and inciting desertion during his time in power.
A puppet presidency that fell apart
Yanukovych’s presidency from 2010 to 2014 was marked by increasing authoritarianism and deepening ties with Moscow.
Though democratically elected after the Orange Revolution, his rule quickly turned toward repression and kleptocracy. By the time he fled, public trust had completely eroded.
Kremlin once considered his return to power
In early 2022, reports surfaced that the Kremlin had considered reinstating Yanukovych in a leadership role if Russian troops had successfully captured Kyiv.
The bizarre plan underscored just how disconnected Moscow remains from modern Ukrainian politics and public opinion.
Russia clings to 2014 narratives
Analysts like Ihor Reiterovych say Yanukovych’s video is more proof that Russia is stuck in the mindset of 2014.
The Kremlin continues to spin tales of a “Western coup,” the “legitimate Yanukovych,” and Ukraine’s “civil war”—all narratives long rejected by Ukrainians and the international community alike.
A reminder of Russia’s misread of Ukraine
According to experts, Russia’s use of Yanukovych as a mouthpiece highlights its fundamental misunderstanding of Ukraine’s political landscape.
The Kremlin still sees the former president as a potential symbol of “order,” but for Ukrainians, he represents betrayal, bloodshed, and Moscow’s interference.
Ukrainians have moved on—Russia has not
More than a decade after the Revolution of Dignity, Ukrainians have decisively turned toward the West, embracing democracy, sovereignty, and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Yanukovych’s views are relics of the past—ones that only Russia seems intent on recycling.
A broadcast meant to fool
The purpose of the video appears to be performative rather than persuasive.
With no real constituency in Ukraine, Yanukovych’s sudden reappearance serves mainly to prop up Russia’s anti-Western messaging—a reminder that Moscow is still waging an information war, as much as a military one.
