Yanukovych Suffered a Hypertensive Crisis After Meeting with Putin, Says Former Lawmaker Bogoslovska

Former Member of Parliament Inna Bohoslovska stated that in the fall of 2013, the Party of Regions almost unanimously supported the signing of Ukraine’s Association Agreement with the European Union, but the government’s position changed dramatically after Viktor Yanukovych’s meeting with Vladimir Putin. According to her, the Russian leader intimidated the then-president of Ukraine, after which chaos ensued within the government.

Bogoslovska recounted the events leading up to Ukraine’s refusal to sign the agreement at the Vilnius summit in an interview.

According to the former lawmaker, in September 2013, the faction and party elite of the Party of Regions largely supported Ukraine’s European course.

Specifically, on September 4, 2013, during a meeting at the Zoryany cinema, virtually all government officials, mayors, and business representatives present voted in favor of signing the agreement in Vilnius. Only Olena Bondarenko voted against it, while Nestor Shufrich abstained.

However, according to Bogoslovska, the situation changed dramatically after Viktor Yanukovych’s trip to meet with Vladimir Putin in October 2013.

Bohoslovska believes that it was during this meeting that Putin intimidated Yanukovych. Upon his return to Kyiv, the then-president, according to her, suffered a hypertensive crisis for the first time in the years he had held high government office.

After that, as the former member of parliament recounted, chaos ensued within the ruling team, and legislative initiatives necessary for European integration began to be blocked from within the Party of Regions itself.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Decree No. 1033/2026 on October 9, approving new regulations on the establishment and awarding of departmental commendations.

The document also provides for the repeal of seven previous decrees adopted between 2012 and 2015 during the presidencies of Viktor Yanukovych and Petro Poroshenko. The relevant document was published on the head of state’s official website.

The new rules define the procedure for designing and establishing departmental awards, the process for conferring them, as well as the requirements for their insignia and how they are to be worn.

Such awards are intended to recognize Ukrainian citizens, foreigners, and stateless persons for professional and official achievements, personal merits, as well as courage and bravery while performing military or official duties.

Investigative journalists claim to have identified the place of residence of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Russia. According to their information, he is allegedly using a different name, which made it difficult to locate him in Russian government registries.

The 77-year-old Lyudmila Yanukovych, the ex-wife of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, may have died in Russia.