Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who was deposed after anti-government protests in 2013-14, is said to be Russia’s choice for the country’s future leader.
According to the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda, Ukrainian intelligence has discovered that Russia prefers Yanukovych as Ukraine’s leader if they succeed in toppling the pro-Western dictatorship of Ukraine’s current president, Volodimir Zelensky.
Yanukovych, who currently resides in Minsk, Belarus, fled to Russia in 2014 after his administration in Ukraine was overthrown due to his pro-Russian stance while in power.
According to the source, the Kremlin may be planning a media operation or campaign to entice Yanukovych to return to Ukraine, or to broadcast an address from him to the Ukrainian people.
The United Kingdom said in January that Moscow was planning to build a missile defense system.