...in protest of internet censorship in Russia

An article titled “Where is Yanukovych?” and subtitled “The Ukrainian President Could Be Hidden by Americans” ran in Rossiiskaya Gazeta (RG), a government-operated newspaper, on Tuesday. The amazing thing is that we now know that Yanukovych is in Russia, and has been there since Tuesday, according to other Russian media outlets. The article is full of distortions. For instance, Yanukovych ” threw the white flag and signed” an agreement with the opposition politicians not after the EU representatives twisted his arm but after he spoke to Vladimir Putin. This is a perfect illustration of the Russian state-owned media’s coverage of the crisis in Ukraine. — Ed.

Where is Viktor Yanukovych? This is the question intelligence services of many countries, hundreds of politicians and experts, thousands of stakeholders in Kiev and millions of Ukrainians tried to answer all Monday. After all, he could not just evaporate. Still, a very recognizable politician. And here quite a logical question comes to mind: could he be hidden by those who are very good at covering their tracks? That is, Americans.

On February 21, after many hours of talks in Kiev between the President of Ukraine and the opposition with the participation of the three Foreign Ministers of Germany, France and Poland, many found it strange how easily Yanukovych threw the white flag and signed the agreement, which quite obviously would be honored by no one but himself. It was obvious that the main “guarantors” of the document were not the European diplomats, but their counterparts from across the ocean.

Yanukovych would definitely continue to resist, if he hadn’t received sufficiently strong safety guarantees for himself, his family and his entourage. Who in the current situation in Ukraine could give such guarantees? Only Washington, which, as recent events in Kiev showed, is the “gray cardinal” of Maidan.

Americans’ motives are understandable. What they need is not Yanukovych, it’s Ukraine. At the same time Washington is clearly not interested to see a bloody massacre in a European country, similar to what happened to the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. In other words, the State Department could give Yanukovych any guarantees of security, on the condition that he vanishes from the Ukrainian political scene. And Americans are very good at making people disappear. In this regard one of the few things to mention is the flying CIA prisons.

Yanukovych is not at any of the facilities or ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, an informed military source told reporters on Monday. Earlier, some Ukrainian media reported that the president of Ukraine was supposedly in Sevastopol, in Cossack Bay, where the Marine Brigade of the BSF is stationed. Then it was reported that Yanukovych was in Kharkov. But he wasn’t found there either. Maybe he fled in the direction of the Persian Gulf? This information was immediately denied by the Arab authorities.

According to unconfirmed reports, the president of Ukraine even refused to be accompanied by a personal security detail. There is no doubt that if it is true, it is much easier to disappear without security guards then with them.

So where is Yanukovych? In Kiev, he was put on the wanted list. It cannot be ruled out, though, that the thugs who had seized power in the Ukrainian capital only need to address the question about the missing president’s whereabouts to the U.S. Ambassador, who is becoming an increasingly important figure on the political scene of the “independent” Ukraine. However, it’s very unlikely that he will tell the truth. What’s the reason for him to be frank with those who are ready to meekly follow any “advice” from Washington, that look more like orders?