President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that helped the president of Ukraine , Viktor Yanukovych , to escape in the midst of massive protests - to avoid that was pursued by the opposition forces .

I will not hide that help (Yanukovich) to move to the Crimea, where he remained for several days. Crimea was part of Ukraine at that time, "Putin said in a speech at the Valdai Club in Sochi.
He recalled that the Ukrainian crisis began in the capital Kiev, despite the efforts, the events became rapid and violent, "there were murders, people were burned alive" even office staff of the Party of Regions, he said.
In such circumstances, "it was absurd that Yanukovych returned to Kiev," the Russian president, quoted in dispatches TASS news agency, adding that "honestly asked me to bring him to Russia and that's what we did."
He argued that everyone forgot about the agreements signed by the opposition leaders and the government of Yanukovych in February to end the protests, after which he was dismissed by the opposition in the Parliament building on the departure of members of his party.
Yanukovich fled to Russia the same month, when violent protests had already claimed over a hundred lives, and his dismissal infuriated residents in the Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine, which contributed to the ongoing conflict in the region.
Crimea was the first region as opposed to Kiev, and through a referendum decided its cleavage joined Ukraine and the Russian Federation, a move that Donetsk and Lugansk tried to repeat, but the outbreak of armed confrontation.
Putin criticized the government in this regard in Kiev by the excessive use of force against separatists in those regions also East Ukrainian.
In this context, the Federal Migration Service of Russia said Friday denying the alleged grant Yanukovych Russian citizenship or asylum, as recently noted press reports that quoted an adviser to the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine.