Unaccounted for
Hannah Hermann had a close relationship with Yanukovych. According to Herman, Yanukovych was in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on the evening of the 22nd.
A theory frequently quoted by foreign media is that on the 22nd, Yanukovych planned to take a chartered flight out of the country from Donetsk, the capital of Donetsk Region, but was rejected. More detailed information given by Interfax is that Yanukovych tried to leave the country under the protection of two armed personnel, but the border officials refused the "money to buy the way" provided by the two armed escorts.
A taxi driver in Kiev told a Reuters reporter that Yanukovych was already "in the United Arab Emirates."
Because the current situation is changing rapidly, some people have not yet reacted. According to Reuters, Yanukovych's supporters still do not believe what happened quickly and still believe that Yanukovych's presidential status is valid. "We have a legitimate and living president, it's just that we don't know where he is now," Oleg Tsarev, a member of Yanukovych's Party of Regions, said on a Russian TV station.
No matter where Yanukovych is, there seems to be no place for him in Kiev. Reuters reported that hundreds of opposition supporters invaded the compound of Yanukovych's apartment outside Kiev later that day but did not enter the building. The media broadcast footage of a private zoo in the compound, with African and Australian ostriches looking around.
In an interview broadcast by Ukrainian TV station UBR on the evening of the 22nd, Yanukovych said that he had no intention of leaving Ukraine. On the contrary, he planned to go to the southeast.
Southeastern Ukraine is the autonomous republic of Crimea, bordering the Black Sea, and its residents mainly speak Russian.
But there are also rumors that Yanukovych will go looking for his eldest son Alexander. Alexander is a dentist and a businessman.
Ukrainian media analyzed that if Yanukovych chooses to leave the country, possible destinations include the United Arab Emirates, Belarus and Russia.
However, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stated his position two days ago: Russia is "unwilling to make any deals with a leadership that is used as a stepping stone by its own people."