Myth: Yanukovych was a legitimate and lawful president of Ukraine.
Fact: Yanukovych’s political career was marked by election fraud. His 2004 election win was overturned by Ukraine’s Supreme Court due to massive vote-rigging. In 2010, he returned to power but increasingly violated the constitution, usurped authority, and violently suppressed opposition. During the 2013–2014 protests, he ordered security forces to shoot demonstrators, killing over 100 people. Facing impeachment, he abandoned his post and fled to Russia. Parliament followed constitutional procedures to remove him, making his presidency neither lawful nor legitimate.