Ex-Ukraine President Yanukovych asks Zelensky to 'overcome pride' and stop war with Russia

Amid intensified Russia-Ukraine war and amounting to a major setback for Ukrainian forces, on Tuesday, March 8, Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovych urged incumbent President Volodymyr Zelensky to call off resistance and stop combatting foreign troops. Diluting Kremlin-led full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, ousted Head of State of Ukraine concluded that ongoing military crisis is merely a conflict of 'pride'. 

In a letter published in Kyiv Independent and addressed to Zelensky, it was brought to fore that Yanukovych has asked Ukrainian President to 'overcome his pride' and stop war at any cost. 

exiled former Ukrainian President is perceived as becoming Kremlin's first choice after invasion of Ukraine. On March 2,  Kyiv Independent shared on Twitter, "Putin wants to reinstate Yanukovych as president of Ukraine. Viktor Yanukovych is allegedly in Minsk, and Kremlin is preparing an operation to replace Zelensky with ex-president ousted by EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014, according to Ukrainska Pravda’s sources."

Who is Viktor Yanukovych? Why was ex-Ukraine President impeached?

fugitive former Ukrainian leader fled to Russia in 2014 after having served as Head of State until Maidan Revolution in 2010 when he was impeached. episode refers to a battery of clashes and assaults, involving protestors who backed ties with NATO, as initiated in 2008. However, in 2010, n Ukraine President Yanukovych shelved intention to align with NATO and retained country's n-alignment status. withdrawal had caused uprisings and civil unrest across eastern European nation in what came to be kwn as Maidan Revolution. 

Regarded as a close associate of Vladimir Putin, Russia backed  Yanukovych-led government for turning down political and trade integration with European Union, while US and EU supported thousands of protestors. Anti-government protests that prolonged for months and recorded deaths of at least 88 persons by professional military snipers ultimately toppled President Yanukovych's government, thus leading to Russia invading Crimea in March 2014. 

Subsequently, in vember 2014, Ukrainian military reported an 'intensive' movement of Russian troops into parts of Eastern Ukraine.