Local Ukrainian media reported on several more properties owned by ousted president, Viktor Yanukovich, on Monday (February 24) including a massive country residence under construction in Sevastopol, in the Crimean penninsula.
There is frenzy and fascination in the Ukrainian media about where all the country’s money has gone as the economy is in dire straits. Reporters have flocked to Yanukovich’s properties looking for any information they can on what the ousted president – now wanted for mass murder – wasted state money on.
Overlooking the Black Sea the huge residence has also angered locals because they say the construction company destroyed valuable and endangered trees.
“I am in complete shock about the trees. They are on the endangered species list and it takes many lifetimes to grow them and sometimes they can be completely eradicated,” said a local man, Dmytro Vorobyov.
“This shows a total disregard for nature, law and human beings; to build a five-storey house that is three times bigger than the local youth hall,” said a local woman, Olena Prokhina.
This comes just two days after the private residence of disgraced president, whose whereabouts are still unknown, was opened to visitors near Kiev.
The sprawling forested estate of graceful waterways and summer houses on land half the size of Monaco stands as a symbol of the folly of Ukraine’s fugitive president.
And yet it appeared it was not enough for him as it appeared he also planned to enjoy a giant holiday home in the beautiful and wooded Sevastopol hills.
His hunting lodge was also on display in Sukholesye.
Ukrainians are rapidly finding out about Yanukovich’s outstanding wealth and want to know how he financed these properties.
Anger has welled up as Ukrainians whose average salary is 500 U.S. dollars a month find out their taxes appear to have been squandered on Yanukovich’s entertainment.
This as the EU is discussing emergency financial aid for Ukraine to raise short-term funding as the country needs 35 billion U.S. dollars to survive 2014 and 2015.
