One year ago today, Victor Yanukovych began packing his valuables in preparation of leaving Ukraine.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

He wouldn't actual leave--via his own personal fleet of helicopters--until the early morning hours of February 22nd. Only after he left did the Ukrainian Rada (parliament) vote to remove him for dereliction of duty.

But it was the three day time period that is so fascinating. Within that window, there was the deaths of several dozen protesters at Maidan on February 20th, the circumstances still somewhat controversial and unclear. Then there was an EU brokered deal signed on the evening of February 21st that would have given Yanukovych the authority to remain in office until early elections could be held.

The fact that these events preceded Yanukovych's ultimate departure but not his preparations to depart cast serious doubts on any claims that either of those events served as a tipping point to the ultimate change in regime.

And the relative ease and length of time in which Yanukovych had to pack up his considerable treasure (three days) casts even more doubts on the claim that Yanukovych was running due to a imminent threat to his safety, which some use as the basis that Yanukovych was removed as a result of a "coup" perpetrated by individuals not clearly identified by proponents of that theory.

Surveillance video from Yanukovych's mansion beginning from February 19th and running up until the early morning of February 22nd shows the large amount of oil paintings, antique valuables and other items being loaded up into moving vans. More video captures Yanukovych's fleet of helicopters flying off, with the former president ultimately ending up in Russia.

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A good read about Yanukovych's preparations can be found here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/03/12/what-did-yanukovych-take-with-him-as-he-fled-his-mansion-paintings-guns-and-a-small-dog-according-to-new-video/

The three day time period--and the proper order of events--are very important to keep in mind when analyzing the events leading up to the regime change in Ukraine one year ago.

[Fred Sanders]

1. Good thing he left, the neo-Nazis were going to kill the elected by all of Ukraine, elected President.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

2. Word salad much?

It doesn't matter, though. He left comfortably and voluntarily, which runs counter to the "coup" argument.

[Fred Sanders]

3. The ceasefire is a great thing, Eastern Ukraine will get the autonomy from the Kiev fascists it needed.

It is all they ever asked.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. You are aware that the parties identified as "fascist" no longer have representation in the cabinet?

Right?

That those ultra-nationalist parties--Svoboda and Right Sector--failed to get enough votes to enter into a governing coalition and as such are not in the cabinet as we speak?

But hell, just like with your "coup" claims, never let facts get in the way of a good narrative, right?

[Fred Sanders]

8. So where did they go? Disappeared? I am not as naive as you hope others will be.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. But you harp on the "Kiev fascists" as if to imply the Ukrainian government is neo-nazi.

Which facts plainly show they are not.

[pampango]

4. And all of Ukraine's security forces and military could not protect him from a group that

had shown its 'power' by holding exactly one public square in a large European city?

There are wackos that want to kill every president in the world. That's one reason that all government's have security forces.

[Fred Sanders]

6. Dozens of police were killed in that "one square", more would have been killed if not having done

the right thing to protect the Ukranian people by resigning.

The Chocolate King then chose war over negotiation with the overwhelmingly ethnic Russian East that did not vote for Poroshenko, who then insisted the East bow to all his ethnic and language cleansing demands.

Would you give in to a government you did not and were not allowed to vote for, a government which proudly allies with neo-Nazi militas dedicated to killing ethnic Russians?

[polly7]

10. Facts!

They burn, Fred.

He did exactly the right thing by resigning, but it seems that here for some, unless you're sodomized in the street and tortured and murdered or hung up by the neck, a 'coup' didn't really take place. Kind of simplistic and misleading, isn't it?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

12. Well, perhaps if you share your personal definition of the word "coup", we can debate further. nt

[Tommy_Carcetti]

15. And crickets. nt

[Tommy_Carcetti]

11. Wait, what?

Yanukovych resigned gracefully in order to spare the lives of Berkut riot police?

And it was police whose deaths outnumbered protesters by a 10-1 margin and not visa versa?

And Poroshenko--who delivered his inaugural address in both Ukrainian and Russian--is hell bent on ethno-linguistic cleansing?

Fred, you certainly live in a veritable fantasyland of sorts.

[pampango]

13. "if not having done the right thing to protect the Ukrainian people by resigning."

You are right. He resigned.

He had the forces to protect his democratically-elected government, as well as himself, and chose to resign and leave the country.

If he did that "to protect the Ukrainian people" he miscalculated badly. By resigning his position as the elected president he unleashed forces who asked the question, "Would you give in to a government you did not and were not allowed to vote for ...". Russia annexed Crimea and thousands have died.

It would have been better for Ukrainians if he had chosen to protect their democratic government by living up to the agreement he had signed the day before he left. Instead he took his money and ran to Russia which soon added Crimea to its territory.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

14. Well said. nt