Kyiv's Obolonsky District Court has decided to hear the criminal case in which disgraced ex-President Viktor Yanukovych is accused of state treason and other various crimes against Ukraine according to a special (in absentia) procedure.

The Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency reports the decision was taken by a panel of judges during a hearing on Thursday. The court granted motions filed by Ukraine's military prosecutors.

"Taking into account the arguments, based on Article 393 of Ukraine's Criminal Procedural Code, the court has decided the following: to carry out a special court case involving Yanukovych pursuant to Part 5 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 110, Part 1 of Article 111, Part 2 of Article 437 of Ukraine's Criminal Code. The ruling can not be appealed," the presiding judge said.

The judge said Yanukovych knows about the open criminal trail and is in hiding in Russia. He added that the court rejects motions made by Yanukovych's lawyers that the accused can not appear at trial because of threats to his life and health, inasmuch as the accused failed even to participate in the hearing via video link.

Yanukovych's lawyer Vitaliy Serdiuk earlier informed the court that Yanukovych would not be appearing at trial.

"A statement has already been given to the court enumerating the reasons for his failure to appear," Serdiuk said. He added there were several reasons, including the failure of the court to make the request in accordance with the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters.

According to the lawyer, the defense plans to file motions for witnesses to appear.

"The entire witness pool is comprised of more than 200 individuals, including state officials and EU heads of state, as well as other persons, whose testimony bears on the hearing of this case," Serdiuk said.