Crimea must remain part of Ukraine based on broad autonomy rights, Viktor Yanukovych said.

"I am asking the Crimeans not to allow bloodshed and civil strife. As legitimate president of Ukraine, I want to say that Crimea must remain part of the Ukrainian state retaining broad autonomy rights," he said at a press conference on Friday.

The ousted president believes the events in Crimea are a natural reaction to the coup in Kyiv and is convinced that the people of Crimea will not obey nationalists and bandits.

"I believe everything that is now happening in Crimea is an absolutely natural reaction to the bandit coup that has occurred in Kyiv," he said.

Yanukovych reiterated that power in Ukraine was usurped by "a bunch of radicals" and said he is confident that the people of Crimea "do not want to obey and will not obey nationalists and bandits."