Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has not acquired Russian citizenship, Yanukovych's lawyer Vitaliy Serdiuk has said.

"Viktor Yanukovych has not changed his citizenship, and documents issued [in Russian territory] were based on the passport of a Ukrainian citizen," he told a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.

Yanukovych has not been naturalized in Russia, Serdiuk said. In his words, the former Ukrainian president has been staying in Russia on the grounds envisaged by Russian laws.