Pechersky District Court of Kyiv has arrested former president Viktor Yanukovych in absentia due to the signing of Kharkiv Pact, the Prosecutor General's Office has said.

"With the participation of prosecutors from the Prosecutor General's Office, Pechersky District Court of Kyiv on May 23, 2022, chose the former president of Ukraine as a measure of restraint in the form of detention in criminal proceedings on the circumstances of his committing high treason (part 1 of article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)," the PGO said in the Telegram channel.

According to the prosecutor's office, the former president of Ukraine, acting jointly and by prior agreement with the former prime minister of Ukraine, to the detriment of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, provided a foreign state – Russia and its representatives with assistance in carrying out subversive activities against Ukraine.

"On April 21, 2010, while in Kharkiv, the suspect signed on behalf of Ukraine the agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, by which he extended the stay of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia on the territory of Ukraine – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol for 25 years, instead of preparing for its withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine," the PGO said.

As emphasized in the statement, as a result of such actions, the prerequisites were created for increasing the number of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine, their re-equipment, modernization and, in the future, the invasion of the Russian armed forces and their occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

Pretrial investigation in criminal proceedings is carried out by investigators of the State Bureau of Investigations.