Viktor Yanukovych, the fugitive ex-president of Ukraine, sailed into the Russian city of Volgograd on August 18 aboard a triple-decker yacht. Security guards kept people away from the boat, but the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda says passersby could easily make out Yanukovych on the yacht's stern.
The ousted president, now wanted in Ukraine on criminal charges, was reportedly visiting Volgograd “in a private capacity,” and so his presence was not announced officially, says Komsomolskaya Pravda. He traveled with his family and visited a local museum dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad, which took place in the city. Yanukovych reportedly spent an hour touring the museum, but he declined to sign the visitor's book.
There are several criminal cases in Ukraine now open against Yanukovych, who refuses to return for questioning by state prosecutors, though he has offered to testify by video conference.