Former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych claims an internal opposition destroyed the ruling Party of Regions "from the inside" under the pressure of oligarchs during the Maydan events.
In particular, the ex-president said during the questioning by video conference on 28 November that the opposition in the Party of Regions faction was supported by tbusinessman Dmytro Firtash and MP Serhiy Lyovochkin.
Yanukovych said a large group of the Party of Regions MPs, headed by Serhiy Tyhypko, leaned toward the opposition in the critical days of the 2014 protests.
"Eventually, they ruined the stability in the country," said the former president.
Yanukovych also admitted that the riot police Berkut exceeded their authority on 30 November 2013, when they violently dispersed then peaceful protest rally on the order from Lyovochkin.
"Because the students have no longer been there by that time. [Instead] there came radicals, and they began to provoke the Berkut. In my opinion, the Berkut exceeded their authority, but this point of view has yet to be confirmed by investigation," the former president said.
Earlier in the day, Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko announced Yanukovych is suspected of high treason.