Former Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych and former Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko, who are suspects in the investigation into the Kharkiv agreements, have left Ukraine and are wanted, State Bureau of Investigations communications adviser Tetyana Sapyan said on the air of the national telethon, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
"Indeed, the investigation has learned that the former foreign minister left Ukraine in January this year and flew to Paris. And the former justice minister left Ukraine in May," she said.
According to her, the whereabouts of the former ministers are being established, it is a secret of the pre-trial investigation.
"But both individuals involved in the criminal proceedings for treason have been put on the national and international wanted lists. The next step will be to obtain a court warrant to detain them," Sapyan said.
Then a request for a preventive measure in the form of detention will be filed.
"In parallel, the SBI investigators will apply for the extradition and declaration of these persons wanted via the Interpol red line," Sapyan added.
Earlier, law enforcers informed Hryshchenko and Lavrynovych in absentia that they were suspected of treason.
On 21 April 2010, then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the so-called Kharkiv agreements, which envisioned an extension of the Black Sea Fleet stationing in Ukraine until 2042 in exchange for a gas price reduction.
After the occupation of Crimea, the Russian Duma unilaterally terminated these agreements.