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Yanukovych Tried to Dump a Bunch of Documents Before Fleeing

While Ukrainians had a fun time having their run of the presidential state, perhaps the most curious find was a pile of documents unceremoniously dumped into a moat before the premises were vacated.

By Brian Feldman
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While Ukrainians had a fun time having their run of the presidential state, which included a zoo, a galleon, and a hanger full of antique cars, perhaps the most curious find was a pile of documents unceremoniously dumped into a moat before the premises were vacated and Yanukovych carted off many of his belongings.

Now, journalists are drying out and combing through the documents, and here's what they've found so far.

Among the documents were dossiers on social and political activists that Yanukovych apparently feared or at least wanted to keep tabs on.

Among the other records was a receipt for a $12 million cash transfer dated seven months after the president took office. He also was spending money like it grew on trees. From Foreign Policy:

Yanukovych was also acquiring expensive works of art and paying carpenters $31 million for ornate woodwork at his colossal home. The property was once owned by the state, but Yanukovych recently "privatized" the house and the hundreds of acres around it and turned it into his residence.

When all of the documents have been catalogued, the reporters investigating hope to put them online for others to peruse.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.