Chornovol: Yanukovych is building ‘Mezhyhirya 2’

The new mansion is in Koncha Zaspa village near Kyiv, and is, according to Chornovol, and is even bigger and more luxurios than Yanukovych’s current residence Mezhyhirya.

The journalist showed photos of the construction spot with several buildings seen on them. She spoke to the press in the Resistance Headquarters of EuroMaidan in the Trades Unions Building on Independence Square..

“I think this house was why they attempted to kill me,” she said. 

Yanukovych has denied her accusations that he ordered Chornovol’s beating; to the contrary, the president has said, he instructed law enforcement to investigate the case thoroughly and solve it promptly.

The president’s press service could not be reached for immediate comment on Jan. 19 to Chornovol’s new accusations.

Chornovol shows the photo of the main building in the mansion that she claims to be another residence of Yanukovych.

According to Chornovol, the main house in the mansion is about 10,000 square meters. There is also a palace for ceremonies, an administrative building with offices, a conservatory, a golf course under construction and a helicopter pad. 

The journalist said she doesn’t have proof that the house belongs to Yanukovych, apart from what construction workers told her.

“Lately (Party of Regions lawmaker and businessman) Yuriy Ivaniushchenko started telling everyone it is his house. I know that he even showed up at the construction spot and shook hands with the workers. I think he was assigned to pretend it is his house, because Yanukovych is afraid that people will find out that he is constructing a second luxurious mansion in the country that has no money to build a hospital for kids with cancer,” Chornovol said.

“Maybe I made a mistake, and the mansion does belong to Ivaniushchenko. But pay attention to the one detail. Ivaniushchenko is most known as a ‘watcher’ of Yanukovych’s business,” she said.

She demonstrated a detailed map of the mansion that she got from the construction workers.

Tetyana Chornovol, the journalist and opposition activist, says she has uncovered a new mansion being built that she thinks belongs to President Viktor Yanukovych or a member of his family.

“I think this map could be the main reason behind the attack on me. As you see, the map doesn’t only have all the buildings on it, but it has all the communications too,” she said.

Chornovol assumes that the mansion could belong to Olexander Yanukovych, the president’s son.

Kyiv Post lifestyle editor Olga Rudenko can be reached at rudenko@kyivpost.com