Yanukovych asked Russia to ensure his personal security

Deposed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych said on Thursday he still considers himself to be Ukraine's head of state but asked Russia to ensure his personal security from the actions of the “extremists”, who seized the power, azh kz reports citing lenta.ru.

According to Yanukovich,  the decisions adopted by Verkhovnaya Rada are illegitimate.  He asked to return the situation in Ukraine into the legal course.

"I still consider myself to be the legal head of the Ukrainian state," said Yanukovych in a statement to Russian news agencies, his first comments since February 22. "I am compelled to ask the Russian Federation to ensure my personal security from the actions of extremists," he said, adding that the latest decisions by the Ukrainian parliament "do not have legitimate character".

The statement, released simultaneously by Russia's three main news agencies, gave no further clue about his whereabouts. He went into hiding and has been put on the international wanted list for 'mass murder' connected with the shooting deaths of protesters in Kiev during the crisis.