Journalists and activists rescued and digitalised the documents which led to the impeachment of Ukraine's president Viktor Yanukovych.
The Ukrainian revolution culminated in 21 February 2014, with the flight and impeachment of Viktor Yanukovych, the then-president of Ukraine. The day after, on 22 February, volunteer divers found nearly 200 folders of documents at a lake near the residence of Yanukovych. These include receipts of mind-blowing expenses, such as saunas or bird cages for hundreds of thousands dollars. The folders had been thrown in the lake as an attempt to destroy them as people were escaping the compound.
A group of journalists and activists have undertaken to rescue, systematise and digitalise the documents. After weeks of hard work, they uploaded everything on an online database and made the "Yanukovych Leaks" available for citizens, journalists, researchers and others around the world.
First published on October 20, 2015
Last updated on July 30, 2020