Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Viktor Yanukovych on Thursday on his victory in Ukraine's presidential election.
"Medvedev has congratulated Yanukovych on the completion of the
election campaign, which was given a high assessment by international
observers, and his victory in the presidential election," the Kremlin
said in a statement, according to RIA Novosti.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia also congratulated
Yanukovich and urged the new Ukrainian leader to assume "responsibility
to God, people and history."
The Ukrainian Central Election Commission has not officially
announced the results of the election, and Yanukovych's opponent in
Sunday's runoff vote, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, has not conceded
defeat.
With 99.95% of ballots counted, opposition leader Yanukovych has an
insurmountable 3.47 percentage point lead over Tymoshenko, whose camp
signaled they would contest the outcome of the polls.
The Kremlin was quick to congratulate Yanukovych in 2004, when
initial results gave him victory over Viktor Yushchenko in an election
that international observers declared flawed.
Demands for a recount triggered the "Orange Revolution," led by
Yushchenko and Tymoshenko, which forced a rerun of the second round of
the election that was won by Yushchenko.
