Former President Viktor Yanukovych promised to return back home and expressed his regret for the current situation in Ukraine in an interview for the Russian Channel 1.

"No regime is worth the losses Ukraine has suffered after the events of February 21-22, 2014," he said. "The country is destroyed, we see territorial losses, casualties, the destruction of whole regions."

Yanukovych, largely criticized over his pro-Russian stance, was overturned after deciding to back away from steps towards the EU integration of Ukraine.

The Maidan protests overturned his power, and just weeks later Crimea was annexed to Russia.

Russian separatists have later established the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics.

According to official data, over 5 000 people have been killed during the unrest and the operations of Kiev forces that followed.

Yanukovych stated that he has had no option of returning but that he has constantly been sending people to monitor the situation in Ukraine.

He mentioned that he has been thinking of returning on several occasions in order to lead the protest movement, but considered it unsafe at the time.

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