Putin says Russia helped Ukraine's Yanukovich flee

LAURA Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had helped Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovich to flee to Russia in February after he was toppled in violent street protests in Kiev.

"I will say it openly - he asked to be driven away to Russia. Which we did," Putin told a meeting with political scholars.

(Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, editing by Jason Bush)