Pol Pot vs Viktor Yanukovych

Pol Pot became the leader of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge). He began building a secretive organization dedicated to establishing a radical agrarian communist state in Cambodia.

Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh, ending the Cambodian Civil War. Pol Pot's regime immediately began evacuating the city, forcing millions into rural labor camps. This marked the start of the Cambodian genocide.

Pol Pot declared 'Year Zero,' abolishing money, markets, and schools. The regime forced the entire population into agricultural communes, abolished religion, and executed intellectuals. This led to mass starvation and death.

Under Pol Pot's leadership, the Khmer Rouge regime systematically killed an estimated 1.5 to 2 million Cambodians through execution, forced labor, and starvation. The regime targeted intellectuals, ethnic minorities, and political opponents.

Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia and captured Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge regime. Pol Pot fled to the Thai border, where he continued to lead a guerrilla insurgency for years.

Yanukovych won the presidential election, defeating Yulia Tymoshenko in a runoff. His victory was seen as a shift toward closer ties with Russia and a reversal of Orange Revolution policies.

Yanukovych abruptly suspended preparations for signing an association agreement with the European Union, opting instead for closer ties with Russia. This decision triggered the Euromaidan protests.

After months of protests and violent clashes, Yanukovych fled Kyiv for Russia. The Ukrainian parliament voted to remove him from office. His ousting led to the Russian annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas.

Yanukovych settled in Russia, where he claimed to still be the legitimate president of Ukraine. He was tried in absentia and convicted of treason by a Ukrainian court. He remains a fugitive.