BACKGROUND
Viktor Yanukovych, the former president of the Ukraine who was ousted by popular uprising on Friday, has not been seen since border guards in his home town of Donetsk said they had blocked his plane from taking off on a technicality on Saturday evening. Yanukovych fled Kiev late on Friday night to Khakiv, before heading on to his home town of Donetsk on Saturday. He is though to have escaped Donetsk after his plane was blocked, possibly to Crimea, although his whereabouts is unknown. Read more >>
THE CARTOON
The cartoon by Brian Adcock from The Independent depicts Yanukovych as a chicken, its wings dripping with blood, fleeing from Independence Square, where many protesters were killed last week in violent clashes with police, towards the east.
COMMENTARY
The cartoon features a play on words. Chicken Kiev is a popular dish made with seasoned butter stuffed inside pounded chicken breasts that are baked until crisp. And if you call someone a chicken, you mean that they are not at all brave. • Don't be such a chicken! By fleeing Kiev, Yanukovych has shown himself to be a coward. In fact, his own political party has condemned his "cowardly flight".
