Ukraine leader on sick leave amid crisis: office

Ukraine leader on sick leave amid crisis: office

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who is battling a protest movement against his rule, has contracted a severe form of flu and taken sick leave, his office said on Thursday.

Viktor Yanukovych (left) shakes hands with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton prior to their meeting in Kiev on January 29, 2014

"The president is on sick leave," Yanukovych's office said in a statement. Citing deputy head of the State Directorate for Medical Affairs, Olexander Orda, the statement said Yanukovych was down with an "acute respiratory disease accompanied by an elevated temperature."

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