ROSTOV-ON-DON, March 11 - Ousted leader Viktor Yanukovych insisted on Tuesday that he remained Ukraine's legitimate president and commander-in-chief, saying he would return to Kiev and appealing to the armed forces to defy any "criminal orders" handed down by his foes, Reuters reported.

In a defiant statement delivered in Russia, to where he fled last month, Yanukovych attacked what he called the "band of ultranationalists and neo-fascists" that have replaced his government, and criticized their Western backers.