Former Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for "saving my life" during the demonstrations that led to his ousting.

Yanukovych, currently exiled in Russia, told the BBC that he would like to return to Ukraine one day and blamed the country's plight on the demonstrators who occupied Kiev's Maidan Square - the focal point of the uprising against his rule.

More than 100 protesters died in the clashes on Kiev's central square, where huge crowds had confronted police for months.