Russia's Channel One published the excerpt as both Ukraine and Russia marked - very differently - the one-year anniversary of the pro-Western uprising in Kiev that sent Yanukovych fleeing to exile in Russia.
"I'll be back and will do everything in my power to make life easier in Ukraine," Yanukovych promised in the interview, which will be broadcast in full on Monday.
He claimed that "my heart ached" at seeing the conflict Ukraine has slipped into, with "entire regions destroyed".
Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted he helped Yanukovych flee. Kiev has claimed Putin issued a secret decree granting Yanukovych Russian citizenship.