List of heads of state of Ukraine

This is a list of heads of state of Ukraine since 1917.

Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–1921)

The Ukrainian People's Republic was formed after the Russian Revolution of 1917, and lasted until the Peace of Riga between Poland and Soviet Russia in March 1921. The state leadership position title varied and, despite a rather widespread misconception, none of them had an official Presidential title.

The Directorate of Ukraine was a provisional council of the UNR formed after Skoropadskyi's Hetmanate fell apart. On 22 January 1919, the Act of Unification of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian People's Republic was passed. The text of the universal was made by the members of the Directory.

Picture Name(Birth–Death) Began office Left office Party Title(s) —Volodymyr Pavlovych Naumenko(1852–1919)17 (4) March 191728 (15) March 1917Constitutional Democratic PartyChairman of the Central Rada 1Mykhailo Hrushevsky(1866–1934)28 (15) March 1917March 28 – The meeting of the Ukrainian Central Council, first chaired by Mykhailo Hrushevsky29 April 1918Ukrainian Socialist-Revolutionary PartyChairman of the Central Rada 2Volodymyr Vynnychenko(1880–1951)14 December 191811 February 1919Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour PartyChairman of the Directory 3Symon Petliura(1879–1926)11 February 191910 November 1920IndependentChairman of the Directory

In exile (1921–1992)

In Munich during 1948–1992, and in New York City in 1992:

Picture Name(Birth–Death) Began office Left office Party 1Andriy Livytskyi(1879–1954)16 July 194817 January 1954Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour Party 2Stepan Vytvytskyi(1884–1965)17 January 19549 October 1965Independent 3Mykola Livytskyi(1907–1989)9 October 19658 December 1989Independent 4Mykola Plaviuk(1925–2012)8 December 198922 August 1992Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists

Ukrainian State (1918) Following a coup inspirated by the German military authorities on 29 April 1918, an authoritarian provisional state was proclaimed by a former Imperial Russian General Pavlo Skoropadskyi, who proclaimed himself Hetman of Ukraine. This regime was deposed in December same year, when the Ukrainian People's Republic was reinstalled, now led by the Directory. Hetman Reign DynastyPavlo Skoropadskyi(1873–1945)29 April 1918 – 14 December 1918Skoropadsky

West Ukrainian People's Republic (1918–1919) The government of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic, which was proclaimed on 19 October 1918, united with the Ukrainian People's Republic on 22 January 1919, although this was mostly a symbolic act because the western Ukrainians retained their own Ukrainian Galician Army and government structure. After the Polish-Ukrainian War, Poland took over most of territory of the West Ukrainian People's Republic by July 1919.

Picture Name(Birth–Death) Began office Left office Party Title(s) 1Yevhen Petrushevych(1863–1940)18 October 191822 January 1919Ukrainian National Democratic PartyPresident

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1917–1991)

The nomenclature for the head of state position was changing. At first it was called the Chairman of the Central Executive Committee, then it was called the Uprising Nine (Povstanburo) which was later reorganized into the Central Military-Revolutionary Committee (sort of revkom). In mid July 1918 there were some biases about the idea of the Ukrainian SSR, but with the help of more nationally inclined bolsheviks such as Skrypnyk, Zatonsky, and others the government of the Soviet Ukraine was preserved. After the defeat of Directoria the head of state was again called as the chairman of the Central Executive Committee. Ukraine was incorporated into the Soviet Union on 30 December 1922. Since 1938 the position began to be called as the chairman of the Presidium of Verkhovna Rada which was abolished in 1990. From 1990 to 1991 it was simply the head of the Verkhovna Rada until the introduction of the office of the President of Ukrainian SSR.

Picture Name(Birth–Death) Began office Left office Party Title(s) 1Yukhym Medvedev(1886–1936)24 December 191718 March 1918Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour PartyChairman of the Central Executive Committee 2Volodymyr Zatonsky(1888–1938)18 March 191818 April 1918Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolshevik)Chairman of the Central Executive Committee —Ukrainian Bureau For Directingthe Partisan Resistance Against the German Occupiers18 April 191828 November 1918Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolshevik)Chairman of the Central Executive Committee —Georgy Pyatakov(1890–1937)28 November 191829 January 1919Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolshevik)Chairman of the Central Executive Committee —Christian Rakovsky(1873–1941)29 January 191910 March 1919Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolshevik)Chairman of the Central Executive Committee 3Grigory Petrovsky(1878–1958)10 March 191910 March 1938Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolshevik)Chairman of the Central Executive Committee — Leonid Korniyets(1901–1967)10 March 193825 July 1938Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolshevik)Chairman of the Central Executive Committee —Mykhailo Burmystenko(1902–1941)25 July 193827 July 1938Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolshevik)Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 4 Leonid Korniyets(1901–1969)27 July 193828 July 1939Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolshevik)Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet28 July 193914 January 1954Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolshevik)Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet5Demyan Korotchenko(1894–1969)14 January 19547 April 1969Communist Party of UkraineChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet6Oleksandr Liashko(1915–2002)7 April 19698 June 1972Communist Party of UkraineChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet7 Ivan Hrushetsky(1904–1982)8 June 197224 June 1976Communist Party of UkraineChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet8Oleksiy Vatchenko(1914–1984)24 June 197622 November 1984Communist Party of UkraineChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet9Valentyna Shevchenko(1935–2020)22 November 19844 June 1990Communist Party of UkraineChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet10 Vladimir Ivashko(1932–1994)4 June 19909 July 1990Communist Party of UkraineChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet —Ivan Plyushch(1941–2014)9 July 199023 July 1990Communist Party of UkraineChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 11 Leonid Kravchuk(1934–2022)23 July 199024 August 1991Communist Party of UkraineChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet

Ukraine (1991–present)

On 5 July 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR passed a law establishing the post of the "President of the Ukrainian SSR". The title was changed to "President of Ukraine" upon the proclamation of independence on 24 August 1991, simultaneously making then-Speaker of the parliament Leonid Kravchuk acting president.

The first presidential election in Ukraine was held on 1 December 1991. On 22 August 1992, the last President of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile Mykolva Plaviuk transferred his authorities to the first post-Soviet president Leonid Kravchuk.

№ President Took office Left office Elected Party —Leonid Kravchuk(1934–2022)24 August 1991—Independent 1 5 December 1991 19 July 1994 1991 2 Leonid Kuchma(Born 1938) 19 July 1994 23 January 2005 19941999 Independent3 Viktor Yushchenko(Born 1954) 23 January 2005 25 February 2010 2004 Our Ukraine4 Viktor Yanukovych(Born 1950) 25 February 2010 22 February 2014 2010 Party of Regions — Oleksandr Turchynov(Born 1964) 7 June 2014 — 5 Petro Poroshenko(Born 1965) 7 June 2014 20 May 2019 2014 Petro Porshenko Bloc6Volodymyr Zelenskyy(Born 1978)20 May 2019Incumbent2019Servant of the People

Timeline

References