Ihor Yukhnovskyi

Ihor Yukhnovskyi ( _uk. Iгор Рафаïлович Юхновський; also Yukhnovsky; born 1925) is a Ukrainian politician and statesman, a member of the Presidium of Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Hero of Ukraine.

Yukhnovskyi was born September 1, 1925 in Kniahynyny village of Rivne Oblast, Ukraine. In 1944-45 participated in World War II on a side of Soviet Army. In 1951 he became the head of Theoretical Physics Department at Lviv University. In 1969 Yukhnovskyi, at that time Doctor of Physics and Mathematics led the newly organized Department of Statistical Theory of Condensed Matter. in 1980 the department was reorganized into the Lviv division of statistical physics f the Institute for Theoretical Physics, and then in 1990 into the Institute of Condensed Matter Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

On March 30, 1990 Yukhnovskyi was elected with 59.07% votes (out of 6 candidates) as a member of parliament of Ukrainian SSR from an election district of Lviv city. On May 15, 1990 he became the leader of the first ever opposition party in the Ukrainian SSR parliament named "Narodna Rada" ("People’s Council").

In the first presidential elections in Ukraine he was supported by 554,719 voters (1.74%) and took 5th place out of 6 candidates. In 1992 he was appointed as the first vice Prime Minister of Ukraine.

In the 1994 parliamentary elections he was elected to the parliament in the same electoral district as in 1990 with 60.41% support. In the 1998 parliamentary elections he was elected as #15 in the People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) party list. In the 2002 parliamentary elections he was again elected as #69 in the Our Ukraine party list.

Yukhnovsky is an author of over 400 scientific papers, five books and a textbook "Osnovy kvantovoyi mekhaniky" ("Basics of Quantum Mechanics"). As a member of the parliament he initiated (or co-initiated) over 100 bills. He was one of the authors of the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine.

Ihor Yukhnovskyi is the head of All-Ukrainian Union of World War II veterans. He supports the reconciliation of veterans of Soviet Army and Ukrainian Insurgent Army.