List of national leaders of Ukraine

This is a comprehensive chronological list of national leaders of Ukraine since its first independence, in 1917, including its presidents both before and after the soviet era, and the soviet leaders themselves, who, unlike the Presidents, were not formal Heads of State.

Ukraine has had only seven Presidents since 1917, divided into two periods (1917-1921 and 1991-Present). In between, the country was a part of the Soviet Union (1922-1991) with the name of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Leaders 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.

Chairman of the Central Rada (Council)

*Mykhailo Serhiiovych Hrushevsky (27 March 1917 – 29 April 1918) (arrived 29 March 1917)
*Volodymyr Pavlovych Naumenko and Serhiy Oleksandrovych Yefremov (27 April - 29 April 1917 (acting for Hrushevsky)

Hetman of the Ukrainian State

*Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadsky (29 April -14 December 1918)

Chairmen of the Directory

*Volodymyr Kyrylovych Vynnychenko (14 December 1918 - 11 February 1919)
*Symon Vasylovych Petlyura (11 February 1919 - 7 May 1921) (provisional to 15 February 1919)

Ukrainian People's Republic in Exile (1921-1992)

Presidents

(in Prague to 1945, then Munich)
*Symon Vasylovych Petlyura (7 May 1921 - 25 May 1926)
*Andrii Mykolaiovych Livytsky (25 May 1926 - 17 January 1954)
*Stepan Vytvytsky (17 January 1954 - 19 October 1965) (acting to 6 March 1954)
*Mykola Andriiovych Livytsky (19 October 1965 - 8 December 1989) (acting to 22 March 1967)
*Mykola Vasylovych Plaviuk (1989 - September 1992)

Western Ukrainian People's Republic (1918-1919)

The government of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic, which was proclaimed on October 19, 1918, united with the Ukrainian People's Republic on January 22, 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.

President of the Ukrainian National Council

*Yevhen Petrushevych (1 November 1918 - 22 January 1919)

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1918/1921-1991)

Ukraine was incorporated into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on 30 December 1922.

ecretaries of Central Committee the (Ukrainian) Communist Party

*Mykola Oleksiiovych Skrypnyk (20 April - 26 May 1918) (Secretary of the Organizational Bureau)
*Yurii Leonidovych Pyatakov (12 July - 9 September 1918)
*Serafima Ilyinichna Gopner (9 September - 23 October 1918)
*Emmanuil Ionovich Kviring (23 October 1918 - 30 May 1919)
*Stanislav Vikentevich Kosior (30 May - 10 December 1919) (1st time)
*Vacant (10 December 1919 - January 1920)
*Rafail Borisovich Farbman (Janyary - 23 March 1920) (acting)
*Nikolay Ilyich Nikolayev (23 March - 25 March 1920)
*Stanislav Vikentevich Kosior (25 March - 23 November 1920) (2nd time)

First Secretary of the Central Committee

*Vyacheslav Mihailovich Molotov (23 November 1920 - 22 March 1921)

Executive Secretary of the Central Committee

*Feliks Jakovlevich Kon (22 March - 15 December 1921)

First Secretaries of the Communist Party

*Dmitry Zakharovich Manuilsky (15 December 1921 - 10 April 1923)
*Emmanuil Ionovich Kviring (10 December 1923 - 20 March 1925)

General Secretaries of the Central Committee

*Emmanuil Ionovich Kviring (20 March - 7 April 1925)
*Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich (7 April 1925 - 14 July 1928)
*Stanislav Vikentevich Kosior (14 July 1928 - 23 January 1934)

First Secretaries of the Central Committee

*Stanislav Vikentevich Kosior (23 January 1934 - 27 January 1938)
*Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (27 January1938 - 3 March 1947) (1st time, acting) (in Russian SFSR exile from 1941 until 1944)
*Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich (3 March - 26 December 1947) (2nd time)
*Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (26 December 1947 - 16 December 1949) (2nd time)
*Leonid Georgyevich Melnikov (16 December1949 - 4 June 1953)
*Aleksey Illarionovich Kirichenko (4 June1953 - 26 December 1957)
*Nikolay Viktorovich Podgorny (26 December1957 - 2 July 1963)
*Pyotr Yefimovich Shelest (2 July 1963 -25 May 1972)
*Vladimir Vasilyevich Shcherbitsky (25 May 1972 - 28 September 1989)
*Vladimir Antonovich Ivashko (28 September1989 - 22 June 1990)
*Stanislav Ivanovich Gurenko (22 June 1990 - 1 September 1991)

Ukraine (1991-Present)

On 5 July 1991, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR passed a law establishing the post of the President of the Ukrainian SSR. The title was changed to the President of Ukraine upon the proclamation of independence (24 August 1991). The first election of the President of Ukraine was held on 1 December 1991.

Presidents

*Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (5 December 1991 - 19 July 1994)
*Leonid Danylovych Kuchma (19 July 1994 – 23 January 2005)
*Viktor Andriyovich Yushchenko (23 January 2005 - Present)