Leonid Kravchuk

Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (Ukrainian: Леонід Макарович Кравчук; 10 January 1934 – 10 May 2022) was a Ukrainian politician and the first President of Ukraine, who served from 5 December 1991 until 19 July 1994. In 1992 he signed the Lisbon Protocol, undertaking to give up Ukraine's nuclear arsenal. He was also the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and a People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) faction.

Leonid Kravchuk
Леонід Кравчук
Kravchuk in 1991
1st President of Ukraine
In office 5 December 1991 – 19 July 1994 Acting: 24 August 1991 – 5 December 1991
Prime Minister	Vitold Fokin Leonid Kuchma Vitaliy Masol
Preceded by	Himself (as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet)
Succeeded by	Leonid Kuchma
1st Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
In office 24 August 1991 – 5 December 1991
Preceded by	Himself (as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet)
Succeeded by	Ivan Plyushch
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR
In office 23 July 1990 – 24 August 1991
Preceded by	Vladimir Ivashko
Succeeded by	Himself (as Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and President of Ukraine)
Member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Ukraine
In office 4 June 1988 – 5 December 1990
People's Deputy of Ukraine
In office 15 May 1990 – 5 December 1991
In office 25 September 1994 – 25 May 2006
Faction and Constituency represented in the Verkhovna Rada
1990–1991	Communist Party (until August 1991) Vinnytsia Oblast District No.39[1]
1994–1998	Independent Ternopil Oblast District No.364[2]
1998–2002	Social Democratic Party (united), No. 1 Nationwide Party-list[3]
2002–2006	Social Democratic Party (united), No. 5 Nationwide Party-list[4]
Personal details
Born	(1934-01-10)10 January 1934 Żytyń, Poland (now Velykyi Zhytyn, Ukraine)
Died	10 May 2022(2022-05-10) (aged 88) Munich, Germany
Resting place	Baikove Cemetery, Kyiv
Political party	Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1958–1991) Independent (1991–1994) Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) (1994–2009)
Spouse(s)	Antonina Mykhailivna Mishura ​ ​ (m. 1957)​
Children	1
Residence(s)	Koncha-Zaspa, Kyiv, Ukraine
Alma mater	Kyiv State University (1958) Academy of Social Sciences of CPSU (1970)
Occupation	Politician
Signature

After a political crisis involving the president and the prime minister, Kravchuk resigned from the presidency, but ran for a second term as president in 1994. He was defeated by his former prime minister, Leonid Kuchma, who then served as president for two terms. After his presidency, Kravchuk remained active in Ukrainian politics, serving as a People's Deputy of Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada and the leader of the parliamentary group of Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) from 2002 to 2006. Kravchuk's presidency is considered to be one of the best in Ukrainian history by social poll rankings.[5]