Leonid Kravchuk was the first president of Ukraine after it gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
- Died: May 10, 2022 (Who else died on May 10?)
- Details of death: Died after a long illness at the age of 88.
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Independent Ukraine
Kravchuk was a leader in the Communist Party before the demise of the Soviet Union. As the U.S.S.R. was in its final years, he became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR, or leader of the country’s parliament. In 1991, Kravchuk was one of the three Soviet leaders who signed the Belovezh Accords ending the Soviet Union, along with Boris Yeltsin (1931–2007) of Russia and Stanislav Shushkevich (1934–2022) of Belarus. Ukraine declared its independence, and Kravchuk was elected its first president. The following year, he signed the Lisbon Protocol, agreeing to transfer Ukraine’s nuclear arms to Russia. Kravchuk ran for reelection in 1994 but was defeated. He continued to serve in Ukraine’s parliament until 2006.
Kravchuk on Ukrainian independence
“A new Ukraine has been born. A great historical event has occurred which will not only change the history of the Ukraine but the history of the world.” —from a 1991 speech
Tributes to Leonid Kravchuk
Full obituary: The New York Times
