When was Leonid Kravchuk born?

Leonid Kravchuk was born on 10 January 1934 in Velykyi Zhytyn.

What positions has Leonid Kravchuk held?

Positions held by Leonid Kravchuk include: People's Deputy of Ukraine (2002–2006); People's Deputy of Ukraine (1998–2002); People's Deputy of Ukraine (1994–1998); President of Ukraine (1991–1994); Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (1991–1991).

Where did Leonid Kravchuk study?

Leonid Kravchuk was educated at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Academy of Social Sciences of the Central Committee of CPSU.

Yuriy Ivanov / Юрий Иванов · CC BY-SA 3.0

Suggest a better photo · Report

Leonid Kravchuk

Ukrainian politician, 1st President of Ukraine

नेपालीमा पढ्नुहोस् · हिंदी में पढ़ें

नेपाली · English · हिंदीRead in your language
CitedEvery fact sourced
Ad-freeNo ads, no tracking

Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (Ukrainian: Леонід Макарович Кравчук, IPA: [leoˈn⁽ʲ⁾id mɐˈkɑrowɪtʃ krɐu̯ˈtʃuk]; 10 January 1934 – 10 May 2022) was a Ukrainian politician who served as the first president of Ukraine from 5 December 1991 to 19 July 1994. Kravchuk's presidency was marked by Ukraine achieving independence from the Soviet Union, the handover of its post-Soviet nuclear arsenal and an economic crisis that ultimately resulted in him losing re-election. Prior to his presidency, he was Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. After leaving office, he served as a People's Deputy of Ukraine for the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united).

Quick facts

Born: 10 January 1934 wd
Place of birth: Velykyi Zhytyn wd
Died: 10 May 2022 wd
Place of death: Munich wd
Citizenship: Soviet Union, Ukraine wd
Occupation: politician, economist, film actor wd
Political party: Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) (1998–2009), Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1958–1991) wd
Education: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Academy of Social Sciences of the Central Committee of CPSU wd
Spouse: Antonina Kravchuk wd
Social media: Facebook wd

Positions held wd

People's Deputy of Ukraine (14 May 2002 – 25 May 2006)
People's Deputy of Ukraine (12 May 1998 – 14 May 2002)
People's Deputy of Ukraine (25 September 1994 – 12 May 1998)
President of Ukraine (5 December 1991 – 19 July 1994)
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (24 August 1991 – 5 December 1991)
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR (23 July 1990 – 5 December 1991)
People's Deputy of Ukraine (15 May 1990 – 5 December 1991)

Awards wd

Order of the October Revolution
Medal "For the Glory of Chernivtsi"
Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (1970)
Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1973)
Medal "In Commemoration of the 1500th Anniversary of Kyiv" (1982)
Medal "Veteran of Labour" (1983)
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 5th class (1996)
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 4th class (1999)
Hero of Ukraine, Order of the State (2001)
Honorary Diploma of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (2004)
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 3rd class (2004)
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 2nd class (2007)
Order of Liberty (2014)
medal of 25 years of Ukrainian independence (2016)
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class (2020)

About

Born to a family of peasants in Volhynia, Kravchuk's early life was significantly impacted by World War II and the postwar nationalist insurgency. He joined the Communist Party of Ukraine in 1958 and rose through the ranks, working as a propagandist. He became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR in 1990, amidst the 1989–1991 Ukrainian revolution and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He opposed the 1991 Soviet coup attempt and subsequently led Ukraine to become independent from the Soviet Union.

Kravchuk became Ukraine's first democratically elected president in 1991. As president, Kravchuk formed an informal alliance between his national communists and national democrats, an ideological group succeeding Ukraine's Soviet dissidents. He sought to build a centralised state, opposing federalism, and established an independent Armed Forces of Ukraine, additionally giving up Ukraine's nuclear arsenal. He supported the possibility of Ukrainian membership in the NATO military alliance. Kravchuk's presidency saw the enrichment of the former nomenklatura and a failure to undertake economic reforms, caused by uncertainty over the correct measures to take. Ukraine's gross domestic product contracted by 40% during his time in…

Questions

When was Leonid Kravchuk born?: Leonid Kravchuk was born on 10 January 1934 in Velykyi Zhytyn.
What positions has Leonid Kravchuk held?: Positions held by Leonid Kravchuk include: People's Deputy of Ukraine (2002–2006); People's Deputy of Ukraine (1998–2002); People's Deputy of Ukraine (1994–1998); President of Ukraine (1991–1994); Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (1991–1991).
Where did Leonid Kravchuk study?: Leonid Kravchuk was educated at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Academy of Social Sciences of the Central Committee of CPSU.

Sources

Last updated 1 November 2026 · facts checked 4 November 2026

Cite this page

"Leonid Kravchuk". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/leonid-kravchuk. Retrieved 5 November 2026.

Machine-readable versions: JSON · Markdown

Text from the Wikipedia article Leonid Kravchuk, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Leonid Kravchuk (1).jpg — Yuriy Ivanov / Юрий Иванов, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Is this you, or do you work in this person's office? Claim this profile