Vitold Fokin
Вітольд Фокін
23 October 1990 – 1 October 1992
(Acting until 14 November 1990)
July 1987 – 1990
Novomykolaivka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
affiliations
Vitold Pavlovych Fokin (Ukrainian: Віто́льд Па́влович Фо́кін; born 25 October 1932) is a Ukrainian retired politician who served as the first prime minister of Ukraine from the country's declaration of independence on 24 August 1991 until 1 October 1992. Previously, he served as the prime minister of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 23 October 1990 to 24 August 1991.
After Vitaliy Masol was forced to resign, Fokin was appointed as the head of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR on 17 October 1990.[2]
Early life
Fokin graduated from the National Mining University of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk.
Prime Minister of Ukraine
On 18 April 1991, Vitold Fokin was appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine.[3]
On 12 September 1991, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) adopted its resolution on "Succession of Ukraine"[4] where Ukraine was declared a direct successor of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. On 22 August 1992, at a plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada, President Leonid Kravchuk accepted a succession diploma from the exiled government of the Ukrainian People's Republic.[5]
Fokin was one of the drafters and signers of the Belavezha Accords that effectively ended the Soviet Union and founded the Commonwealth of Independent States. As of 2024, he is the last signatory still alive.
During his time as prime minister, he avoided radical pro-market reforms, although critics have argued that Fokin's inaction on the matter and excessive subsidies to various unproductive enterprises contributed to hyperinflation (at 1,210% in 1992) and in general to the poor performance of the Ukrainian economy. He resigned on 8 October 1992, under pressure from the Verkhovna Rada and the general public.[6] Until May 1994, he was vice speaker of the Verkhovna Rada. He currently serves as chairman of the supervisory board of AOZT Devon.
After retirement
In 2020, the pro-Russian 112 Ukraine TV channel published information about a 2017 interview Fokin gave to Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon, where Fokin attempted to justify the Russian annexation of Crimea following his appointment to the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine, a contact group of representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe which sought to facilitate a diplomatic resolution of the war in Donbas.[7] On 30 September 2020, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree dismissing Fokin from the Trilateral Contact Group because he had not been guided in his "activities and statements by the national interests of Ukraine."[7] Fokin was dismissed a few days after he had claimed that there was "no war between Russia and Ukraine in Donbas".[7]
On 27 March 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a Russian missile hit Fokin's house; Fokin himself was not injured because he was in Moldova at the time.[8]
References
- ^ https://davniyhalych.if.ua/spivachka-masha-fokina-povidomila-pro-smert-babysi-novini-ykraini/ [bare URL]
- ^ Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States 1999, Routledge, 1998, ISBN 1857430581 (page 850)
- ^ Resolution of Verkhovna Rada "About appointment of Prime Minister of the Ukrainian SSR". Verkhovna Rada website. 18 April 1991.
- ^ Succession of Ukraine
- ^ 1992: The last president of the Ukrainian People's Republic hands over to Kravchuk regalia. Ukrayinska Pravda. 22 January 2012
- ^ Schmemann, Serge (9 November 1992). "New Leader in a Lament for Ukraine". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c President Zelensky dismisses Fokin from TCG, Ukrinform (30 September 2020)(in Ukrainian) Zelensky fired Fokin from the TCG, Ukrayinska Pravda (30 September 2020)
- ^ "Будинок у Києві, куди влучила збита ракета, належить колишньому прем'єру Фокіну". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). 28 March 2022.
Notes
- ^ As Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic until 18 April 1991. Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union on 24 August 1991.
External links
- Interview of Fokin, Boulevard of Gordon; 23 October 2012.
- Interview of Fokin, Boulevard of Gordon; 7 March 2017.
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Ivan Samiylenko as Head of government of the Ukrainian People's Republic (in exile) | Prime Minister of the Ukrainian SSR (Ukraine) 1991–1992 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by himself as Chairman of Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR | ||
Preceded by | Chairman of Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR (Ukraine) 1990–1991 | Succeeded by himself (as Prime Minister of the Ukrainian SSR) |
- v
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(1917–1920)
- Volodymyr Vynnychenko
- Vsevolod Holubovych
- Mykola Sakhno-Ustymovych1
- Mykola Vasylenko1
- Fedir Lyzohub
- Serhii Gerbel
- Volodymyr Chekhivskyi
- Serhii Ostapenko
- Borys Martos
- Isaak Mazepa
- Vyacheslav Prokopovych
- Yevgenia Bosch1
- Mykola Skrypnyk
- Georgy Pyatakov
- Christian Rakovsky
- Vlas Chubar
- Panas Lyubchenko
- Mykhailo Bondarenko
- Mykola Marchak1
- Demyan Korotchenko
- Leonid Korniyets
- Nikita Khrushchev
- Demyan Korotchenko
- Nikifor Kalchenko
- Volodymyr Shcherbytsky
- Ivan Kazanets
- Volodymyr Shcherbytsky
- Oleksandr Liashko
- Vitaliy Masol
- Kostyantyn Masyk1
- Vitold Fokin
- Andriy Livytskyi
- Pylyp Pylypchuk
- Andriy Livytskyi
- Vyacheslav Prokopovych
- Oleksander Shulhyn
- Vyacheslav Prokopovych
- Andriy Yakovliv
- Kostiantyn Pankivskyi
- Isaak Mazepa
- Stepan Baran
- Spyrydon Dovhal
- Symon Sozontiv
- Mykola Livytskyi
- Spyrydon Dovhal
- Atanas Figol
- Spyrydon Dovhal
- Vasyl Fedoronchuk
- Teofil Leontiy
- Ivan Kedryn-Rudnytskyi
- Teofil Leontiy
- Yaroslav-Bohdan Rudnytsky
- Ivan Samiylenko
- Vitold Fokin
- Valentyn Symonenko1
- Leonid Kuchma
- Yukhym Zvyahilsky1
- Vitaliy Masol
- Yevhen Marchuk
- Pavlo Lazarenko
- Vasyl Durdynets1
- Valeriy Pustovoitenko
- Viktor Yushchenko
- Anatoliy Kinakh
- Viktor Yanukovych
- Mykola Azarov1
- Viktor Yanukovych
- Mykola Azarov1
- Yulia Tymoshenko
- Yuriy Yekhanurov
- Viktor Yanukovych
- Yulia Tymoshenko
- Oleksandr Turchynov1
- Mykola Azarov
- Serhiy Arbuzov1
- Oleksandr Turchynov1
- Arseniy Yatsenyuk
- Volodymyr Groysman
- Oleksiy Honcharuk
- Denys Shmyhal