List of leaders of Ukraine

This is a list that encompasses and includes all leaders and rulers in the history of Ukraine. This page includes the titles of the Grand Prince of Kiev, Grand Prince of Chernigov, Grand Prince of Pereiaslavl, Grand Prince of Galicia–Volhynia, Hetman of Ukraine and President of Ukraine. The following list begins with the leaders who ruled over the territory of Ukraine during Antiquity and is followed by the princes who ruled the principalities that constituted Kievan Rus and continues with the presidents of Ukraine.

The territory has been known by a plethora of names, it has been known historically as: Kievan Rus, Rus', the Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia, the Zaporozhian Host and the Hetmanate. The sovereigns of these fluctuating political entities have accordingly been described in a variety of ways: knyaz, knyahinya, korol, hetman and president. Two of the earliest noble titles: knyaz and velyky knyaz translate into English as "Prince" and "Grand Prince" respectively, whilst korol translates into 'king'.

The list includes 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 eight 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.

Rurik Dynasty (862–1362)
The Rurikids were descendants of Rurik (Ukrainian: Рюрик) (Hrørekr), a Varangian pagan konung or chieftain, who according to the Primary Chronicle was invited to rule Novgorod in 862 and who came to become the ruler of the Northern Slavic tribes of the (Krivchians and Slovene) as well as the Finnish tribes (Meria, Chud and Ves). Later his son or grandson, Prince Ihor, became the Prince of separate Kievan territories to the south beginning the rule of the Riurykide dynasty of Kievan Rus. The existence of Rurik is a point of contention for historians, P. Kovaletsky and Omeljan Pritsak believe that Rurik was the same person as Hroereckr (Rorik), the 9th century Norse king of Jutland and Frisia and that pervasive myths and legends about him formed the basis for the primary chroniclers. Alternatively, Alexsei Shakmatov accepts the Primary Chronicle's account as factual and Rurik is a historic being.

Partitions of Kievan Rus' in Ukrainian territory under Rurik dynasty

(Note: As many princes ruled at different times in many places, the numbering of the princes is restricted to the Kievan Rus'/Kiev and the Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia)

Under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1362–1471)
In the early 1320s, a Lithuanian army led by Gediminas defeated a Slavic army led by Stanislav of Kiev at the Battle on the Irpen' River, and conquered the city. The Tatars, who also claimed Kiev, retaliated in 1324–1325, so while Kiev was ruled by a Lithuanian prince, it had to pay a tribute to the Golden Horde. Finally, as a result of the Battle of Blue Waters in 1362, Kiev and surrounding areas were incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania.


 * Algimantas Alšėniškis (Olgimunt Holszański, Olgimont-Mykhailo Olshansky) (1324–1331)
 * Fiodor of Kiev a.k.a. Teodoras Butvydaitis, brother of Gediminas (1331–1362)
 * Vladimiras Algirdaitis (Volodymyr Olgerdovych) (1362–1394)
 * Skirgaila (1395–1397)
 * Ivan Olshansky (Jonas Alšėniškis) (1397–c. 1402)
 * Jurgis Gedgaudas; lt (Jerzy Giedygołd) (1404–1411)
 * Andriy Ivanovych Olshansky (c. 1412–c. 1422)
 * Mykhailo Ivanovych Olshansky (1422–1432)
 * Mykhailo Semenovych Boloban Olshansky (1433–1435)
 * Švitrigaila (1435–c. 1440), Grand Duke of the Rus' (1432–c. 1440)
 * Aleksandras Olelka (Olelko Volodymyrovych) (1443–1454)
 * Simonas Olelkaitis (Semen Olelkovych) (1454–1471)

Under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1471–1569)

 * Martynas Goštautas (Marcin Gasztołd) (1471–1475)
 * Ivan Chodkiewicz (Jonas Ivanas Chodkevičius) (1480–1484)
 * Jerzy Pac (Jurgis Pacas) (1486–1492)
 * Dymitr Putiatycz (Dmytro Putyatych) (1492–1505)
 * Jerzy Montowtowicz (Jurgis Montovtt) (1505–1508)
 * Jan Gliński (Jonas Glinskis, Ivan Hlynsky) (1508)
 * Jerzy Holszański (Jurgis Alšėniškis, Yuriy Olshansky) (1508–1511)
 * Jerzy Radziwiłł (Jurgis Radvila) (1511–1514)
 * Andrzej Niemirowicz (Andriy Nemyrych) (1514–1541)
 * Jan Holszański (Ivan Olshansky) (1542–1544)
 * Fryderyk Proński (Semen Hlebovych Pronsky, Frederikas Prunskis) (1545–1555)
 * Hrehory Chodkiewicz (Grigorijus Chodkevičius) (1555–1559)
 * Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski (Kostiantyn Vasyl Ostrozky) (1559–1569)

Under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1793)
When the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was formed by the Union of Lublin in 1569, Kiev and surrounding areas, Podolia, Volhynia, and Podlaskie, as the Kiev Voivodeship, Bratslav Voivodeship, Volhynian Voivodeship, and Podlaskie Voivodeship, were transferred from Lithuania to Poland.
 * Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski (1569–1608)
 * Stanisław Żółkiewski (1608–1618)
 * Tomasz Zamoyski (1619–1628)
 * Aleksander Zasławski (1629)
 * Stefan Chmielecki (1629–1630)
 * Janusz Tyszkiewicz (1630–1649)
 * Adam Kisiel (1650–1653)
 * since 1654 in Zhytomyr
 * Stanisław Rewera Potocki (1655–1658)
 * Jan Zamoyski (1658–1659)
 * Jan Wyhowski (1659–1664)
 * Stefan Czarniecki (1664–1665)
 * Michał Stanisławski (1665–1668)
 * Andrzej Potocki (1668–1681)
 * Feliks Kazimierz Potocki (1682)
 * Stefan Niemirycz (1682–1684)
 * Marcin Kątski (1684–1702)
 * Józef Potocki (1702–1744)
 * Stanisław Potocki (1744–1756)
 * Franciszek Salezy Potocki (1756–1772)
 * Stanisław Lubomirski (1772–1785)
 * Józef Gabriel Stempkowski (1785–1791)
 * Antoni Protazy Potocki (1791–1793)

Cossack Hetmans
A Hetman was a military and civil leader, democratically elected by the Cossacks.

Under Lithuania and Poland (1486–1646)
Several Cossack regiments were operating in Ukraine at this time that were largely independent of each other, so some of the Hetmans' tenures overlap.

Cossack Hetmanate (1648–1764)
Following the Khmelnytsky uprising a new Cossack republic, the Hetmanate, was formed.

The Ruin (1660–1764) was a time in Ukrainian history when the country fell into disarray and chaos. Afterwards, the Cossack state emerged as a vassal of the Russian Empire. During this period a number of hetmans stayed in power for short periods of time and often controlled only parts of the country. Moreover, the Treaty of Andrusovo (1667) split the Cossack Hetmanate along the Dnieper River into Left-bank Ukraine, which enjoyed a degree of autonomy within the Tsardom of Russia; and Right-bank Ukraine which remained part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and at times (1672–1699) part of the Ottoman Empire.

Under the Russian Empire and the Habsburg monarchy
After the dissolution of the Cossack Hetmanate, a new Malorossiyan collegium was established in 1764, and the Zaporozhian Host was disbanded in 1775. As a result of the second and third Partitions of Poland in 1793 and 1795, eastern and central parts of the territory of present-day Ukraine were incorporated directly into the Russian Empire. The western part became part of the Habsburg monarchy earlier, in the following order: Carpathian Ruthenia (1526/1699), Galicia (1772), and Bukovina (1775).

Ukraine In the Russian Empire (1721 – 1917)

1721 – 1725 Peter I the Great (Петро І Великий)

1725 – 1727 Catherine I (Катерина І)

1727 – 1730 Peter II (Петро II)

1730 – 1740 Anna (Анна)

1741 – 1742 Elizabeth (Єлизавета Петрівна)

1742 Peter III (Петро III)

1762 – 1796 Catherine II the Great (Катерина II Велика)

1796 – 1801 Paul I (Павло І)

1801 – 1825 Alexander I the Blessed (Олександр I Блаженний)

1825 – 1855 Nicholas I (Микола І)

1855 – 1881 Alexander II the Liberator (Олександр II Визволитель)

1881 – 1894 Alexander III the Peacemaker (Олександр III Миротворець)

1894 –1917 Nicholas II (Микола II)

The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria in the Austrian Empire (1772–1918)

1772 – 1780 Maria Theresa (Марія Терезія)

1780 – 1790 Joseph II (Йосип II)

1790 – 1792 Leopold II (Леопольд II)

1792 – 1835 Francis II (Франциск II)

1835 – 1848 Ferdinand I (Фердинанд І)

1848 – 1916 Francis Joseph I (Франц Йосип І)

1916 – 1918 Charles I (Карл I)

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.

The Directorate of Ukraine was a provisional council of the UNR formed after Skoropadskyi's Hetmanate fell apart. On 22 January 1919, the Act of Unification of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian People's Republic was passed. The text of the universal was made by the members of the Directory.

Ukrainian State (1918)
Following a coup inspirated by the German military authorities on 29 April 1918, an authoritarian provisional state was proclaimed by a former Imperial Russian General Pavlo Skoropadskyi, who proclaimed himself Hetman of Ukraine. This regime was deposed in December same year, when the Ukrainian People's Republic was reinstalled, now led by the Directory.

Western Ukrainian People's Republic (1918–1919)
The government of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic, which was proclaimed on 19 October 1918, united with the Ukrainian People's Republic on 22 January 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.

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1917–1991)
The nomenclature for the head of state position was changing. At first it was called the Chairman of the Central Executive Committee, then it was called the Uprising Nine (Povstanburo) which was later reorganized into the Central Military-Revolutionary Committee (sort of revkom). In mid July 1918 there were some biases about the idea of the Ukrainian SSR, but with the help of more nationally inclined bolsheviks such as Skrypnyk, Zatonsky, and others the government of the Soviet Ukraine was preserved. After the defeat of Directoria the head of state was again called as the chairman of the Central Executive Committee. Ukraine was incorporated into the Soviet Union on 30 December 1922. Since 1938 the position began to be called as the chairman of the Presidium of Verkhovna Rada which was abolished in 1990. From 1990 to 1991 it was simply the head of the Verkhovna Rada until the introduction of the office of the President of Ukrainian SSR.

Directorate of the UPR in exile (1920–1948)
In Paris and Prague to 1945; in New York City during 1945–1946; in Munich during 1945–1948:

Ukrainian State (1941)
Prime Minister of the Ukrainian State:

Presidents of the UPR in exile (1948–1992)
In Munich during 1948–1992, and in New York City in 1992:

Presidents of modern Ukraine
On 5 July 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR passed a law establishing the post of the "President of the Ukrainian SSR". The title was changed to "President of Ukraine" upon the proclamation of independence on 24 August 1991, simultaneously making then-Speaker of the parliament Leonid Kravchuk acting president.

The first presidential election in Ukraine was held on 1 December 1991. On 22 August 1992, the last President of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile Mykolva Plaviuk transferred his authorities to the first post-Soviet president Leonid Kravchuk.