Velyki Ukraïntsi

The Greatest Ukrainians (Великі українці) was a Ukrainian TV project. The programme was the result of a vote conducted to determine whom the Ukrainian public considers the greatest Ukrainians to have lived in history. According to Savik Shuster, more than 2.5 million people participated in the voting.

The show was running under a license from the BBC and originally appeared on British TV under the name 100 Greatest Britons and was successful. Such countries as Canada, France, Germany, Romania and many others have also created their own versions.

Results
The TV show was broadcast on Inter being 90–180 minutes long during Sunday prime-time. The host of the program, Savik Shuster, started primaries (pre-voting) during his other Friday talk show The Freedom with Savik Shuster. The co-host of the programme was Inter's news anchor Hanna Homonai. Pre-voting took place in a number of Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv, Lviv, Yalta, Kharkiv, Odesa, Donetsk, Simferopol, Nizhyn, Mykolaiv, Ostroh, Chernivtsi, and Kamianets-Podilskyi.

Top Ten
On 11 April 2008, the top 100 of Great Ukrainians were announced. The top 10 was to be re-voted, and the results were shown on 16 May 2008. The final top 10 were:


 * 1) Yaroslav I the Wise (978–1054) (40%)
 * 2) Mykola Amosov (1913–2002) (19.88%)
 * 3) Stepan Bandera (1909–1959) (16%)
 * 4) Taras Shevchenko (1814–1861) (9.3%)
 * 5) Bohdan Khmelnytskyi (1595–1657) (4.02%)
 * 6) Valeriy Lobanovskyi (1939–2002) (3.18%)
 * 7) Viacheslav Chornovil (1937–1999) (2.63%)
 * 8) Hryhoriy Skovoroda (1722–1794) (1.73%)
 * 9) Lesia Ukrainka (1871–1913) (1.64%)
 * 10) Ivan Franko (1856–1916) (1.49%)

11 – 100
11. Ivan Mazepa (1639–1709) Hetman of Zaporizhian Host in 1687–1708

12. Roman Shukhevych (1907–1950) politician and military leader

13. Vasyl Stus (1938–1985) poet and journalist

14. Mykhailo Hrushevskyi (1866–1934) academician and historian

15. Vitali Klitschko (1971–) politician and former professional boxer and Wladimir Klitschko (1976–) professional boxer from 1996 to til' 2017

16. Volodymyr I of Kyiv (958–1015) prince and grand prince

17. Serhiy Korolyov (1907–1966) rocket engineer for Soviet Union

18. Mykola Hohol (1809–1852) dramatist

19. Andrey Sheptytskyi (1865–1944) Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

20. Viktor Yushchenko (1954–) President of Ukraine 2005–2010

21. Yuliya Tymoshenko (1960–) politician and the first woman appointed Prime Minister

22. Oleksandr Dovzhenko (1894–1956) film producer

23. Volodymyr Lenin (1870–1924) communist revolutionary and political theorist

24. Volodymyr Dal (1801–1872) lexicographer

25. Lina Kostenko (1930–) poet and writer

26. Symon Petliura (1879–1926) leader of the Ukrainian National Republic

27. Leonid Bykov (1928–1979) actor and film producer

28. Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachnyi (1582–1622) military leader

29. Ivan Kotliarevskyi (1769–1838) writer, pioneer of modern Ukrainian literature

30. Volodymyr Ivasiuk (1949–1979) songwriter

31. Solomiya Krushelnytska (1872–1952) soprano

32. Nestor Makhno (1888–1934) anarchist revolutionary

33. Andriy Shevchenko (1976–) politician, former striker for Milan, Chelsea and football manager

34. Danylo of Halychyna (1201–1264) king of Ruthenia

35. Serhiy Bubka (1963–) former pole vaulter

36. Pylyp Orlyk (1672–1742) Grand Duchy of Lithuania

37. Ivan Kozhedub (1920–1991) military aviator

38. Levko Lukianenko (1927–2018) politician

39. Volodymyr Vernadskyi (1863–1945) founder of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and radiogeology

40. Yevhen Konovalets (1891–1938) military commander of the UNR army

41. Mykola Lysenko (1842–1912) composer and pianist

42. Sydir Kovpak (1887–1967) partisan leader in Ukraine

43. Olha of Kyiv (890–969) saint

44. Volodymyr Shcherbytskyi (1918–1990) politician

45. Oleh Antonov (1906–1984) aircraft designer

46. Yevheniy Paton (1870–1953) engineer and Borys Paton (1918–2020) chairman of National Academy of Sciences

47. Bohdan Stupka (1941–2012) actor

48. Yosyf Slipyi (1893–1984) Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

49. Mykhailo Bulhakov (1891–1940) writer

50. Volodymyr Boyko

51. Leonid Kravchuk (1934–2022) First President of Ukraine

52. Petro Mohyla (1596–1647) Metropolitan of Kyiv

53. Ivan Sirko (1605–1680) Ukrainian Cossack military leader

54. Sofiya Rotaru (1947–) pop singer

55. Anatoliy Solovianenko (1932–1999) opera singer

56. Oleh Blokhin (1952–) football manager

57. Liliya Podkopaieva (1978–) former artistic gymnast

58. Volodymyr II Monomakh (1053–1125) Grand Prince of Kievan Rus

59. Mykola Hrynko (1920–1989) actor

60. Nina Matviyenko (1947–) singer

61. Ihor Sikorskyi (1889–1972) American aviation pioneer

62. Viktor Yanukovych (1950–) politician and fourth President of Ukraine

63. Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982) General Secretary of the Central Committee

64. Sviatoslav Vakarchuk (1975–) lead vocalist of Okean Elzy

65. Illia Repin (1844–1930) realist painter

66. Mariya Zankovetska (1854–1934) theater actress

67. Ivan Mykolaichuk (1941–1987) Soviet actor

68. Vasyl Virastiuk (1974–) Former strongman competitor

69. Ivan Pulyui (1845–1918) physicist and inventor

70. Mykola Pyrohov (1810–1881) medical doctor

71. Oles Honchar (1918–1995) writer

72. Vasyl Symonenko (1935–1963) poet and journalist

73. Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi (1864–1913) author

74. Raisa Kyrychenko

75. Nazariy Yaremchuk (1951–1995) singer

76. Ruslana (1973–) pop singer

77. Yana Klochkova (1982–) swimmer

78. Les Kurbas (1887–1937) Most important theatre director of 20th century in Ukraine

79. Petro Symonenko (1952–) politician

80. Kostiantyn Vasyl Ostrozkyi (1526–1608) prince

81. Roksolana (1504–1558) Wife of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent

82. Pavlo Skoropadskyi (1873–1945) state leader

83. Oleksiy Stakhanov (1906–1977) miner, known for Stakhanovite movement

84. Kateryna Vasylivna Bilokur (1900–1961) folk artist

85. Ivan Bohun Cossack colonel

86. Vasyl Sukhomlynskyi (1918–1970) teacher

87. Anton Makarenko (1888–1939) social worker and educator

88. Petro Kalnyshevskyi (1690–1803) Koshovyi Otaman of the Zaporozhian Host

89. Mykola Vatutin (1901–1944) military commander

90. Oleh Skrypka (1964–) musician

91. Ivan Piddubnyi (1871–1949) professional wrestler

92. Illia Mechnikov (1845–1916) zoologist

93. Mykyta Khrushchov (1894–1971) statesman

94. Olena Teliha (1906–1942) poet and activist

95. Oleg Koshevoy (1926–1943) Soviet partisan

96. Ostap Vyshnia (1889–1956) writer, humourist

97. Dmytro Vyshnevetskyi (1516–1563) Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks

98. Valentyn Yenevskyi

99. Victor Glushkov (1926–1982) Founder of cybernetics

100. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Great Ukrainians series
An hour-long documentary was filmed on each of the top 10 nominees, each of them hosted by a celebrity advocate, who delivered a passionate argument as to why their choice should be voted the greatest Ukrainian of all. The series concluded with a debate on the merits of each selected Ukrainian, bringing all of the advocates together to make a final plea to voters.

Manipulations
The Chief of Great Ukrainians project, journalist Vakhtang Kipiani, informed the public in his blog, that the voting system had been manipulated by unknown persons. He stated that a couple of days prior to publishing the results he was aware of a possible win for Yaroslav the Wise. Prior to that, with a huge lead in first place was the controversial Stepan Bandera. For example, the winner, Yaroslav I, received 60,000 votes in one month and almost 550,000 in just one day. Mykola Amosov, who took second place, received almost 150,000 votes in just one day. Kipiani said that if these manipulation hadn't taken place Yaroslav would not have won.

Among other Great Ukrainians for whatever reasons appeared Vladimir Lenin as well as such names like Stakhanov, Glushkov, and Vatutin.

Other editions
Other countries have produced similar shows; see Greatest Britons spin-offs