List of heads of state of Ukraine
This is a list of heads of state of Ukraine since 1917.
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.
| Picture | Name | Began office | Left office | Party | Title | |
| — | Volodymyr Pavlovych Naumenko | 17 March 1917 | 28 March 1917 | Constitutional Democratic Party | Chairman of the Central Rada | |
| 1 | Mykhailo Hrushevsky | 28 March 1917 | 29 April 1918 | Ukrainian Socialist-Revolutionary Party | Chairman of the Central Rada | |
| 2 | Volodymyr Vynnychenko | 14 December 1918 | 11 February 1919 | Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour Party | Chairman of the Directory | |
| 3 | Symon Petliura | 11 February 1919 | 10 November 1920 | Independent | Chairman of the Directory |
In exile (1921–1992)
In Munich during 1948–1992, and in New York City in 1992:| Picture | Name | Began office | Left office | Party | |
| 1 | Andriy Livytskyi | 16 July 1948 | 17 January 1954 | Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour Party | |
| 2 | Stepan Vytvytskyi | 17 January 1954 | 9 October 1965 | Independent | |
| 3 | Mykola Livytskyi | 9 October 1965 | 8 December 1989 | Independent | |
| 4 | Mykola Plaviuk | 8 December 1989 | 22 August 1992 | Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists |
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.West 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.| Picture | Name | Began office | Left office | Party | Title | |
| 1 | Yevhen Petrushevych | 18 October 1918 | 22 January 1919 | Ukrainian National Democratic Party | President |
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 which was later reorganized into the Central Military-Revolutionary Committee. 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.Ukraine (1991–present)
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.