List of Ministers of Defense (Ukraine)

Minister of Defense of Ukraine
Міністр оборони України
Incumbent
Stepan Poltorak

since Oct 14, 2014
Member of Cabinet
National Security and Defense Council
Reports to The President
Appointer The President
with Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) advice and consent
Term length No fixed term
Precursor People's Commissar of Defense (1944-1945)
and People's Minister of Military Affairs (1918-1927)
Inaugural holder Kostiantyn Morozov
Deputy First Deputy Minister
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Ukraine
Constitution

The Ministers of Defense (Ukrainian: Міністр оборони, Ministr oborony) is Ukraine's head of the Ministry of Defence which is in charge of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the second biggest military power in Europe after its Russian counterpart.

Since Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there have been 13 Ministers (19 counting acting). Valeriy Heletey is the incumbent Minister since his confirmation on 3 July 2014.[1] The Minister of Defense is appointed by the President, but this has to be confirmed by a majority vote in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament).[1]

List of Ministers of Defence

Ministers since Ukrainian independence

# Picture Name Origin Took Office Left Office Days served President(s) served under References
1 Kostyantyn Morozov Luhansk Oblast September 3, 1991 September 30, 1993 758 Leonid Kravchuk [2][3][4][5]
Acting Ivan Bizhan Vinnytsia Oblast October 4, 1993 October 8, 1993 4 [5]
2 Vitalyi Radetskyi Cherkasy Oblast October 8, 1993 August 25, 1994 321 Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Kuchma
[6][7][8]
Acting Valeriy Shmarov Vinnytsia Oblast 25 August, 1994 10 October, 1994 46 Leonid Kuchma [8][9]
3 10 October, 1994 8 July, 1996 637 [9][10][11][12]
4 Oleksandr Kuzmuk Khmelnytskyi Oblast 11 July, 1996 24 October, 2001 1931 [10][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]
Acting Unknown 24 October, 2001 12 November, 2001 19
5 Volodymyr Shkidchenko Russian SFSR 12 November, 2001 25 June, 2003 589 [21][22][23]
6 Yevhen Marchuk Kirovohrad Oblast 25 June, 2003 23 September, 2004 456 [24][23][25]
7 Oleksandr Kuzmuk Khmelnytskyi Oblast 24 September, 2004 3 February, 2005 132 Leonid Kuchma
Viktor Yushchenko
[26][27]
8 Anatoliy Hrytsenko Cherkasy Oblast 4 February, 2005 18 December, 2007 1047 Viktor Yushchenko [28][29][30]
9 Yuriy Yekhanurov Russian SFSR 18 December, 2007 5 June, 2009 535 [31][29][32]
Acting Valeriy Ivashchenko Zaporizhia Oblast 5 June, 2009 11 March, 2010 279 Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yanukovych
10 Mykhailo Yezhel Vinnytsia Oblast 11 March, 2010 8 February, 2012 699 Viktor Yanukovych [33]
11 Dmytro Salamatin Russian SFSR 8 February, 2012 24 December 2012 320 [34]
12 Pavlo Lebedyev 24 December 2012 27 February 2014 430 Viktor Yanukovych
Oleksandr Turchynov
[35]
Commissar Volodymyr Zamana Chernihiv Oblast 22 February 2014 27 February 2014 5 Oleksandr Turchynov
Acting Ihor Tenyukh Lviv Oblast 27 February 2014 25 March 2014 26
Acting Mykhailo Koval Khmelnytskyi Oblast 25 March 2014 3 July 2014 100 Oleksandr Turchynov
Petro Poroshenko
13 Valeriy Heletey Zakarpattia Oblast 3 July 2014 14 October 2014 103 Petro Poroshenko [1]
14 Stepan Poltorak Odessa Oblast 14 October 2014 present 782

The longest-serving Minister of Defence is Oleksandr Kuzmuk who served for a total of 2,063 days.
The longest serving as an acting Minister of Defense is Valeriy Ivashchenko who served for a total 279 days (over 9 months).

Military ministers and secretaries before the Soviet Union

Historically, the ministry was preceding by various other governmental institutions. The very first Ukrainian representative in military affairs was Symon Petlyura, appointed by Volodymyr Vynnychenko to General Secretariat of Ukraine in the summer of 1917. Later in December 1917 after establishing the Bolshevik government in Kharkiv the Military Secretary of Ukraine was opposed by the Military Secretary of Soviet Ukraine whom the first was Vasyl Shakhrai. Note that the first ministers of Ukraine were not specialists in military affairs, particularly such as Mykola Porsh.

The Ukrainian People's Army was in terrible condition and it was not until the power in the country was taken over by the former head of the Russian Imperial Retinue and hereditary Ukrainian Cossack Pavlo Skoropadsky, under leadership of which the new minister became Aleksandr Rogoza (also known as Oleksandr Rohoza). Rogoza was instrumental in restructuring the ministry and recruiting numerous former Russian Imperial generals who pledged their allegiance to the government of Ukraine. By the end of 1918 Bolsheviks recreated the Ukrainian Soviet government and to its office of military affairs was appointed Nikolai Podvoisky, former narkom of Military Affairs of Soviet Russia who played a key role in the October Revolution. Around that time there was created the government of the West Ukrainian People's Republic, the office of military affairs of which was headed by Dmytro Vitovsky who was a specialist in special operations, particularly the mountain warfare. Vitovsky played a key role in securing the city of Lviv and ensuring the proclamation of independence of the new Ukrainian state from the disintegrating Austro-Hungary.

National ministers

Military Rank Name Term of Office
Start End
Symon Petlyura June 28, 1917 January 1, 1918[36]
Mykola Porsh January 1, 1918 January 17, 1918
Ivan Nemolovsky January 18, 1918 January 28, 1918
Oleksandr Zhukovsky January 28, 1918 April 29, 1918
Major General Oleksander Hrekov (temporary) April 29, 1918 May 3, 1918
Oleksandr Slyvynsky (temporary) May 3, 1918 May 8, 1918
Major General Oleksandr Lignau (temporary) May 8, 1918 May 16, 1918
Alexander Ragoza May 16, 1918 November 14, 1918
Borys Shutsky (temporary) November 14, 1918 December 14, 1918
Mykola Halahan December 14, 1918 December 26, 1918
Oleksander Osetsky December 26, 1918 January 9, 1919
Major General Oleksander Hrekov (temporary) January 9, 1919 February 14, 1919
Hryhoriy Syrotenko (acting) February 14, 1919 February 22, 1919
Colonel Oleksandr Shapoval February 22, 1919 April 9, 1919
Hryhoriy Syrotenko (acting) April 9, 1919 June 20, 1919
Hryhoriy Syrotenko June 20, 1919 July 4, 1919
Major General Oleksandr Shaible (temporary) July 4, 1919 July 14, 1919
Vsevolod Petriv (temporary) July 14, 1919 November 5, 1919
Major General Volodymyr Salsky November 5, 1919 July 25, 1920
Colonel General Oleksiy Halkin (temporary) July 25, 1920 December 24, 1920
Colonel General Mykola Yunakiv (temporary) December 24, 1920 February 8, 1921
Lieutenant General Serhiy Dyadyusha (temporary) February 8, 1921 March 24, 1921
Lieutenant General Mykhailo Pavlenko (temporary) March 24, 1921 May 11, 1921
Major General Marko Bezruchko (temporary) May 23, 1921 August 5, 1921
Major General Viktor Pavlenko (temporary) August 5, 1921 November 15, 1921
Lieutenant General Petro Yeroshevych (temporary) November 3, 1921 November 14, 1921
Major General Andriy Vovk (temporary) November 14, 1921 May 22, 1922
Colonel General Mykola Yunakiv May 22, 1922 1927
Oleksandr Udovychenko

Soviet ministers

Ministers of Western Ukraine

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ukraine's new defence minister promises Crimea victory, BBC News (3 July 2014)
    Heletei appointed Ukrainian defense minister, Interfax-Ukraine (3 July 2014)
  2. (Ukrainian) Verkhovna Rada Resolution № 1473-XII "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  3. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 540/1992 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  4. (Ukrainian) "Commanders of Ministry of Defence, General Staff, and Armed Forces of Ukraine (1991-2009)" (PDF), Army of Ukraine ("Військо України"), 114 (12): 4, retrieved February 19, 2011
  5. 1 2 (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 418/1993 "Regarding acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  6. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 434/1993 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  7. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 567/1993 "Regarding promotion of V. Radetskyi"
  8. 1 2 (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 477/1994 "Regarding acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  9. 1 2 (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 579/1994 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  10. 1 2 (Ukrainian) "Commanders of Ministry of Defence, General Staff, and Armed Forces of Ukraine (1991-2009)" (PDF), Army of Ukraine ("Військо України"), 114 (12): 5, retrieved February 19, 2011
  11. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 533/1995 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  12. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 520/1996 "Dismissal of V. Shmarov from Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  13. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 528/1996 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  14. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 697/1997 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  15. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 1652/1999 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  16. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 370/2001 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  17. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 359/2001 "Dismissal of O. Kuzmuk from Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  18. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 1012/2001 "Dismissal of O. Kuzmuk from Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  19. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 1162/1996 "Regarding promotion of O. Kuzmuk"
  20. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 922/1998 "Regarding promotion of O. Kuzmuk"
  21. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 1070/2001 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  22. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 1102/2002 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  23. 1 2 (Ukrainian) "Commanders of Ministry of Defence, General Staff, and Armed Forces of Ukraine (1991-2009)" (PDF), Army of Ukraine ("Військо України"), 114 (12): 6, retrieved February 19, 2011
  24. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 550/2003 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  25. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 1114/2004 "Dismissal of Y. Marchuk from Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  26. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 1115/2004 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  27. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 133/2005 "Dismissal of O. Kuzmuk from Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  28. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 154/2005 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  29. 1 2 (Ukrainian) "Commanders of Ministry of Defence, General Staff, and Armed Forces of Ukraine (1991-2009)" (PDF), Army of Ukraine ("Військо України"), 114 (12): 7, retrieved February 19, 2011
  30. (Ukrainian) Order of President of Ukraine № 1399/2005 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  31. (Ukrainian) Verkhovna Rada Resolution № 10-VI "Regarding forming of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine"
  32. (Ukrainian) Verkhovna Rada Resolution № 1477-VI "Dismissal of Y. Yekhanurov from Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  33. (Ukrainian) Verkhovna Rada Resolution № 1970-VI "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine"
  34. Yanukovych replaces defense minister, Kyiv Post (8 February 2012)
    Yanukovych replaces defense minister, Kyiv Post (8 February 2012)
  35. President of Ukraine has appointed new staff of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, UNIAN (24 December 2012)
  36. Tynchenko, Ya. Conflict between the Central Council and the Soviet People's Commissariat. First Ukrainian-Bolshevik War (December 1917 - March 1918). Kiev: "Krypiakevych Institute of Ukrainian Studies", 1996.
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