Vitold Fokin
Vitold Pavlovych Fokin (Ukrainian: Віто́льд Па́влович Фо́кін; born 25 October 1932 in Novomykolaivka, Novomykolaivka Raion, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast), the son of a teacher, was appointed first deputy prime minister of Ukraine in November 1991.
Vitold Fokin Вітольд Фокін | |
|---|---|
 Fokin in 2007 | |
| 1st Prime Minister of Ukraine | |
| In office 23 October 1990 – 1 October 1992 (acting until 24 August 1991) | |
| President | Leonid Kravchuk |
| Preceded by | Vitaliy Masol (UkrSSR) |
| Succeeded by | Valentyn Symonenko (Acting) |
| State Planning Committee of Ukrainian SSR (DerzhPlan) | |
| In office July 1987 – 1990 | |
| Prime Minister | Vitaliy Masol |
| Preceded by | Vitaliy Masol |
| Succeeded by | post liquidated |
| Director of the Pervomaiskvuhillya trest | |
| Chief of the Sverdlovatratsyt kombinat | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 October 1932 Novomykolaivka, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR (now Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine) |
| Political party | Independent (until 1990 KP(b)U) |
| Spouse(s) | Tomila Hryhoriivna |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | National Mining University of Ukraine |
| Signature |  |
Fokin graduated from National Mining University of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk.
After Vitaliy Masol was forced to resign Fokin was appointed Head of the Council of Ministers of Ukrainian SSR (today's equivalent of Prime Minister of Ukraine) on 17 October 1990.[1]
Prime Minister of Ukraine
On 18 April 1991 Vitold Fokin was appointed the first Prime Minister of Ukraine.[2]
On 12 September 1991 Ukrainian parliament adopted its resolution on "Succession of Ukraine" where Ukraine was declared a direct successor of the Ukrainian SSR. On 22 August 1992 at a plenary session of Ukrainian parliament President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk accepted a succession diploma from the exiled government of the Ukrainian People's Republic.[3]
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 prime minister he tried to avoid any radical pro-market reforms, however, critics argued that Fokin's inaction, and further credits to various unproductive enterprises contributed to hyperinflation (1,210% in 1992) and in general to the disastrous performance of the Ukrainian economy. He resigned on 8 October 1992 under pressure from the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) and public.[4] 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 Ukrainian television broadcaster 112 published information about the 2017 interview of Fokin to Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon where Fokin tried to reason why Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, while 112 stated that Fokin was justifying the capture by arguing the reason why the American aircraft carriers entered Mediterranean Sea, passed Dardanelles and Bosporus Straits.[5] According to Fokin, by that move if Russia did not capture the Crimea, it may be would have lost it forever, because to Crimea would arrive the Americans.[5] Fokin added that Russia needed to be understood, because it has its fleet there [in Crimea].[5]
The information about the interview appeared as soon as Fokin was appointed 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 that is facilitating a diplomatic resolution of the War in Donbass) on 18 August 2020.[6] On 30 September 2020 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky 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."[6] Fokin was dismissed a few days after he had claimed that there was "no war between Russia and Ukraine in Donbass".[6]
References
- 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.
- 1992: The last president of the Ukrainian People's Republic hands over to Kravchuk regalia. Ukrayinska Pravda. 22 January 2012
- https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE1DE1431F93AA35752C1A964958260&scp=6&sq=ukraine%20fokin&st=cse
- Russia needed to be understood, in 2017 Fokin was justifying occupation of Crimea by Putin ("Росію треба зрозуміти" – Фокін у 2017-му виправдовував окупацію Криму Путіним). 112.ua. 19 August 2020
- President Zelensky dismisses Fokin from TCG, Ukrinform (30 September 2020)
(in Ukrainian) Zelensky fired Fokin from the TCG, Ukrayinska Pravda (30 September 2020)
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 Leonid Kuchma |
| Preceded by himself as Chairman of Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR | ||
| Preceded by Vitaliy Masol |
Chairman of Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR (Ukraine) 1990–1991 |
Succeeded by himself (as Prime Minister of the Ukrainian SSR) |
Authority control  |
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