Events in the year

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

in Ukraine.

Incumbents

* President: Volodymyr Zelenskyy * Prime Minister:

Denys Shmyhal Denys Anatoliyovych Shmyhal ( uk, Денис Анатолійович Шмигаль; born 15 October 1975) is a Ukrainian politician and entrepreneur who is the current Prime Minister of Ukraine since 2020. Prior to his appointment as prime m ...

Ongoing

* Russo-Ukrainian War ** Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022–present)

Events

January

*5 January – Following the suggestion of

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow Kirill or Cyril (russian: link=Russian, Кирилл, chu, , secular name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, russian: link=no, Владимир Михайлович Гундяев; born 20 November 1946) is a Russian Orthodox bishop. He became ...

, Russian President Vladimir Putin announces a unilateral ceasefire on January 6–7 in connection with

Orthodox Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

. However, Ukraine rejects an offer to respond with a mutual ceasefire, citing lack of trust. *10 January – Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy denaturalizes pro-

Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...

politician Viktor Medvedchuk and three others for high treason. *17 January –

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Головнокомандувач Збройних сил України, Holovnokomanduvach Zbroynykh syl Ukrayiny) is the professional head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The positio ...

Valerii Zaluzhnyi and

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...

of the United States Mark Milley meet for the first time in person. *18 January – 2023 Brovary helicopter crash: Fourteen people are killed and 25 others are injured in a

helicopter crash A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine.

Interior minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Yevhen Yenin Yevhen Volodymyrovych Yenin ( uk, Євгеній Володимирович Єнін, 19 November 1980 – 18 January 2023) was a Ukrainian diplomat and lawyer who served as the Deputy Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ukraine), Minister of Interna ...

, and state secretary of internal affairs

Yurii Lubkovych Yurii Olehovych Lubkovych ( uk, Юрій Олегович Лубкович; 31 May 1989 – 18 January 2023) was a Ukrainian diplomat who served as the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from 2021 until his death in 2023.

are among those killed. *24 January – **Two British aid workers are killed during a humanitarian evacuation from Soledar in

Donetsk Oblast The Donetsk Oblast ( ukr, Донецька область, Donetska oblast, ), also referred to as Donechchyna ( ukr, Донеччина, links=no), is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 mill ...

. **Several senior Ukrainian officials, including deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Kyrylo Tymoshenko Kyrylo Vladlenovych Tymoshenko ( uk, Кири́ло Владле́нович Тимоше́нко; born on April 20, 1989) is a Ukrainian politician who served as deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine from May 21, 2019 to ...

, four deputy ministers, and five regional governors, resign as a nationwide anti-corruption campaign is launched in Ukraine. * 25 January – UNESCO places the historic center of Odesa on its

list of World Heritage Sites in Danger The List of World Heritage in Danger is compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through the World Heritage Committee according to Article 11.4 of the World Heritage Convention,Full title: ''Conv ...

February

* 5 February – People's Deputy of Ukraine

Davyd Arakhamia Davyd Heorhiyovych Arakhamia ka, დავით გიორგის-ძე არახამია, translit=Davit Giorgis-dze Arakhamia (born 23 May 1979), also known by the pseudonym David Braun, is a Russian-born Ukrainian politician an ...

announces that military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov will replace Oleksii Reznikov as

Minister of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

following a

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

scandal. * 6 February – Major Archbishop

Sviatoslav Shevchuk Sviatoslav Shevchuk ( uk, Святосла́в Шевчу́к; born 5 May 1970 in Stryi, Ukrainian SSR) has been the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) since 25 March 2011, serving as the Eastern Catholic church's le ...

of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church announces that the church will begin using the Gregorian calendar on September 1 for all but moveable feasts, following a decision by the Synod of Bishops. * 8 February –

2023 visit by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United Kingdom On 8 February 2023, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, visited the United Kingdom. During his trip, Zelenskyy met Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. He also addressed Members of Parliament from Westminster Hall in ...

: ** Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits the United Kingdom in his second trip outside Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, meeting with King Charles III and Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two Cabinet of ...

, and addressing Parliament at Westminster Hall. ** Following his UK visit, Zelenskyy visits France to meet President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

and German chancellor

Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born ) is a German politician who has served as the chancellor of Germany since 8 December 2021. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice Chancellor of German ...

. * 20 February –

2023 visit by Joe Biden to Ukraine On February 20, 2023, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, made a visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, his first since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Out of security concerns, his travel plans had not been made pu ...

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Joe Biden makes an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he meets with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

March

* 19 March – Russian president Vladimir Putin visits Mariupol,

, in

Russian-occupied Ukraine Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine are areas of Ukraine that are currently ''de facto'' controlled by the Russian government in the course of the Russo-Ukrainian war. In Ukrainian law, they are defined as the "temporarily occupied territo ...

, for the first time since the invasion began.

April

* 5 April – President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes an official visit to Poland. During his meeting with

Polish President The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...

Andrzej Duda, Zelenskyy receives the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest order. * 6 April – Deputy leader Andrii Sybiha says that Ukraine is willing to hold talks on the future of Crimea if a Ukrainian

counter-offensive In the study of military tactics, a counter-offensive is a large-scale strategic offensive military operation, usually by forces that had successfully halted the enemy's offensive, while occupying defensive positions. The counter-offensive is ...

reaches the Crimean administrative border. * 16 April – Ukraine and Russia conduct a prisoner swap for soldiers who fought in Bakhmut, with 130 Ukrainian soldiers returning and an unknown number of Russian soldiers returning. * 18 April – ** Former People's Deputy of Ukraine Oleh Barna is killed in combat. ** The Ukrainian government invites Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit Ukraine and criticizes Lula for his approach to the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister

Sergei Lavrov Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (russian: Сергей Викторович Лавров, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat and politician who has served as the Foreign Minister of Russia since 2004. Lavrov served as the Permanent Represe ...

welcomes Lula's position on peace efforts.

May

* 6 May –

Russian nationalist Russian nationalism is a form of nationalism that promotes Russian cultural identity and unity. Russian nationalism first rose to prominence in the early 19th century, and from its origin in the Russian Empire, to its repression during early B ...

writer Zakhar Prilepin is injured and his driver is killed when their vehicle is hit by a

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roughly divided ...

in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia. * 13 May – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with Pope Francis during a private audience in the Vatican. * 14 May – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with German Chancellor

in Berlin, Germany. * 15 May – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with British Prime Minister

Chequers Chequers ( ), or Chequers Court, is the country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. A 16th-century manor house in origin, it is located near the village of Ellesborough, halfway between Princes Risborough and Wendover in Bucking ...

. * 16 May – Ukraine officially joins NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.

June

* 6 June – ** The Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's

Kherson Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers appr ...

Oblast is destroyed, releasing a huge number of water downstream on the Dnieper. The dam had held back 18 cubic kilometres of water in the Kakhovka reservoir. ** Thousands of civilians are being evacuated from the town of Nova Kakhovka and surrounding villages as the floods spread. * 12 June – Moldova and Ukraine sign an agreement to build a bridge across their border over the Dniester river between

Cosăuți Cosăuți is a commune in Soroca District, Moldova. It is composed of two villages, Cosăuți and Iorjnița.Yampil, Ukraine, bypassing the unrecognised state of Transnistria. *16 June - African leaders led by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa arrive at Kyviv to meet Zelenskyy on a peace mission. The seven leaders are then expected to travel to Moscow to meet Putin. *29 June – Former US Vice President

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

makes a surprise visit to Kyiv.

July

*21 July – Zelensky fires Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko. *28 July – Zelensky signs a parliamentary bill to move the date of Ukraine's Christmas Day holiday from 7 January to 25 December, the bill aiming to "abandon the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations".

September

* 2 September – A Ukrainian court places

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least one billion (1,000,000,000, i.e., a thousand million) units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. The American busin ...

Ihor Kolomoisky Ihor Valeriyovych Kolomoyskyi ( uk, Ігор Валерійович Коломойський, translit=Ihor Valereriyovych Kolomoyskyi; he, איגור קולומויסקי; born 13 February 1963) is a Ukrainian-born billionaire, business magnat ...

under arrest over fraud and money laundering charges as part of corruption related activities. * 8 September – ** Tens of thousands of Ukrainians oppose a

asset declaration Financial disclosure of public servants (asset declaration) is a disclosure of financial information by public servants. It is a requirement of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). History Not counting U.S. state, states in ...

legislation critics believe hampers an effort to hold officials accountable by delaying a requirement to publicly declare their assets. ** Ukraine’s

National Anti-Corruption Bureau National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine ( uk, Національне Антикорупційне Бюро України, ''НАБУ'') or NABU is a Ukrainian law enforcement anti-corruption agency which investigates corruption in Ukraine ...

freezes more than $80m in assets belonging to

for 48 hours as part of an

embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

investigation.

October

* 27 October – Pro- Russian official

Oleg Tsaryov Oleg Anatolyevich Tsaryov (russian: Олег Анатольевич Царёв; uk, Олег Анатолійович Царьов, Oleh Anatioliyovych Tsarov; born 2 June 1970) is a Ukrainian businessman, politician and former separatist offici ...

is critically injured in an

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

attempt by unknown assailants in Crimea and is reported to be in intensive care.

November

* 12 November – Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen puts forward a proposal for Ukraine to join the military alliance but without the territories occupied by Russia. * 27 November – A snowstorm kills at least five people in Ukraine with hundreds of towns and villages losing power. A least ten state highways are also closed with thousands of vehicles stranded in Ukraine amid the severe weather.

December

* 6 December – Former People's Deputy of Ukraine

Illia Kyva Illia Volodymyrovych Kyvarussian: Илья́ Влади́мирович Ки́ва, translit=Ilya Vladimirovich Kiva (born 2 June 1977) is a Ukrainian politician. He worked as an official and policeman before entering politics, heading the Po ...

, who defected to Russia in March 2022, is found dead in

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally "under Moscow"), is a federal subject of Rus ...

. * 15 December – A councillor throws grenades in a meeting of the village council of Keretsky, killing 1 person and wounding 26 people. The perpetrator is also seriously injured.

Deaths

January

* 1 January – Bohdan Rebryk, 84, political prisoner and politician, MP (1990–1994). * 4 January – Volodymyr Radchenko, 74, politician and intelligence officer,

vice prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

(2007),

minister of internal affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

(1994–1995) and twice head of the SBU. * 11 January – Pavlo Naumenko, 57, aerospace engineer. * 12 January – Valentyna Lutayeva, 66,

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

player,

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

champion (

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

). * 15 January – Ruslan Otverchenko, 33, basketball player (

BC Budivelnyk BC Budivelnyk Kyiv (in Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Будівельник Київ) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian professional basketball club based in Kyiv. The club plays in the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague. In June 2018, it was forced to withdr ...

SC Prometey BC Prometey ( uk, БК Прометей), also known as Prometey Slobozhanske, is a Ukrainian basketball club based in Kamianske. It played in the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague, the highest tier of basketball in Ukraine, from 2019 to 2022. I ...

, national team). * 15 January –

Leonid Barbier Leonid Faivelevych Barbier ( uk, Леонід Файвелевич Барбієр, russian: Леонид Файфелевич Барбиер; 9 April 1937 – 15 January 2023) was a Ukrainian swimmer. He competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics T ...

, 85, Olympic swimmer (

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

). * 16 January – Inna Bychenkova, 81, theater and film artist,

Merited Artist of Ukraine Merited (Performing) Artist of Ukraine (also translated as Honored (Performing) Artist of Ukraine, uk, Заслужений артист України) is a state honorary title of decoration awarded by the Ukrainian SSR and later Ukraine for o ...

. * 18 January – **Notable Ukrainians killed in the 2023 Brovary helicopter crash: ***

, 33, diplomat ***

Denys Monastyrsky Denys Anatoliiovych Monastyrsky ( uk, Денис Анатолійович Монастирський; born 12 June 1980) is a Ukrainian lawyer and politician who has been Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs since 16 July 2021.minister of internal affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

(since 2021) and MP (2019–2021) ***

, 42, politician, deputy minister of internal affairs (since 2021) * 19 January – Volodymyr Shcherbyna, 87, mathematician and politician, people's deputy (1990–1994). * 20 January –

Oleh Petrov Oleh Volodymyrovych Petrov ( uk, Оле́г Володи́мирович Петро́в; 20 August 1960 – 20 January 2023) was a Ukrainian politician. A member of the People's Democratic Party, he served in the Verkhovna Rada from 1998 to 2006. ...

, 62, politician, MP (1998–2006). * 26 January –

Dmitri Shkidchenko Dmitri Shkidchenko ( uk, Дмитро Шкидченко or Шкідченко) is a Ukrainian figure skating coach and former pair skater who competed internationally for the Soviet Union. With skating partner Irina Mironenko, he is the 1985 and ...

, figure skater and coach. * 27 January –

Isaac Trachtenberg Isaac Mykhailovych Trachtenberg (11 November 1923 – 27 January 2023) was a Ukrainian hygienist, Professor, MD, a corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (1992), academician of the Bogomolets National Medical Unive ...

, 99, toxicologist, member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. * 29 January – ** Vadym Dobizha, 81, football manager ( Zorya Luhansk,

JK Sillamäe Kalev JK Sillamäe Kalev, commonly known as Sillamäe Kalev, or simply as Sillamäe, is a football club, based in Sillamäe, Estonia. Founded in 1957, Sillamäe Kalev was one of the founding members of the Meistriliiga. The club competed in the Meis ...

). ** Dmytro Pavlychko, 93, poet, translator and diplomat, ambassador to Slovakia (1995–1998) and Poland (1999–2002).

April

* 18 April - Oleh Barna, 55, former member of the Verkhovna Rada (2014–19) ( Petro Poroshenko Bloc) and soldier

July

* 1 July -

Victoria Amelina Viktoriia Yuriivna Amelina ( uk, Вікторія Юріївна Амеліна; 1 January 1986 – 1 July 2023), later known as Victoria Amelina, was a Ukrainian novelist. She was the author of two novels and a children's book, a winner of th ...

, 37, novelist and war crimes investigator *23 July -

Kostiantyn Tyshchenko Kostiantyn Mykolayovych Tyshchenko (born 30 July 1941) is a Ukrainian linguist, teacher, translator, Doctor of Philology (1992), and professor (1995). Tyshchenko is the author of more than 240 works on metatheory of linguistics, sign theory of la ...

, 81, linguist, teacher and professor

References

{{Years in Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine 2020s in Ukraine Years of the 21st century in Ukraine

Incumbents

Ongoing

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January

April

July

See also

References