Levko Hryhorovych Lukianenko ( uk, Левко́ Григо́рович Лук'я́ненко; 24 August 1928 – 7 July 2018) was a Ukrainian politician,
Soviet dissident
Soviet dissidents were people who disagreed with certain features of Soviet ideology or with its entirety and who were willing to speak out against them. The term ''dissident'' was used in the Soviet Union in the period from the mid-1960s until ...
, and
Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine (HOU; uk, Герой України, ''Heroi Ukrainy'') is the highest national title that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the President of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as ...
.
[ He was one of the founders of ]Ukrainian Helsinki Group
The Ukrainian Helsinki Group ( uk, Українська Гельсінська Група) was founded on November 9, 1976, as the "Ukrainian Public Group to Promote the Implementation of the Helsinki Accords on Human Rights" ( uk, Українс ...
in 1976 and was elected a leader of the revived Ukrainian Helsinki Group
The Ukrainian Helsinki Group ( uk, Українська Гельсінська Група) was founded on November 9, 1976, as the "Ukrainian Public Group to Promote the Implementation of the Helsinki Accords on Human Rights" ( uk, Українс ...
, the Ukrainian Helsinki Association, in 1988.
Lukianenko is the author of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine
The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine ( uk, Акт проголошення незалежності України, Akt proholoshennya nezalezhnosti Ukrayiny) was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR on 24 August 1991. .
Early life and career
Lukianenko was born on 24 August 1928 in the Khrypivka village of Horodnia Raion
Horodnia Raion ( uk, Городнянський район) was a raion (district) of Chernihiv Oblast, northern Ukraine. Its administrative centre was located at the town of Horodnia. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the admini ...
, Soviet Union. During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in 1944, he was recruited in the Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
at age of 15, as he could prove that he was underage (to get drafted he lied that he had been born in 1927) and served in Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and then in Caucasus region (cities Ordzhonikidze and Nakhichevan). In Austria, he observed the arrival of Ukrainian wheat in Baden bei Wien
Baden (German for " Baths"; Central Bavarian: ''Bodn''), unofficially distinguished from other Badens as Baden bei Wien (Baden near Vienna), is a spa town in Austria. It serves as the capital of Baden District in the state of Lower Austria. Loc ...
, which reminded him of the removal of grain from Ukraine when he almost starved in the 1930s during the Holodomor
The Holodomor ( uk, Голодомо́р, Holodomor, ; derived from uk, морити голодом, lit=to kill by starvation, translit=moryty holodom, label=none), also known as the Terror-Famine or the Great Famine, was a man-made famin ...
. That event made Lukianenko to "follow Severyn Nalyvaiko
Severyn (Semeriy) Nalyvaiko (, , in older historiography also ''Semen Nalewajko'', died 21 April 1597) was a leader of the Ukrainian Cossacks who became a hero of Ukrainian folklore. He led the failed Nalyvaiko Uprising for which he was tortured ...
's path - I would fight for an independent Ukraine."
In 1953, Lukianenko enrolled in the Law Department of Moscow State University
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
and joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
"Hymn of the Bolshevik Party"
, headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow
, general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last)
, founded =
, banned =
, founder = Vladimir Lenin
, newspaper ...
(CPSU). (Lukianenko later claimed that he had joined the CPSU only "to do the highest for Ukraine.") In university, Lukianenko later claimed, he was nicknamed ''khokhol'', an ethnic slur against Ukrainians. Soon after he graduated in 1958, Lukianenko was directed as a propagandist to Radekhiv Raion
Radekhiv Raion ( uk, Радехівський район) was a raion in Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center was Radekhiv. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduce ...
Communist Party committee. Lukianenko claimed that after the 1956 20th Congress, "I stopped pretending I was a party member."[dissident and Ukrainian politician Levko Lukyanenko dies at 89](_blank)
Kyiv Post
The ''Kyiv Post'' is the oldest English-language newspaper in Ukraine, founded in October 1995 by Jed Sunden.
History
American Jed Sunden founded the ''Kyiv Post'' weekly newspaper on Oct. 18, 1995 and later created KP Media for his holdings. ...
(8 July 2018)
Dissident activity
In 1959, during the Khrushchev Thaw
The Khrushchev Thaw ( rus, хрущёвская о́ттепель, r=khrushchovskaya ottepel, p=xrʊˈɕːɵfskəjə ˈotʲ:ɪpʲɪlʲ or simply ''ottepel'')William Taubman, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, London: Free Press, 2004 is the period ...
, he organized a dissident movement in Hlyniany
Hlyniany (, ; ; ) is a small city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast (region) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Hlyniany urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: .
History
In 1340, together with whole Red Ruthenia, Hlyniany ...
, the Ukrainian Workers and Peasants Union, along with Ivan Kandyba and others.[Levko Lukianenko. Eternal revolutionary]
Ukrayinska Pravda
''Ukrainska Pravda'' ( uk, Українська правда, lit=Ukrainian Truth) is a Ukrainian online newspaper founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000 (the day of the Ukrainian constitutional referendum). Published mainly in Ukraini ...
(7 July 2018) Lukianenko defended the right of secession of Ukraine from the rest of Soviet Union, a right that was theoretically granted by the 1936 Soviet Constitution
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King ...
(Articles 17 and 125). In May 1961, he was expelled from the party, arrested, tried, and sentenced by the Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast ( uk, Льві́вська о́бласть, translit=Lvivska oblast, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna ( uk, Льві́вщина, ), ). The name of each oblast is a wikt:Appendix:Glossary#relational, relational adjective—in Englis ...
Court to death for separatism, "undermining the credibility of the CPSU, and defaming the theory of Marxism-Leninism." After 72 days, his sentence was later commuted to 15 years in a prison camp. Lukianenko served his sentence at first in Mordovia
The Republic of Mordovia (russian: Респу́блика Мордо́вия, r=Respublika Mordoviya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə mɐrˈdovʲɪjə; mdf, Мордовия Республиксь, ''Mordovija Respublikś''; myv, Мордовия Рес ...
(Dubravlag
The Dubravny Camp, Special Camp No.3 (), commonly known as the Dubravlag (russian: Дубравлаг), was a Gulag labor camp of the Soviet Union located in Yavas, Mordovia from 1948 to 2005.
The Dubravlag was founded as one of several Gulag s ...
, OLP #10, in Sosnovka, Zubovo-Polyansky District
Zubovo-Polyansky District (russian: Зу́бово-Поля́нский райо́н; mdf, Зубунь аймак, ''Zubuń ajmak''; myv, Пейкужо буе, ''Pejkužo buje'') is an administrativeConstitution of the Republic of Mordovia, Ar ...
) and then in Vladimir
Vladimir may refer to:
Names
* Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name
* Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name
* Volodymyr for the Ukr ...
, at the Vladimir Central Prison
Vladimir Prison, popularly known as Vladimir Central (russian: Владимирский централ), is a prison in Vladimir, Russia. It is the largest prison in Russia, with a capacity of 1220 detainees, and is operated by the Federal Penite ...
(infamous for its brutality). Soon after his release in 1976, he moved to Chernihiv
Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within ...
and became a founding member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group
The Ukrainian Helsinki Group ( uk, Українська Гельсінська Група) was founded on November 9, 1976, as the "Ukrainian Public Group to Promote the Implementation of the Helsinki Accords on Human Rights" ( uk, Українс ...
. In 1977, he was arrested again and was sentenced by Chernihiv Oblast
Chernihiv Oblast ( uk, Черні́гівська о́бласть, translit=Chernihivska oblast; also referred to as Chernihivshchyna, uk, Черні́гівщина, translit=Chernihivshchyna) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. T ...
Court to 10 years in a camp and 5 years of internal exile for "Anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda."
In 1988, Lukianenko was released in the wave of Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
's perestroika
''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...
. He refused to emigrate as a condition for his release, but he was released anyway in November 1988. In total, he had spent 27 years in prison.
Political career
Lukianenko was elected a member of the Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
(Ukraine's parliament) in March 1990 and became the head of the new Ukrainian Republican Party
The Ukrainian Republican Party ( uk, Українська Республіканська партія; ''Ukrajinska Respublikanska Partija'') was the first registered political party in Ukraine created on November 5, 1990 the following month. He was the co-author of Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine
The Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine ( uk, Декларація про державний суверенітет України, translit=Deklaratsiia pro derzhavnyi suvernitet Ukrainy) was adopted on July 16, 1990, by the recently ele ...
and the author of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine
The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine ( uk, Акт проголошення незалежності України, Akt proholoshennya nezalezhnosti Ukrayiny) was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR on 24 August 1991. , adopted in 1991. In the 1991 Ukrainian presidential election, Lukianenko finished third with 4.5% of the vote.
From May 1992 to November 1993, Lukianenko was the first Ukrainian ambassador to Canada
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* Som ...
.[Biographical Dictionary of Central and Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century](_blank)
by Jan Kofman, Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...
, In protest of government policies, he resigned.
From 1994 to 1998, Lukianenko was a People's Deputy of Ukraine
People's, branded as ''People's Viennaline'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH'', is an Austrian airline headquartered in Vienna. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights ma ...
from the 68th electoral district, representing the city of Novovolynsk
Novovolynsk ( uk, Нововолинськ) is a city in Volyn Oblast, Ukraine. Novovolynsk, together with the urban-type settlement of Blahodatne, Volyn Oblast, Blahodatne (until 2016 Zhovtneve), is incorporated as Novovolynsk urban hromada, Nov ...
.[
During the ]1998 Ukrainian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine on 29 March 1998. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1976 The Communist Party of Ukraine remained the largest party in the Verkhovna Rada, winning 121 of the 445 ...
, his Ukrainian Republican Party was part (together with the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists
The Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists ( uk, Конгрес українських націоналістів ''Konhres ukrayinskykh natsionalistiv'') is a far-right political party in Ukraine. It was founded on October 18, 1992, and registered wit ...
and the Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party
The Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party ( uk, Українська консервативна республіканська партія) was a political party in Ukraine in 1992 to 2001. It was created after a split in the Ukrainian Republica ...
) of the Election Bloc "National Front" and he headed the electoral list of the alliance.[ Since it did not overcome the 4% election barrier, however, he was not elected to the Verkhovna Rada.]
Lukianenko was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine (HOU; uk, Герой України, ''Heroi Ukrainy'') is the highest national title that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the President of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as ...
by Ukrainian President
The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( uk, Віктор Андрійович Ющенко, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010.
As an informal leader of th ...
on 19 April 2005.[Presidential decree awarding title Hero of Ukraine]
Official Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
website
In 2006, Lukianenko was again elected as a member of the Verkhovna Rada. He was elected with the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko
The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc ( uk, Блок Юлії Тимошенко, БЮТ; Blok Yuliyi Tymoshenko, BYuT) was the name of the bloc of political parties in Ukraine led by Yulia Tymoshenko since 2001. In November 2011, the participation of blocs ...
. He was again re-elected for the bloc in the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election
Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna ...
, but on 15 June 2007, he resigned his mandate at his own request.
In 2006 and, after an interval, again in 2010, Lukianenko was elected leader of the Ukrainian Republican Party
The Ukrainian Republican Party ( uk, Українська Республіканська партія; ''Ukrajinska Respublikanska Partija'') was the first registered political party in Ukraine created on November 5, 1990 .
Lukianenko was awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise
The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise ( uk, Орден князя Ярослава Мудрого) is an award of Ukraine. It is awarded for distinguished services to the state and people of the Ukrainian nation in the field of state building, ...
(V degree) in 2007.[
In 2016, Lukianenko was awarded the ]Shevchenko National Prize
Shevchenko National Prize ( uk, Націона́льна пре́мія Украї́ни і́мені Тараса́ Шевче́нка; also ''Shevchenko Award'') is the highest state prize of Ukraine for works of culture and arts awarded since ...
.["Moscow kites condemned him to death": Poroshenko said goodbye to Levko Lukianenko (video)]
UNIAN
The UNIAN or Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News ( uk, Українське Незалежне Інформаційне Агентство Новин, УНІАН, translit=Ukrayins'ke Nezalezhne Informatsiyne Ahentstvo Novyn) is a ...
(10 July 2018)
Controversial remarks
In 2005, Lukianenko participated in a conference entitled "Zionism as the Biggest Threat to Modern Civilization," which was controversial for its antisemitic tone and his invitation of the former Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
Grand Wizard
The Grand Wizard (later the Grand and Imperial Wizard simplified as the Imperial Wizard and eventually, the National Director) referred to the national leader of several different Ku Klux Klan organizations in the United States and abroad.
The ti ...
David Duke
David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, far-right politician, convicted felon, and former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1989 to 1992, he was a member ...
. Lukianenko sat next to Duke and gave him a standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. In Ancient Rome returning military commanders (such as Marcus Licinius Crassus a ...
. Presenting his own paper, Lukianenko argued that the Holodomor
The Holodomor ( uk, Голодомо́р, Holodomor, ; derived from uk, морити голодом, lit=to kill by starvation, translit=moryty holodom, label=none), also known as the Terror-Famine or the Great Famine, was a man-made famin ...
had been carried out by a Satanic government controlled by the Jews. According to Lukianenko, 95% of Soviet people's commissars most military and judicial commissars, and Lenin and Stalin were Jewish and "thus... of the most important administrative positions... 80% were Jews."
Lukianenko disputed the existence of antisemitism in Ukraine
Antisemitism in Ukraine has been a historical issue in the country, particularly in the twentieth century. The history of the Jewish community of the region dates back to the era when ancient Greek colonies existed in it. A third of the ...
, claiming he had "not met a single Ukrainian who is opposed to all Semitic people."[Levko Lukianenko, "Do Evreis'koho pytannia, abo Chy isnuie v Ukraini anti-Semitism?" Personal Plius 73.26 (2004): 4-5.] According to Lukianenko, Ukrainians base their attitudes of other ethnic groups upon "their attitudes towards us."
In a 2008 article for ''Personal-Plus'' magazine Lukianenko argued that Ukrainians, as "a white race," should not mix with other races. He suggested that a Ukrainian who wants to marry a person of a different race should leave Ukraine and renounce Ukrainian citizenship
Ukrainian nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds nationality of Ukraine. The primary law governing these requirements is the law "On Citizenship of Ukraine", which came into force on 1 March 2001.
Any person born to a Uk ...
.
Death
Lukianenko died in a Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
hospital on 7 July 2018 from leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
.[Ukrainian dissident Levko Lukianenko dies](_blank)
UNIAN
The UNIAN or Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News ( uk, Українське Незалежне Інформаційне Агентство Новин, УНІАН, translit=Ukrayins'ke Nezalezhne Informatsiyne Ahentstvo Novyn) is a ...
(7 July 2018)
He was buried in Kyiv's Baikove Cemetery
Baikove Cemetery ( uk, Байкове кладовище) is a historic cemetery memorial in Holosiiv Raion of Kyiv, Ukraine. It is a National Historic Landmark of Ukraine and is known as a necropolis of distinguished people. It was established in ...
on 10 July 2018.[Ukraine farewell to Levko Lukianenko]
Ukrinform
The National News Agency of Ukraine ( uk, Українське національне інформаційне агентство), or Ukrinform ( uk, Укрінформ), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of ...
(10 July 2018)
With the Hero of Ukraine Levko Lukianenko bid farewell to Khotov in the Kyiv region (video)
UNIAN
The UNIAN or Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News ( uk, Українське Незалежне Інформаційне Агентство Новин, УНІАН, translit=Ukrayins'ke Nezalezhne Informatsiyne Ahentstvo Novyn) is a ...
(9 July 2018) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko ser ...
attended his funeral in Kyiv's Saint Volodymyr's Cathedral, and the funeral service was led by the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* Som ...
, Patriarch Filaret.[On Baykovyi cemetery, farewell to dissident Levko Lukianenko (video)]
UNIAN
The UNIAN or Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News ( uk, Українське Незалежне Інформаційне Агентство Новин, УНІАН, translit=Ukrayins'ke Nezalezhne Informatsiyne Ahentstvo Novyn) is a ...
(9 July 2018)
Personal life
Lukianenko was married to Nadiia Buhaievska (born in 1943[); the couple did not have children.]
See also
*Soviet dissidents
Soviet dissidents were people who disagreed with certain features of Soviet ideology or with its entirety and who were willing to speak out against them. The term ''dissident'' was used in the Soviet Union in the period from the mid-1960s until t ...
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukianenko, Levko
1928 births
2018 deaths
People from Chernihiv Oblast
Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine
Moscow State University alumni
Ukrainian dissidents
Ukrainian human rights activists
Soviet human rights activists
First convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada
Second convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada
Fourth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada
Fifth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada
Recipients of the title of Hero of Ukraine
Candidates in the 1991 Ukrainian presidential election
Soviet dissidents
Soviet prisoners sentenced to death
Ukrainian nationalists
Ambassadors of Ukraine to Canada
Expelled members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Ukrainian Republican Party politicians
Independent politicians of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc
Ukrainian Helsinki Group
Recipients of the Shevchenko National Prize
Burials at Baikove Cemetery
Child soldiers in World War II