Volodymyr Vynnychenko - Head of The First Ukrainian Government

Head of The First Ukrainian Government

After the Russian revolution in February 1917, Vynnychenko served as the head of the General Secretariat, a representative executive body of the Russian Provisional Government in Ukraine. He was authorized by the Central Rada of Ukraine (a de facto parliament) to conduct negotiations with the Russian Provisional Government, 1917.

Vynnychenko resigned his post in the General Secretariat on August 13 in protest for the government of Russia declining the Universal of Central Rada. For a brief period he was replaced by Dmytro Doroshenko who composed a new government the next day, yet unexpectedly he requested his resignation as well on August 18. Vynnychenko was offered to return, form a cabinet and redesign the Second Universal to petition a federal union with the Russian Republic. His second government was confirmed by A.Kerensky on September 1.

It is often claimed that political mistakes of Vynnychenko (who was, in effect, prime minister) and Mykhailo Hrushevsky (the head of the Central Rada) cost the newly established Ukrainian People's Republic its independence. Both men were strongly opposed to the creation of the army of the Republic and repeatedly denied the requests by Symon Petliura to use his volunteer forces as the core of a would-be army (see Polubotok Regiment Affair).

After the October Revolution and the Kiev Bolshevik Uprising many of his secretaries resigned after the Central Rada disapproved the Bolsheviks actions in Petrograd with the ongoing confrontations in Moscow as well as the other cities in the country (see Odessa Soviet Republic). On January 22, 1918, the Ukrainian People's Republic has proclaimed its independents due to the Bolshevik intervention headed the Russian minister Antonov-Ovseyenko. The country was squeezed between the abandoned German-Russian front-lines to its western border and the advancing Bolshevik forces of Muravyov along the eastern border. Within days, Mikhail Muravyov manage to invade Kiev forcing the government to evacuate to Zhytomyr whose retreat was secured by the great efforts of the Sich Riflemen. During the evacuation the Ukrainian government managed to secure military assistance in the face of the Central Powers. The government of the Ukrainian People's Republic signed a highly criticized treaty with Germans to repel the Bolshevik forces in exchange for a right to expropriate food supplies. That treaty also required for the Russian SFSR to recognize the Ukrainian People's Republic. Around that time the Vynnychenko's government established an economic agreement with the government of Belarus People's Republic through the Belarus Chamber of Commerce in Kiev. Alas, Vynnychenko's was replaced as well by the Socialist-Revolutionary government of Vsevolod Holubovych.

After the coup d'etat of Hetman Skoropadsky (in collaboration with Germans) in March, 1918, Vynnychenko left Kiev. Later after forming the Directorate of Ukraine he took an active part in organizing a revolt against the Hetman. The revolt was successful and Vynnychenko returned to the capital on December 19, 1918. The Directorate, a temporary central executive committee, proclaimed the restoration of the Ukrainian People's Republic. The Directorate was put in charge until the Ukrainian Constituent Assembly would convene to elect a permanent body of government.