Vitaliy Masol

Vitaliy Andriyovych Masol (Ukrainian: Віталій Андрійович Масол; 14 November 1928 – 21 September 2018) was a politician in his native Ukraine both during and after the era of the Soviet Union (USSR). He held various posts in the Ukrainian SSR, most notably the Head of the Council of Ministers, which is the equivalent of today's Prime Minister, from 1987 until late 1990, when he was forced to resign. He was later Prime Minister of Ukraine, confirmed in that post on 16 June 1994. He resigned from that post on 1 March 1995.[1]

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Andriyovych and the family name is Masol.
Vitaliy Masol
Віталій Масол
Prime Minister of Ukraine
In office
16 June 1994 – 6 March 1995
PresidentLeonid Kravchuk
Leonid Kuchma
Preceded byYukhym Zvyahilsky (Acting)
Succeeded byYevhen Marchuk
Chairmen of the Council of Ministers of Ukrainian SSR
In office
July 10, 1987 – October 23, 1990
PresidentValentyna Shevchenko
Volodymyr Ivashko (acting)
Leonid Kravchuk (acting)
Preceded byOleksandr Liashko
Succeeded byVitold Fokin
Head of DerzhPlan
In office
January 1979 – July 1987
Prime MinisterOleksandr Liashko
Preceded byPetro Rozenko
Succeeded byVitold Fokin
People's Deputy of Ukraine
In office
May 1990 – May 1994
In office
May 1994 – May 1998
Personal details
Born
Vitaliy Andriyovych Masol

(1928-11-14)14 November 1928
Olyshivka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died21 September 2018(2018-09-21) (aged 89)
Kiev, Ukraine
Political partyKPU
Spouse(s)Nina Masol
ChildrenIhor
Alma materKyiv Polytechnic Institute
Signature

Early life and career

Masol was born in the Chernihiv region of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on 14 November 1928.[2][3] He graduated in 1951 from Kyiv Polytechnic Institute with a degree in mechanical engineering.[4] He worked as an engineer at the Novokramatorsk Machining Plant and rose to become the head of the technical department, the head of the mechanical shop and then the deputy chief engineer.[4] In 1971, he was awarded a doctorate in technical science; his thesis was in regards to the fatigue strength of carbon steel used to manufacture ship propellers at the plant.[1][4]

Political career

In the Soviet Union

Masol was a member of the Communist Party of Ukraine.[5] In 1972, he became deputy chairman of the state planning committee in Ukraine at the invitation of First Secretary of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Vladimir Shcherbitsky. Shcherbitsky had intended to make him deputy minister for oil but decided that there was a more urgent vacancy on the committee. Masol later became chair of the committee and a member of the commission in charge of decontamination following the Chernobyl disaster. Masol became Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Council of Ministers on 16 January 1979.[4]

He served as Head of the Council of Ministers (equivalent of today's Prime Minister) of the Ukrainian SSR from 1987 until 17 October 1990, when he was forced to resign and was replaced by Vitold Fokin.[1][6] He was forced into resignation by Ukrainian student protests and hunger strikes known as the Revolution on Granite.[1][7] Masol was a member of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union between 1989 and 1991.[5]

In independent Ukraine

President Leonid Kravchuk's appointment of Masol as Prime Minister of Ukraine on 16 June 1994[1] with his image of "an advocate of state-controlled economy" was seen as a surprise and a pre-election concession to the communist-dominated Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament).[8] Masol was once again reinstated by President Leonid Kuchma.[1] Masol was against most of Kuchma's reform plans and openly so; he sometimes mobilized the Verkhovna Rada against Kuchma.[1] Masol resigned on 1 March 1995, but continued to attend meetings of the Verkhovna Rada.[1] Masol's two periods in this office saw the beginnings of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of a new political system in Ukraine.[9]

Awards

During his public service, Vitaliy Masol received numerous civil and state awards and recognition, including the Order of Lenin (in both 1966 and 1986), the Order of the October Revolution (in 1971), the Order of the Red Banner of Labour (in 1978), the Order of the Badge of Honour (in 1960), the Order of Merit 3rd class (in 1997) and 1st Class (in 2008), the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 5th Class (in 1998) and 4th Class (in 2003).[10]

Death

Masol died on September 21, 2018 in Kiev, at the age of 89.[11][12][13] The cause of death has not yet been revealed.[14]

References
  1. How Ukraine Became a Market Economy and Democracy by Anders Åslund, Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2009, ISBN 978-0881324273
  2. Publications, Europa (25 September 2018). "The International Who's Who 2004". Psychology Press – via Google Books.
  3. Умер бывший премьер-министр Украины и УССР Виталий Масол. Segodnya (in Russian). 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  4. Третий премьер-министр независимой Украины: Каким был Виталий Масол. 112.ua (in Russian). 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  5. "Умер экс-премьер Украины Виталий Масол  Об этом сообщает Рамблер". Rambler (Russia) (in Russian). 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  6. Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States 1999, Routledge, 1998, ISBN 1857430581 (page 850)
  7. Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia 2004, Routledge, 2003, ISBN 1857431871 (page 498)
    Week in numbers, UNIAN (05 October 2015)
    The lesson of the Revolution on Granite, Den (4 October 2016)
    (in Ukrainian) "Revolution on Granite". Photos of October 1990, Ukrayinska Pravda (accessdate: 11 November 2017)
  8. "Choice of New Ukraine Premier Raises Questions About Reform". New York Times. June 17, 1994. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  9. Умер экс-премьер Украины Виталий Масол, рассказавший правду о Ющенко и Януковиче. Reply UA (in Russian). 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  10. Ukrainian Government Website
  11. "Скончался экс-премьер Украины Виталий Масол". riafan.ru. 21 September 2018.
  12. Ex-Ukrainian PM Masol dies at 89, UNIAN (21 September 2018)
  13. Third Prime Minister of Ukraine Vitaliy Masol dies, 112 Ukraine (21 September 2018)
  14. "Скончался бывший премьер Украины Виталий Масол". Ren TV. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
Political offices
Preceded by
Oleksandr Liashko		 Prime Minister of Ukraine (Ukrainian SSR)
1987–1990		 Succeeded by
Vitold Fokin
Preceded by
Yukhym Zvyahilsky		 Prime Minister of Ukraine
1994–1995		 Succeeded by
Yevhen Marchuk
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