About Vitold Fokin
Vitold Pavlovych Fokin (Ukrainian: Вітольд Павлович Фокін, Ukrainian pronunciation: [ʋʲiˈtɔlʲd ˈpau̯lowɪt͡ʃ ˈfɔkʲin]; 25 October 1932 – 20 March 2025) was a Ukrainian politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Ukraine from the country's declaration of independence on 24 August 1991 until 1 October 1992. He had earlier served as the prime minister of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 23 October 1990 to 24 August 1991. After Vitaliy Masol was forced to resign, Fokin was appointed the head of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR on 17 October 1990. == Early life == Fokin graduated from the National Mining University of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk. == Prime Minister of Ukraine == On 18 April 1991, Fokin was appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine. On 12 September 1991, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) adopted its resolution on "Succession of Ukraine" where Ukraine was declared a direct successor of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. On 22 August 1992, at a plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada President Leonid Kravchuk accepted a succession diploma from the exiled government of the Ukrainian People's Republic. 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. Before his death, he was the last living signatory. During his time as prime minister, he avoided radical pro-market reforms, although critics have argued that Fokin's inaction on the matter and excessive subsidies to various unproductive enterprises contributed to hyperinflation (at 1,210% in 1992) and in general to the poor performance of the Ukrainian economy.
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