Leonid Kravchuk, Ukraine's first president dies at 88

Leonid Kravchuk, Ukraine's first president dies at 88

The first president of the modern state of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, has passed away at 88, Qazet.az reports according to Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko.

Kravchuk, who was formerly chairman of Ukraine's parliament and the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR during the waning days of the Soviet Union, became president in December 1991 and remained in office until July 1994.

A second campaign to be president ended with an electoral loss to his former prime minister, Leonid Kuchma.

Among his most consequential decisions was signing the Lisbon Protocol in 1992, pledging to give up the nuclear arsenal Ukraine was left with after the Soviet Union's collapse.

In his post, Klitschko said that Kravchuk's legacy was particularly important at a time when Ukraine is fighting Russia.

"We will preserve the sovereignty and will that we got more than 30 years ago," Klitschko wrote. "We will not retreat."