15 Facts About Vitaliy Masol

Vitaliy Andriyovych Masol was a Soviet-Ukrainian politician who served as leader of Ukraine on two occasions.

Vitaliy Masol held various posts in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, 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.

Vitaliy Masol was later Prime Minister of Ukraine, confirmed in that post on 16 June 1994.

Vitaliy Masol resigned from that post on 1 March 1995.

Vitaliy Andriyovych Masol was born in a village near Chernihiv, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on 14 November 1928.

Vitaliy Masol graduated in 1951 from Kyiv Polytechnic Institute with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Vitaliy Masol worked as an engineer at the New Kramatorsk Machinebuilding Factory and rose to become the head of the technical department, the head of the mechanical shop and then the deputy chief engineer.

Vitaliy Masol later became chair of the committee and a member of the commission in charge of decontamination following the Chernobyl disaster.

Vitaliy Masol became Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Council of Ministers on 16 January 1979.

Vitaliy Masol served as Head of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR from 1987 until 17 October 1990, when he was forced to resign and was replaced by Vitold Fokin.

Vitaliy Masol was forced into resignation by Ukrainian student protests and hunger strikes known as the Revolution on Granite.

Vitaliy Masol was a member of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union between 1989 and 1991.

Vitaliy Masol was against most of Kuchma's reform plans and openly so; he sometimes mobilized the Verkhovna Rada against Kuchma.

Vitaliy Masol resigned on 1 March 1995, but continued to attend meetings of the Verkhovna Rada.

Vitaliy Masol died on September 21,2018, in Kyiv, at the age of 89.