Serhiy Ostapenko (November 1881—1937) was economist, statesman, and political activist of Ukraine. In the beginning of 1919 he directed the Council of People's Ministers of
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), or Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), was a country in Eastern Europe that existed between 1917 and 1920. It was declared following the February Revolution in Russia by the First Universal. In March 1 ...
(prime-minister).
Early years
Ostapenko was born in November 1881 in the town of Troyaniv near Zhytomyr. Today it is the village of
Zhytomyr Raion
Zhytomyr Raion ( uk, Житомирський район) is a raion (district) of Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. Its administrative centre is located at Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr ( uk, Жито́мир, translit=Zhytomyr ; russian: Жито́ ...
,
Zhytomyr Oblast
Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...
. Ostapenko was born into family of a poor peasants and his father had another job as a freight transporter. From 1893 to 1897 Ostapenko attended the local elementary school, after which, he enrolled into an agrarian middle school in Bilokrynytsia of Kremenets uyezd (today Kremenets Raion of
Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast ( uk, Тернопі́льська о́бласть, translit=Ternopilska oblast; also referred to as Ternopilshchyna, uk, Терно́пільщина, label=none, or Ternopillia, uk, Тернопілля, label=none) is an obl ...
).
In 1904 he started working as a teacher in a two-grade school of Turiysk of
Kovel uyezd
Kovel (, ; pl, Kowel; yi, קאוולע / קאוולי ) is a city in Volyn Oblast (province), in northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion (district). Population:
Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runi ...
. In 1905 Ostapenko was arrested for being a member of the krainian Socialist Revolutionary Party He spent the next three years in jail for ''political reasons'' as he claimed. After his release, Ostapenko had some trouble of finding employment. He graduated from the Vladimir cadet corps after final tests in 1909 and the same year enrolled into the Economic school of
Kyiv Commercial Institute
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
for extended studies in Economics.
In 1913 he returned to Ukraine where he found the job as head of the Bureau of Statistics in
Balta uyezd
Balta may refer to:
People
* Balta (footballer) (born 1962), Spanish footballer and manager
* Balta (surname)
Places
*Balta (crater), on Mars
*Balta, Mehedinți, Romania
*Bâlta, a village in Filiași, Dolj County, Romania
*Bâlta, a village in ...
of
Podolia Governorate
The Podolia Governorate or Podillia Governorate (), set up after the Second Partition of Poland, was a governorate ('' gubernia'', ''province'', or ''government'') of the Russian Empire from 1793 to 1917, of the Ukrainian People's Republic from ...
. In 1914 Ostapenko was transferred to
Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Sloboda Ukraine. Later he returned to
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
where he worked as a private-docent in the Kyiv Commercial Institute until 1917.
The revolution
In January 1918, Ostapenko was appointed as an economic adviser to the Ukrainian economic commission of Vsevolod Holubovych for the negotiations in
Central Powers
The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...
and responsible to the Council of People's Ministers.
During the times of the
Ukrainian State
The Ukrainian State ( uk, Українська Держава, translit=Ukrainska Derzhava), sometimes also called the Second Hetmanate ( uk, Другий Гетьманат, translit=Druhyi Hetmanat, link=no), was an anti-Bolshevik government ...
Ostapenko was included to the
Serhiy Shelukhin
Sergius is a male given name of Ancient Roman origin after the name of the Latin ''gens'' Sergia or Sergii of regal and republican ages. It is a common Christian name, in honor of Saint Sergius, or in Russia, of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, and ...
's economic commission of the Ukrainian peace delegation during the negotiations with the delegation of the
Soviet Russia
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
in Kyiv. These negotiations took place from May 23 through October 7, 1918. Concurrently, he lectured in political economy, economical geography, and others for various schools in Kyiv.
Statesman career
After the
Directorate of Ukraine
The Directorate, or Directory () was a provisional collegiate revolutionary state committee of the Ukrainian People's Republic, initially formed on November 13–14, 1918 during a session of the Ukrainian National Union in rebellion against Sk ...
forced
Pavlo Skoropadskyi
Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi ( uk, Павло Петрович Скоропадський, Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi; – 26 April 1945) was a Ukrainian aristocrat, military and state leader, decorated Imperial Russian Army and Ukrainian Army ...
to emigrate, Ostapenko, being a member of the Ukrainian SR party and was appointed to the socialist government of Volodymyr Chekhivsky as the minister of trade and industry. In February 1919 when the government of Ukraine had to relocate out of Kyiv to
Vinnytsia
Vinnytsia ( ; uk, Вінниця, ; yi, װיניצע) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug.
It is the Capital city, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast and the largest city in the historic region o ...
with the advancing
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
forces, Ostapenko discontinued his membership with the Ukrainian SRs. After the resignation of several ministers from the government he was performing the duties of the minister of political agitation and propaganda. On February 6, 1919 he participated as the representative of the Ukrainian government in the negotiations with the Chief of staff of the French military forces of Colonel Freidenberg (see Entente intervention) at the railroad station of
Birzula
Podilsk ( uk, Поді́льськ, ; ro, Bârzula or ), until May 2016 Kotovsk ( uk, Котовськ, Russian: Котовск) is a city in Odesa Oblast, southern Ukraine. Administratively, Podilsk is incorporated as a town of oblast signi ...
, near
Odesa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern sho ...
. The Ukrainians were requesting from the representatives of the
Entente
Entente, meaning a diplomatic "understanding", may refer to a number of agreements:
History
* Entente (alliance), a type of treaty or military alliance where the signatories promise to consult each other or to cooperate with each other in case o ...
recognition of the sovereignty of Ukraine, allowing it to participate at the
Paris Peace Conference Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include:
Listed by name
Paris Accords
may refer to:
* Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...
, and several other important factors. After the negotiations brought no results the government of Chekhivsky resigned.
The
Directorate of Ukraine
The Directorate, or Directory () was a provisional collegiate revolutionary state committee of the Ukrainian People's Republic, initially formed on November 13–14, 1918 during a session of the Ukrainian National Union in rebellion against Sk ...
requested Ostapenko who was appointed to find the understanding (?) with the members of the
Entente
Entente, meaning a diplomatic "understanding", may refer to a number of agreements:
History
* Entente (alliance), a type of treaty or military alliance where the signatories promise to consult each other or to cooperate with each other in case o ...
to form another government. His government was composed mostly out of more liberal-democratic representatives, but as the government did not bring any real results in the short period of time in couple of months it was replaced by the government of more socially oriented
Borys Martos
Borys Mykolayovych Martos (Ukrainian: Борис Миколайович Мартос) (May 20, 1879 – September 19, 1977) was a Ukrainian politician, pedagogue, and economist.
Biography
Martos was born in Hradyzk, Poltava Governorate, Ru ...
. Ostapenko found no place in the new government was found and he moved for couple of months to
Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
.
Professor's career
After some successes at the Bolshevik front and the liberation of Podilia, he moved to Kamianets-Podilskyi that since June 1919 served as the temporary administrative center of the
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), or Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), was a country in Eastern Europe that existed between 1917 and 1920. It was declared following the February Revolution in Russia by the First Universal. In March 1 ...
until the end of 1919. Still unable to find a job Ostapenko applied to the Kamyanets-Podilsky State University that was hiring numerous professors and private-docents in various fields.
On July 18, 1919 the minister of education
Anton Krushelnytsky
Anton may refer to: People
*Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name
*Anton (surname)
Places
*Anton Municipality, Bulgaria
**Anton, Sofia Province, a village
*Antón District, Panama
**Antón, a town and capital of th ...
accepted his application by the reference of the University's first
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
Ilarion Ohienko
Metropolitan Ilarion (secular name Ivan Ivanovitch Ohienko; uk, Іван Іванович Огієнко; 2 January (14 January), 1882 in Brusilov, Kiev Governorate – 29 March 1972 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) was a Ukrainian Orthodox cleri ...
. Ostapenko became a private-docent at the Department of Statistics of the University's Jurisprudential School and started his work in October 1919. On November 5, 1919 the council of the University's professors asked him to lecture the political economy beside his classes of statistics. On February 25, 1920 Ostapenko was confirmed as the permanent
docent
The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de con ...
of the Department of Political Economy and Statistics. In May 1920 the guberniya administration published his books ''The course of statistics and demographics'' of 3,500 releases and ''The important characteristics of the Ukrainian ethnicity in comparison to other ethnics'' of 1,500.
Life in the Soviet Ukraine
By the end of 1920 Ostapenko relocated to
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
. In May 1921 the Supreme Extraordinary Tribunal began the hearing of the affair of Ukrainian SRs on which Ostapenko was invited as a witness. However, by the proposition of Dmitry Manuilsky he was placed amongst the ones under trail. Ostapenko plead not guilty and was given five years of
correctional labor camps
The Correctional Labour Camp was a kind of penitentiary institution. Under various names and forms of ownership, they exist practically all over the world (due to the need to reduce the costs of the penitentiary system by means of its self–suffi ...
. Later unexpectedly the sentence was changed and he was forced to work by specialty instead of
katorga
Katorga ( rus, ка́торга, p=ˈkatərɡə; from medieval and modern Greek: ''katergon, κάτεργον'', " galley") was a system of penal labor in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union (see Katorga labor in the Soviet Union). Prisone ...
, due to ''his value as a scientific force''. Further his fate is not known. There are speculations that 1931 he was arrested by the
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
and perished in the labor camps (according to th Encyclopedia of Ukraine sometime in 1937.''Governments of Ukraine in the XX century''. Naukova Dumka. Kyiv, 2001.