Volodymyr Musiiovych Chekhivskyi (; 19 July 1876 – 3 November 1937) was a Ukrainian activist and politician who served as Chairman of the Council of People's Ministers of the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

from December 1918 to February 1919. Previously, he was a member of the Russian State Duma and

Russian Constituent Assembly The All Russian Constituent Assembly () was a constituent assembly convened in Russia after the February Revolution of 1917. It met for 13 hours, from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m., , whereupon it was dissolved by the Bolshevik-led All-Russian Central Ex ...

. Chekhivskyi was also among the founders of the

Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC; (UAPTs)) was one of the three major Eastern Orthodox churches in Ukraine in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, together with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) ...

, and the brother of conductor and singer .

Early life and career

Chekhivskyi was born on 19 July 1876, to the family of a

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

in the village of , in the Kievsky Uyezd of

Kiev Governorate Kiev Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire (1796–1917), Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–18; 1918–1921), Ukrainian State (1918), and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1919–19 ...

, Russian Empire (today in

Obukhiv Raion Obukhiv Raion () is a raion (district) in Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Obukhiv. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Kyiv Oblast was reduced to seven, and ...

). In 1900 he graduated from the Kyiv Theological Academy and the Odesa University, from 1905 he was a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

. From 1897 he was a member of the student club of

Mykhailo Drahomanov Mykhailo Petrovych Drahomanov (; 18 September 1841 – 2 July 1895) was a Ukrainian intellectual and public figure. As an academic, Drahomanov was an economist, historian, philosopher, and ethnographer, while as a public intellectual he was a ...

's Socialist-Democrats. From 1901 to 1905 Cherkhivsky worked as Deputy Inspector of the seminaries of Kyiv and

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi (, ; ) is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of Kamianets ...

. Because of his activity and interest in Ukrainian nationalism at the seminaries, Chekhivskyi was dismissed and transferred to the

Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast (, ), also referred to as Cherkashchyna (, ) is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central Ukraine located along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The Capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the cit ...

. From 1905 to 1906 he was a teacher of

Russian language Russian is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language belonging to the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. It is one of the four extant East Slavic languages, and is ...

as well as of the History of Literature and the Theory of Philology at the Cherkassy Theology College. Between 1902 and 1904 Chekhivskyi was a member of the

Revolutionary Ukrainian Party The Revolutionary Ukrainian Party () was a Ukrainian political party in the Russian Empire founded on 11 February 1900 by the Kharkiv student secret society Hromada. History The rise of the party came about with a successful consummation after o ...

, after which he switched to the

Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour Party The Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour Party (), also commonly known as Esdeky (), was a social-democratic political party in the Ukrainian People's Republic. The party was reformed in 1905 at the Second Congress of the Revolutionary Ukrainian Par ...

(USDLP) until 1919. In 1906, he was elected to the Imperial Duma, however the Russian government exiled him, as a Ukrainian to

Vologda Vologda (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. Population: The city serves as ...

in Russia. However, through the efforts of his electors to the Imperial Duma, he was returned from exile after one year. From 1908 to 1917 Chekhivskyi lived in

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 ...

where he taught in a gymnasium as well as commercial and technical colleges. During that time he was under open police surveillance. Nonetheless, Chekhivskyi participated in the activities of a local Ukrainian

Hromada In Ukraine, a hromada () is the main type of municipality and the third level Administrative divisions of Ukraine, local self-government in Ukraine. The current hromadas were established by the Cabinet of ministers of Ukraine, Government of Uk ...

and

Prosvita Prosvita (), since 1991 officially known as All-Ukrainian Prosvita Society named after Taras Shevchenko () is an enlightenment society aimed to preserve and develop Ukrainian culture, education and science, that was created in the nineteenth cen ...

association. Since 1915 he was a member of a

masonic lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

"Star of the East" that existed in

and was part of the Great East of Peoples of Russia.

Revolutionary years

After the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

Chekhivskyi became editor of the "Ukrayinske Slovo" newspaper that was published in

. From April 1917 he headed the Odesa committee of the USDLP and the Ukrainian council of Odesa. From May 1917 Cherkhivsky was a district inspector of the Odesa School Council and headed the Odesa branch of All-Ukrainian Teachers Union. From June 1917 he was a deputy () in the Odesa city duma from the Ukrainian parties, and headed the Kherson Governorate Council of united public organization. In October–November 1917 Chekhivskyi was a member of the Revolutionary committee (revkom). In November 1917 he became a political commissar of Odesa and an education commissar of the Kherson Governorate. At that time Chekhivskyi was also elected to the

(from the Ukrainian Social-Democrats of Odesa). In the beginning of 1918 he became a member of Central Committee of the USDLP and from April 1918 — appointed as director of confessions as a minister in government of the

. Under the administration of

Pavlo Skoropadskyi Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi (; – 26 April 1945) was a Ukrainian aristocrat, military and state leader, who served as the Hetman of all Ukraine, hetman of the Ukrainian State throughout 1918 following a 1918 Ukrainian coup d'état, coup d'éta ...

, Chekhivskyi continued to work in the Ministry of Confessions (director of General Affairs department), yet continuing to be a member of the

. During that time he joined the Ukrainian National Union which was in opposition to the

Hetman of Ukraine The Hetman of all Ukraine () was the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian State in 1918. History The position of Hetman of the Zaporizhian Host, also known as the "Hetman of all Ukraine", was established in 1648 during the Khmel ...

From Directorate to its opposition

Chekhivskyi headed the Ukrainian '' revkom'' during the anti-Hetmanate uprising. From 26 December 1918 to 11 February 1919, Chekhivskyi was President of the Council of People's Ministers and the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

of the Ukrainian People's Republic. During that time was proclaimed the Unification Act of two Ukraines on 22 January 1919. On 1 January 1919, the government approved laws about the state language of Ukraine (Ukrainian) and about the autocephaly of Ukrainian Orthodox Church that were adopted by the

Directorate of Ukraine The Directorate, or Directory () was a provisional collegiate revolutionary state committee of the Ukrainian People's Republic, initially formed on 13–14 November 1918 during a session of the Ukrainian National Union in rebellion against th ...

. On 5 January 1919, the government approved the Land law that was adopted by the Directorate on 8 January. Chekhivskyi followed leftist political views, advocated compromise with

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

, opposed the treaty with Entente. On those issues his position was similar to the point of view of Volodymyr Vynnychenko. Chekhivskyi had a little influence on the army of Ukraine. After failing to reach an agreement with

, successful offensive of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

and willingness of the Ukrainian leadership to negotiate with French led to resignation of Chekhivskyi in February 1919. After that was in opposition to the government of Symon Petliura. In spring of 1919 participated in organization of the Labor Congress of Ukraine in

Cooperation with the Soviets and arrest

After the occupation by the

Chekhivskyi stayed in Ukraine and in 1920 joined the Ukrainian Communist Party. In October 1921 he participated in the 1st All-Ukrainian Church Assembly that confirmed autocephaly of the

(UAOC) and was an adviser to Metropolitan Vasyl Lypkivsky, organized pastoral courses in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. Chekhivsky was one of the main ideologists of the Ukrainian Church autocephaly and supporter of

Christian socialism Christian socialism is a Religious philosophy, religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe cap ...

. In October 1927 he became a chairman of the 2nd All-Ukrainian Assembly of UAOC. During that time Chekhivsky also worked in the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences at its history-philology department, was a professor of medical and polytechnic institutes in Kiev, lectured at social-economical courses. On 29 July 1929, Chekhivskyi was arrested in connection with the Union for the Freedom of Ukraine process and on 19 April 1930, sentenced to death through shooting, changed to 10 years of imprisonment. He was confined to the Khabarovsk and Yaroslavl political prisons, from 1933 - in Solovki prison camp. In 1936 Chekhivskyi was additionally sentenced to three years of imprisonment. On 3 November 1937, he was shot by sentence of the

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...

NKVD troika NKVD troika or Special troika (), in Soviet history, were the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD which would later be the beginning of the KGB) made up of three officials who issued sentences to people after simplified, speedy inve ...

Notes and references

External links

Chekhivskyi: statesman, chaplain, victim of the Sandarmokh forest
''

Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

'', 2012-06-02
Chekhivskyi, Volodymyr
, '' Handbook on the History of Ukraine''
Chekhivskyi, Volodymyr
History of Poltava web-portal {{DEFAULTSORT:Chekhivskyi, Volodymyr 1876 births 1937 deaths Great Purge victims from Ukraine Kiev Theological Academy alumni Members of the Grand Orient of Russia's Peoples People from Kievsky Uyezd Politicians from Kyiv Oblast Prime ministers of the Ukrainian People's Republic Russian Constituent Assembly members Soviet rehabilitations Ukrainian Christian socialists Ukrainian Communist Party politicians Ukrainian diplomats Ukrainian people in the Russian Empire Ukrainian educators Ukrainian Freemasons Ukrainian male writers Ukrainian revolutionaries Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour Party politicians Union for the Freedom of Ukraine trial