Kuchma, Leonid Danylovich, << KOOCH muh, LAY oh nihd dah NEE loh vihch >> (1938-…), served as president of Ukraine from 1994 to 2005. As president, Kuchma sought to reform the nation’s economy and to establish close ties with Europe and Russia. He also faced accusations that he and his administration used harsh and illegal tactics to suppress opposition.
Kuchma was born on Aug. 9, 1938, in the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine. At that time, Ukraine was a republic of the Soviet Union. In 1960, Kuchma graduated from Dnipropetrovsk State University (now Oles Honchar Dnipro National University) with a degree in mechanical engineering. He then held various positions in the Soviet aerospace industry and in Ukraine’s Communist Party. In 1981, Kuchma became a member of the ruling Central Committee of Ukraine’s Communist Party.
As the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine declared its independence. In 1992, Kuchma became Ukraine’s prime minister. But President Leonid Kravchuk and the parliament blocked Kuchma’s economic reforms, and he resigned in 1993.
In 1994, Kuchma defeated Kravchuk in a presidential election. He was reelected in 1999. International observers accused Kuchma and his administration of manipulating the results of the 2004 presidential election to favor Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Doubts about the election results led to a crisis in Ukraine.
