Yushchenko more outstanding than Tymoshenko; Yanukovych pushed into background

At the weekend, Inter television publicized the outcome of voting on “Big Ukrainians” project, and disclosed the top hundred. Some of those “Big Ukrainians” were present in the television studio: Hero of Ukraine, famous Soviet dissident and person who was one of the initiators of the Ukrainian independence, Levko Lukyanenko [#38], first president of the independent Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk [#51], and leader of the Ukrainian Communist Party Petro Symonenko [#79].

So far it is unclear how exactly positions are distributed among the names in the top ten, and who will head the list of Big Ukrainians. The second tour of voting is taking place. In alphabetical order, the top ten looks as follows:

1). Mykola Amosov – outstanding surgeon and scientist, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, famous for his breakthrough in cardiology.

2). Stepan Bandera – Ukrainian nationalist leader, head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists.

3). Vyacheslav Chornovil – Ukrainian political leader, Soviet dissident, journalist, one of founders of the People’s Movement of Ukraine.

4). Ivan Franko – writer, poet, scientist, publicist, one of the most outstanding spiritual leaders of Ukraine.

5). Bohdan Khmelnytskiy – famous Ukrainian hetman, founder of the Cossacks state at the territory of the Central Ukraine, called Viysko Zaporozhske, also known as Hetmanshchyna. He headed the national liberation war of the Ukrainian nation.

6). Valeriy Lobanovskiy – legend of the Ukrainian football, long-time Dynamo coach.

7). Yaroslav Mudry [Yaroslav the Wise] – Kyiv Rus Prince, under his rule the Kyiv Rus turned into a powerful European state.

8). Taras Shevchenko – writer and poet, one of the most outstanding figures of Ukraine, almost a cult figure. He played a huge role in forming the national world outlook of Ukrainians.

9). Hryhoriy Skovoroda – outstanding Ukrainian philosopher, poet and pedagogue.

10). Lessia Ukrayinka (Larysa Petrivna Kosach-Kvitka) – the most famous Ukrainian poetess, energetic fighter for consolidation of Ukrainians into a nation.

The final results on the Big Ukrainians top ten will be known by May 16.

As for the top hundred, it mostly includes political figures and statesmen. In addition to mentioned-above Khelnytskiy, Yaroslav Mudry, Kravchuk and Lukyanenko, the hundred also includes hetman Ivan Mazepa [#11], the first Ukrainian President Mykhaylo Hrushevskiy [#14], Kyiv Rus Prince Volodymyr the Great [#16], President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko [#20], Pm of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko [#21], Vladimir Lenin [#23], Symon Petrlyura [#26], King Danylo Halytskiy [#34], hetman Pylyp Orlyk [#36], Princess Olga [#43], Victor Yanukovych [#62], Leonid Brezhnev [#63], hetman Dmytro Bayda-Vyshnevetskiy [#97], and others.

The list also includes many cultural figures: writer Mykola Gogol [#18], film director Oleksander Dovzhenko [#22], poetess Lina Kostenko [#25], actor Leonid Bykov [#27], founder of the new Ukrainian literature Ivan Kotlyarevskiy [#27], composer Volodymyr Ivasyuk [#30], opera singer Solomia Krushelnytska [#31], composer Mykola Lysenko [#41], actor Bohdan Stupka [#47], writer Mykhaylo Bulhakov [#49], opera singer Anatoliy Solovyanenko [#55], actor Mykola Hrynko [#59], “golden voice” of Ukraine Nina Matviyenko [#60], artist Illya Ryepin [#65], actress Maria Zankovetska [#66], actor Ivan Mykolaychuk [#67], writer Mykhaylo Kotsyubynskiy [#73], singer Raisa Kyrychenko [#74], singer Nazariy Yaremchuk [#75], theater reformator Les Kurbas [#78], artist Kateryna Bilokur [#84], poetess Olena Teliha [#94], writer Ostap Vyshnya [#96].

The youngest Big Ukrainian is swimmer Yana Klochkova, 25, four-time winner of the Olympic Games. The oldest – Princess Olga, who ruled the Kyiv Rus after her husband was killed.

22 Big Ukrainians are our contemporary. The most outstanding of them are the Klitschko brothers [#15].

Obviously, many Ukrainians, who took part in the voting, treated it with humor. For instance, the world proletariat leader Vladimir Lenin occupies 23rd (!) position in the rating. He was born in the Russian town of Simbirsk, and never visited Ukraine.

The last position in the first hundred is occupied by the Unknown Soldier.

According to authors of the project, 14 thousand people pretended to be included into the first hundred list of the Big Ukrainians. It is almost by 27 times more than in the project’s native country – the Great Britain.