The man who held the reins of Ukraine during its most volatile transition

Countries & Cities · Published 2 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In February 2014, as the Yanukovych government collapsed and Crimea faced annexation, one man stepped into the vacuum of power. Oleksandr Turchynov, a figure of deep political complexity, navigated a nation caught between revolution and sudden, large-scale military intervention.

Oleksandr Turchynov’s ascent to the presidency was a product of constitutional necessity during a period of extreme upheaval. Following the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych on 21 February 2014, the Verkhovna Rada passed legislation reinstating the 2004 constitutional amendments. Under these provisions, Turchynov, then the Speaker of Parliament, was designated as the interim President of Ukraine. His tenure, which lasted until Petro Poroshenko was sworn in on 7 June 2014, was defined by the dual crises of the Euromaidan Revolution and the ongoing Russian military intervention in Crimea.

Turchynov’s political identity is inextricably linked to Yulia Tymoshenko. A long-time ally and former deputy of her Batkivshchyna party, he served in various high-level capacities, including head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in 2005 and acting Prime Minister in 2010. His career has been marked by both significant administrative responsibility and intense controversy. For instance, as SBU head, he was noted for dissolving investigations into the Georgiy Gongadze case, and later, as acting president, he authorized large-scale anti-terrorist operations in response to militants occupying government buildings.

Beyond the halls of power, Turcholog’s influence extends into the economic and social fabric of Ukraine. An economist by training, he has been involved in numerous business ventures and political party formations, such as the People's Front. While he has been a central figure in defending Ukrainian sovereignty—even admitting to personally signing orders to arm volunteers during the 2014 conflict—his public standing has been polarized. By 2017, polls suggested a significant lack of public trust, with over 57% of respondents expressing total distrust in his leadership.

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