Falling dove, closed doors, passing out of a soldier: funny situations at the inaugurations of the presidents of Ukraine

20 May the inauguration of the sixth president of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, took place. Earlier, the president's oath was taken by Leonid Kravchuk, twice Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, Viktor Yanukovych and Petro Poroshenko. Each time there was some embarrassment, and this time too.

Photo: president.gov.ua

BBC News Ukraine remembers interesting oddities that occurred at previous inaugurations.

Leonid Kravchuk

The inauguration of Leonid Kravchuk took place 5 December 1991. Then the solemn event scenario was invented on the go.

Already at the first inauguration, a tradition began when the president swears by placing his hand on the Constitution and the Peresopnytsia Gospel. Since the Constitution of Ukraine was adopted much later - in 1996, the Soviet-era constitution was used at that inauguration.

Then in the Verkhovna Rada the choir sang the anthem of Ukraine. But from the archival video it is clear that few of the politicians present did this. Kravchuk himself did not sing the anthem either.

Later, the first president will tell the site vybory.pravda.com.uathat he and the parliament were most tuned to work, so there was no festive reception.

“We did not celebrate the inauguration, there was no feast, no drinks and tables. At that time, we thought a little differently - we had the life of Ukraine on our agenda, we were transitioning to an independent state,” he said.

“We didn’t have time to do what we thought were unimportant things. Therefore, when the inauguration ended, we immediately began work. The next day I left for Belovezhskaya Pushcha to accept a historical document - the Belovezhskaya Agreement.”

Leonid Kuchma

Photo: video frame

First Inauguration The second president, Leonid Kuchma, took place on July 10 1994. Then everything went quite modestly: Kuchma entered the hall of parliament through the side doors without a guard of honor.

He was without the first lady, and during the oath of office he put his hand on the Peresopnytsia Gospel. That time the anthem was performed by the orchestra - without words.

On the same day, unlike Kravchuk, he noted his entry into office as a reception at the Mariinsky Palace.

Second inauguration Kuchma took place on November 30, 1999 and was notable for its pomp. For the first time, the event took place not in the parliament premises due to Kuchma’s difficult relations with deputies, but in the Ukraine Palace in the presence of more than ten foreign delegations.

At this inauguration, the head of state for the first time received a badge, mace and seal of the President of Ukraine.

On that day, the presidents of Uzbekistan, Slovakia, Poland, Turkey, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Moldova, the prime ministers of Russia (then Vladimir Putin) and Kazakhstan, and foreign ministers arrived in Kiev. They also invited the non-political elite - famous actors, singers, presenters.

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Leonid Kuchma voiced the inaugural speech, in which he spoke about the main tasks as president.

Victor Yushchenko

The third president of Ukraine took the oath of office on January 23, 2005 after the Orange Revolution. His inauguration, according to media reports, was expensive and took place in two stages: first, the celebrations took place in the parliament building, and then Yushchenko went to Independence Square.

The newly elected president, along with his wife, first walked along the guard of honor on the way to the tribune of the Verkhovna Rada.

Photo: video frame

Yushchenko took the oath, placing his hand on the Constitution and the Peresopnytsia Gospel; upon completion, he crossed himself and kissed both books. Having received the attributes of power, the president went to the Mariinsky Palace, and then to the Maidan, where hundreds of thousands of fans were waiting for him.

At that moment, in the central square of the capital with the newly elected president were his family and associates - Yulia Tymoshenko, Petro Poroshenko, Alexander Turchynov, Yuriy Lutsenko and others.

Tens of foreign delegations also arrived at the event.

After the speech, Yushchenko released white doves into the sky. And one of them could not take off, then the president did not lose his head and helped him rise to the sky.

In the evening of that day there was a festive reception, as well as a concert and fireworks on Maidan Nezalezhnosti.

Viktor Yanukovych

The inauguration of Viktor Yanukovych on February 25, 2010 began with embarrassment - right in front of the newly elected president, the doors of parliament closed and almost hit him.

The guards immediately rushed to open them.

At the ceremony, the fourth president did not sing the national anthem of Ukraine, flaunted the attributes of power, and the president’s certificate, which, according to tradition, was supposed to be given to the soldier’s guard of honor, was put in his pocket.

The inaugural hall of parliament was half empty, as the opposition ignored the ceremonial meeting.

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In the evening, a solemn reception was held at the Ukrainian House on the occasion of the inauguration of the newly elected president, which brought together representatives of foreign delegations, Ukrainian political beau monde and oligarchs.

Petro Poroshenko

On June 7, 2014, after the “revolution of dignity,” the inauguration of Petro Poroshenko took place, who won in the first round of the presidential election.

This day also did not pass without emergency situations. During the passage of the elected president on the red carpet to the building of the Verkhovna Rada one of the soldiers of the guard of honor fainted.

Photo: video frame

Obviously, this was due to the heat that was on that summer day. After the oath, Petro Poroshenko approached the guy to inquire about his state of health.

Already inside the parliament building, Poroshenko, in the presence of Ukrainian and foreign politicians, with his hand on his heart, diligently sang the anthem and the Prayer for Ukraine, raised high and held the presidential mace for a long time, and in his speech spoke about the main tasks - European integration and achieving peace.

He promised to do everything for peace to Ukrainians from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where by that time a military conflict had already unfolded. His speech was repeatedly interrupted by applause from those present, and at the end of the inauguration ceremony, “Glory to Ukraine!” and “Glory to the Heroes!” were heard for the first time.

The command of the army Poroshenko took on the Sofia area, and a festive reception was held at the Art Arsenal.

Vladimir Zelensky

Vladimir Zelensky, to the applause of the crowd, marched through the Mariinsky Park, accompanied by four guards, shaking the hands of his supporters and even kissing some of them. And he made one selfie.

Zelensky, putting his hand on the Constitution of Ukraine and the Peresopnytsia Gospel (it is believed that this book of the XVI century - the first translation of the Gospel into the Ukrainian language), took the oath to the Ukrainian people, signed the text and passed it to the head of the constitutional court of Ukraine.

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Zelensky was presented with the official symbols of the head of state - the order chain, mace and seal.

The head of the Central Election Commission, Tatiana Slipachuk, handed him the certificate of the President. Zlensky put the certificate on a special pad, which was held by the representative of the guard of honor, and it fell from it.

At the end of the ceremony, the new President of Ukraine left the Rada and approached the people while chanting “Well done!” and “Zelensky!” After that, he went to the Mariinsky Palace to take the oath from the military and security officials.

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