Ivan Drach Ukrainian politician, poet, writer, critic and "almost dissident" of the Soviet era. Hero of Ukraine. Date of Birth: 17.10.1936 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Ivan Drach

Ivan Drach was a Ukrainian politician, poet, writer, critic, and a prominent figure during the Soviet era. He was also recognized as a Hero of Ukraine. Born on October 17, 1936, in the village of Telyzhentsi in the Kiev region, Ivan Drach initially worked as a Russian language teacher in a seven-year school and was an active member of the Komsomol.

After serving in the army from 1956 to 1958, he studied at the philological faculty of the Taras Shevchenko Kiev State University. However, he did not complete his studies and instead enrolled in the Higher Screenwriting Courses in Moscow from 1962 to 1964. It was during this time that Ivan Drach began writing his first poems, some of which expressed criticism towards the Soviet authorities. He also established his first contacts with Ukrainian dissidents during this period.

However, after the Soviet regime suppressed the dissident movement, Ivan Drach wrote a letter of repentance in May 1966, expressing regret for his involvement with the dissidents. Subsequently, his relationship with the authorities became smoother. In 1976, he even received the State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR named after Taras Shevchenko for his poetry collection. In 1983, Ivan Drach was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in the same category.

Throughout his career, Ivan Drach worked for newspapers such as "Literaturna Ukraina" and "Otechestvo," as well as at the Kiev Film Studio named after A.P. Dovzhenko. Following the beginning of Perestroika, he once again became involved in dissident circles. Alongside Vyacheslav Chornovil, Mikhail Horyn, and other prominent Ukrainian dissidents, Ivan Drach co-founded the People's Movement of Ukraine (NRU) in 1989, the first official Ukrainian anti-Soviet organization.

Ivan Drach served as the first chairman of the NRU from its inception on September 8, 1989, until February 28, 1992. From February 28 to December 4, 1992, he served as a co-chairman of the NRU alongside Vyacheslav Chornovil and Mikhail Horyn. In the spring of 1990, Ivan Drach was elected as a deputy to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine from the Artemivsk (No. 259) constituency, receiving 66.38% of the votes.

However, after his departure from high-ranking positions in the NRU at the end of 1992, Ivan Drach distanced himself from politics and did not re-enter the Verkhovna Rada. In the parliamentary elections on March 29, 1998, he ran as a candidate for the deputy of the Ternopil (No. 167) constituency and was elected for the second time with 21.04% of the votes. On March 31, 2002, Ivan Drach ran on the list of "Our Ukraine" party as the 31st candidate and was re-elected to the parliament for the third time.

In March 2005, after disagreements with the NRU party leadership, Ivan Drach left the party and joined Yuriy Kostenko's Ukrainian People's Party. Consequently, he participated in the parliamentary elections on March 26, 2006, as the 14th candidate on the Ukrainian People's Block Kostyanko and Plyushcha list. However, as the block lost the elections, Ivan Drach did not re-enter the parliament. On August 19, 2006, he was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.

From August 1992 to May 19, 2000, Ivan Drach served as the head of the Ukrainian World Coordinating Council. Additionally, since 1995, he has been the chairman of the Congress of Ukrainian Intellectuals.