Prokuratory Ukrainy

Storyline

At times, lives of millions depend on whim of a few people when such people are in the centre of an empire's political life, especially when such empire is the Soviet Union. They were the masters of fates and proudly called themselves people's servants. Their biographies - the example of a party's devotion - were typical for soviet times. We may respect or admire them, we may hate or despise them, but there is no denying that they left the mark in history. FILM.UA not only collected the historical data, but also had a talk with the people who personally knew those that were at the helm. In this series we are presenting the trilogy Procurators of Ukraine about Nikolay Podgorny, Petr Shelest and Vladimir Shcherbitskiy. President of the Soviet Union Nikolay Podgorny is one of the most contradictory characters of a post-war soviet beau-monde. It was he who organized and headed the cabal against Khrushchev. It was he who nominated Leonid Brezhnev for the position of a General Secretary. For the first time in history Nikolay Podgorny was named the President of the Soviet Union. He was exiled to govern Ukraine, but he began to take a stand for its independence. For Nikolay Podgorny, power was not an end in itself, but just an instrument to achieve the planned - to stay in history. Director of Ukraine Petr Shelest was respectfully called Director of Ukraine. Being a strong economic manager, he governed the country during 10 years - from 1963 till 1972 and improved the Ukrainian economy to an unprecedented level leaving behind the other soviet republics. All the national features such as natural headpiece, tenacious mind, slyness, resourcefulness and practicality were in this person in concentrated form. Shelest was one of the participants of the anti-Khrushchev cabal, as well as the initiator of bringing the troops into Czechoslovakia. He lived 88 years and kept the word he once gave to himself - to survive all his enemies. Third Procurator Vladimir Shcherbitskiy governed Ukraine for eighteen years that was the longest period. Leonid Brezhnev trusted him, Mikhail Gorbachev was afraid of him; however, it was the voice of Vladimir Shcherbitskiy that turned out to be decisive when the new successor was selected. The three days before a death, Leonid Brezhnev gathered the immediate surround in his office. The meeting was held for just a couple of minutes. He brought all of them to an arm-chair and said: Remember, this is the place for Shcherbitskiy. But Shcherbitskiy refused to govern the USSR...