Danylo Skoropadsky

I believe that […] all Ukrainian statesmen will find a way to each other and, united under the shadow of one guiding idea, will win and rebuild our Ukraine in a creative impulse.

Danylo Skoropadsky

Danylo Skoropadsky was a Ukrainian political and public figure in exile, the son of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky, who took an active part in organizing the political, social, and cultural life of Ukrainians in the UK and was the honorary head of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain.

He was the fourth child in the family of Pavlo and Oleksandra Skoropadsky. Danylo had been abroad since 1918. He got an engineering degree and worked in his field of study at factories in Germany and Great Britain.

In 1933, he succeeded his father as Hetman. He was in close contact with Ukrainian monarchists and representatives of other political forces, including Yevhen Konovalets. In 1937-1938, D. Skoropadsky traveled to the United States and Canada, which influenced the unification of competing Ukrainian political organizations.

In 1939, on his father’s advice, he left for Great Britain to ensure the existence of the Hetmanite movement in case of the Nazis’ defeat in the war. In 1949, he was elected honorary chairman of the Association of Ukrainians of Great Britain (AUGB), which cared for Ukrainian emigrants, conducted educational work among young people, and organized political actions.

Faithful to his father’s will, Danylo consistently worked to unite all Ukrainians despite differences in political beliefs. In diaspora circles, he was considered one of the leading contenders for the post of head of the future state. His mysterious and unexpected death led to many rumors of deliberate poisoning. His tombstone at Hampstead Cemetery in London bears the inscription: “Building Ukraine for all and with all.”