Ukraine: Chronology

Andre Anastasion, a native of Odesa, Ukraine, began translating the Book of Mormon into Russian.

The first translation of the Book of Mormon in Russian, based on Anastasion’s work, was published.

Members of a folk ensemble from Donetsk, Ukraine, performed in Rexburg and stayed in the homes of Latter-day Saints, including B. John and Carol Galbraith. A few later joined the Church.

Missionaries Ivan Stratov and Brian Bradbury from the Austria Vienna East Mission arrived in Kyiv to begin proselytizing.

Valeriy Stavichenko became the first Latter-day Saint to be baptized in Ukraine.

The Church’s first branch in Ukraine was organized in Kyiv, with Valeriy Stavichenko as president.

The Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine proclaimed Ukraine’s independence.

Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated Ukraine for the preaching of the restored gospel.

The Church’s first religious community was officially registered with the city of Kyiv.

The Ukraine Kyiv Mission was formally established.

Oleksiy Roms began his service as the first full-time missionary called from Ukraine.

Missionaries arrived to begin preaching in Donetsk, the first city outside of Kyiv to which missionaries were assigned.

A group of Church members from Kyiv participated in the first organized temple trip from Ukraine to the Freiberg Germany Temple.

Church members in Kharkiv were formally organized into three branches.

Three districts, Central, Left Bank, and Sviatoshyn, were organized in Kyiv. Oleksandr Manzhos, Vyacheslav Gulko, and Valeriy Stavichenko were called as the first district presidents, respectively.

The first seminary and institute classes began.

Church leaders began the “School of the Presidents,” a series of weekly training meetings for branch and district priesthood leaders.

The Church’s first branch in Western Ukraine was organized, with Oleksiy Chemezov as president.

The Donetsk Ukraine District was organized.

The first Ukrainian-speaking missionaries began preaching in Western Ukraine.

The Kharkiv Ukraine District was organized with Volodymyr Ashanin as president.

Oleksandr Manzhos was called as president of the Ukraine Donetsk Mission, becoming the first mission president from independent Ukraine.

The Religious Administration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ukraine, the Church’s national religious organization in the country, was officially registered.

The Book of Mormon was published in Ukrainian.

Latter-day Saints in Donetsk and Kyiv observed the Pioneer Sesquicentennial with outdoor celebrations, featuring a handcart transported across eastern Europe.

The Odesa Ukraine District was organized with Vitaliy Chernega as president.

Plans to construct a temple in Kyiv were announced.

Oleksandr Manzhos was called as the first Area Seventy from Ukraine.

Church President Gordon B. Hinckley met with about 3,200 Latter-day Saints and guests gathered at the Palace “Ukraine” concert hall in Kyiv.

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles organized the Kyiv Ukraine Stake, the first stake in Ukraine. Volodymyr Kanchenko was called as president and Oleksiy Ivanenko as stake patriarch.

The Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price were first published in Ukrainian along with a revised translation of the Book of Mormon.

Church President Thomas S. Monson dedicated the Kyiv Ukraine Temple, the first temple in Ukraine and eastern Europe.

The Kyiv Ukraine Temple was named the best religious building constructed in Ukraine in 2010 by the Ukrainian Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services.

Missionaries were relocated from Eastern Ukraine due to civil unrest and conflict, leading to the closure of the Ukraine Donetsk Mission, then one of four missions in the country.

The Church signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine to facilitate the delivery of aid to refugees from conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

The Church and the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine launched a project to assist vulnerable populations living in conflict zones in Eastern Ukraine.

The Lviv Ukraine District was organized with Andriy Didushok as president.

Latter-day Saints across Ukraine celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Church in their country. Church representatives took part in a scholarly round table about the Church, held at the Hryhorii Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

The Uzhhorod Branch, the first branch in Transcarpathia, was organized.