Ukrainian

Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian former boxer. Widely regarded as one of the best heavyweight champions ever, Wladimir Klitschko was renowned for his great footwork and extraordinary knockout power. He won a gold medal for his country in the super-heavyweight division at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He has often been named among Ukraine's most influential people.

Sergei Prokofiev was a Russian Soviet pianist, composer, and conductor. Renowned for creating masterpieces across various genres, Prokofiev is widely considered one of the 20th century's major composers. Many other composers like Arthur Honegger have called Prokofiev the greatest contemporary musician of all time. An open pianists' competition, which is held every year in Ukraine, is named after Sergei Prokofiev.

The quintessential action heroine of Hollywood, Milla Jovovich was rightly called the reigning queen of kick-butt by VH1 in 2006. Milla Jovovich is synonymous with the Resident Evil film series as the series revolves around its central character Alice, played by Milla. The Resident Evil film franchise is the highest-grossing movie series to be adapted from video games.

Vasyl Lomachenko is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He is widely regarded as the most popular Ukrainian boxer and one of the most successful amateur boxers ever with an impressive record of 396 wins and 1 loss. Known for his exceptional accuracy, creativity, hand speed, athleticism, footwork, and defense, Lomachenko won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.

Retired Ukrainian boxer Vitali Klitschko, who is now a politician and the current mayor of Kyiv, is also known for his 6’7” frame. He was once the World Boxing Council world heavyweight title winner and earned the nickname Dr. Ironfist. He also holds a PhD from the physical science department of Kyiv University.

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk is not just a European and World Champion but also an Olympic gold medalist. Considered one of Ukraine’s best boxers in history, he is also the fourth male boxer to hold the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO titles at the same time.

Andriy Shevchenko is a former professional footballer who played for the Ukraine national team. One of the greatest Ukrainian football players of all time, Shevchenko scored 48 goals for his national team, making him the all-time top-scorer for Ukraine. He is also only the third Ukrainian to receive the prestigious Ballon d'Or. He is currently serving as Ukraine's head coach.

Jan Koum is a Ukrainian American computer programmer and entrepreneur. He is credited with co-founding the popular cross-platform messaging service, WhatsApp. One of the most popular billionaires around the world, Koum donated almost $556 million to the donor-advised community foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, in 2014.

Vaslav Nijinsky was a ballet dancer and choreographer. He is counted among the greatest male dancers of the early 20th century. He was known for the intensity of his characterizations. He was brilliant and could dance en pointe, a rare skill few male dancers of his era possessed. He suffered from mental health issues in his later life. 

Andriy Yarmolenko is a Ukrainian football player who plays as a forward or midfielder. He is the current captain of the Ukraine national football team. He is best known for his association with Dynamo Kyiv; he played for the team from 2008 to 2017. In 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017, Andriy Yarmolenko was named Ukrainian Footballer of the Year.

Vitas is a Ukrainian-Russian actor, singer, and songwriter. Renowned for his eclectic musical style and unique falsetto, Vitas has performed with well-known labels like Universal Music Group. He often incorporates elements of folk, classical, jazz, techno, dance, and operatic pop into his music.

Russian star pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka had started training at age 9. He soared to fame after winning the world championship in Finland at age 15 and later became the first to jump 6.1m. He won the 1988 Seoul Olympic gold and shattered the global men’s pole vault record 35 times.

Ukrainian-American professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy is best known for his appearances in the US version of the reality dance competition TV show Dancing with the Stars, which he won twice. A versatile and brilliant dancer, he is also a 14-time US National Latin Dance champion. He is the co-owner of nine social dance studios as well. 

Vitalii Sediuk is a name celebrities dread. The Ukrainian former reporter and prankster who crashes red-carpet events made headlines when he crawled under America Ferrera’s dress at Cannes, eventually losing his job at the TV channel 1+1. He faced legal issues when he broke Brad Pitt’s sunglasses at a premiere.

Though born a normal child, Ukrainian woman Oxana Malaya was later neglected by her family and grew up a feral child surrounded by dogs. She was a little over 7 when she was found by authorities. She later underwent therapy and was also the subject of a documentary.

Denis Stoff is a Ukrainian guitarist and vocalist best known for founding the popular metalcore band, Make Me Famous. He is also credited with founding Down & Dirty, which was formed after the dissolution of Make Me Famous. He then joined the British band Asking Alexandria before becoming the lead vocalist for Drag Me Out.

The feisty Orange Revolution leader Yulia Tymoshenko became Ukraine’s first lady prime minister in 2005 and was back in power from 2007 to 2010. She made her signature blonde ponytail, sometimes worn in a crown-shaped braid, a fashion statement. Tymoshenko was on Forbes’s list of the world’s most powerful women.

Yevhen Konoplyanka is a Ukrainian football player who plays as a midfielder for the Ukraine national team. He has also played for clubs like Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Schalke 04, and Shakhtar Donetsk. In 2010, 2012, and 2013, Yevhen Konoplyanka was named Ukrainian Footballer of the Year.