Mykola Lytvyn

Mykola Lytvyn (Микола Михайлович Литвин) was a chief of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine since 2003, General of the Army of Ukraine (2008). He resigned in 2014.

Biography
Lytvyn was born on March 8, 1961 in peasant family in the village of Sloboda-Romanivska in Novohrad-Volynskyi Raion (Zhytomyr Oblast).

His military career Lytvyn started out in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany in 1979-1980. In 1980-84 he studied at the Higher Military Political College of Engineer Troops and Forces of Communication in Donetsk. In 1984-90 Lytvyn was stationed in the Transcaucasian Military District (Azerbaijan SSR) serving in the 104th Airborne Division (see 31st Guards Airborne Brigade).

In 1990-93 Lytvyn was an audit student at the Lenin Military Political Academy in Moscow. After graduation he served in the National Guard of Ukraine in 1993-96. In 1996-2001 Lytvyn was a deputy commander of the Internal Troops of Ukraine. During that period he graduated from the National University of Defense of Ukraine (1998), finished a military course at the Harvard University (1997) and was promoted from Colonel to Lieutenant General of the Army (1999). Also, the National Guard of Ukraine was dissolved and mostly reintegrated back into the Internal Troops of Ukraine.

In July 14, 2001 Lytvyn was appointed the commander of the Internal Troops of Ukraine, yet in four months on November 12, 2001 he was appointed the chief of Border Troops, a state committee which in 2003 was transformed into an independent state service headed by Lytvyn. In 2008 Lytvyn was promoted to the General of Army of Ukraine.

On October 6, 2014 President of Ukraine Poroshenko dismissed the head of the State Border Service of Ukraine Mykola Lytvyn. This is stated in the decree of the President 757/2014 number of 6 October 2014. "Liberate Lytvyn Nicholas Mikhailovich of the Head of the State Border Service of Ukraine," - said in the decree.

Personal life
Lytvyn is married and has a daughter. He also has two brothers who are high ranking officials of Ukraine:
 * Volodymyr Lytvyn, Ukrainian politician, former speaker of the Verkhovna Rada
 * Petro Lytvyn, commander of the Southern Operation Command.