Kostyantyn Morozov

Kostyantyn Morozov (Костянтин Петрович Морозов) is a military officer of the Soviet Union and Ukraine, the first Minister of Defense of Ukraine since its independence in 1990s, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine (2005), a key figure of the adaptation Ukrainian policy of NATO integration.

Kostyantyn Morozov was born in a village of Lozova Pavlivka (today part of Brianka city, Luhanska Oblast) on June 3, 1944 in a family of a mine electrician and a school teacher. Morozov's father, Petro Stepanovych, perished on a job when Kostyantyn was about 10 years of age.

Morozov graduated the Hrytsevych Higher Military Aviation College for the Air Force pilots in Kharkiv in 1967, after which he served in the Soviet Air Force of Northern Group of forces. In 1975 Morozov graduated the Gagarin Military-Air Academy. After that Morozov in number of commanding position across the Soviet Union. In 1984-86 he studied and graduated from the Voroshilov Military Academy of General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces. During that period Morozov served as a chieff of staff of an air army in Smolensk and in 1988 was transferred on the same position of different air army stationed in Kiev. In 1990 Morozov was appointed the commander of that army.

Soon after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt Morozov was appointed by the Ukrainian parliament the Minister of Defense of Ukraine on September 3, 1991. On October 1, 1991 he was dismissed from the commander of Kiev Military District air army by the President of the Soviet Union and the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union. On December 6, 1991 Morozov pledged his allegiance to the people of Ukraine. Due to his personal position in regard to the Black Sea Fleet he voluntarily resigned from his position on October 4, 1993.

After his dismissal from the ministry and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Morozov participated in various public activities: a Coordination council member of the Ukrainian intelligentsiya Congress, leader of electoral public organization "Democratic Association Ukraine", coordinator of democratic parties of Ukraine, a member of the Ukrainian-American consulting committee in policy development. In 1994-95 he studied English, foundations of state administration and international security policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University).

In 2000-01 Morozov was the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to Iran. In 2003 Morozov graduated the Open International University of Human Development “Ukraine”. In 2005-07 he headed the Ukraine mission to NATO, but resigned after change of government policy in 2007.