First astronaut of independent Ukraine

Leonid Kadeniuk is the first citizen of Ukraine since its independance who took part in a space flight.  On 19 November 1997 the Space Shuttle Columbia welcomed him on board. Notably, the astronaut took with him a flag of Ukraine, and poetry of Taras Shevchenko as well as a CD with his favourite songs. His mission as part of the international crew lasted 15 days 16 hours and 35 minutes. Leonid Kadeniuk died in Kyiv in January 2018 from a heart attack. Eternal memory.