The Ukrainian Gambit: The Sacking of L.H. Mel’nykov and the Post-Stalin Succession

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A culminating moment in the post-Stalin struggle for power was the abrupt removal in May 1953 of the Ukrainian party boss Leonid Mel’nykov. With no clear succession procedure in place, the main contenders, Beria and Khrushchev, grasped for control over the institutions that might provide them a crucial advantage. Mel’nykov’s sacking became a focus of speculation in Cold War Kremlinology, viewed as a fatal political error by Beria. Utilising more recently available archival sources and the current scholarship of Soviet patronage politics and nationality policy, this article reassesses the clash over the Ukrainian SSR and the likely motivations of the primary actors.