Mykola Plaviuk was born on 5 June 1925 in the village of Rusów in Poland (now Rusiv, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, in independent Ukraine).

[1] During World War II, Mykola became active in the Plast scouting movement in western Ukraine, which provided training after which many youth subsequently joined the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists.

After death of incumbent president Mykola Livytskyi, Plaviuk became his successor,[4] serving from 8 December 1989[citation needed] to 1992.

During a ceremonious session of the Verkhovna Rada on 22 August 1992 in Kyiv, Mykola Plaviuk formally ceded his authority and the activity of the UNR to the first president of independent Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, who was elected in 1991.

In 2007, through presidential decree President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko conferred upon Mykola Plaviuk The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st Class for his contributions as a “…public and political leader, President of the UNR in exile 1988-1992, for his selfless service to the Ukrainian people, and distinguished personal achievements in the revival of Ukraine’s independence."