Portal:Ukraine
The Ukraine Portal - Портал України
Ukraine Україна (Ukrainian) | |
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ISO 3166 code | UA |
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which borders it to the east and northeast. It also borders Belarus to the north; Poland and Slovakia to the west; Hungary, Romania and Moldova to the southwest; with a coastline along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to the south and southeast. Kyiv is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa. Ukraine's official language is Ukrainian.
During the Middle Ages, Ukraine was the site of early Slavic expansion and the area later became a key centre of East Slavic culture under the state of Kievan Rus', which emerged in the 9th century. The state eventually disintegrated into rival regional powers and was destroyed by the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. The area was then contested, divided, and ruled by a variety of external powers for the next 600 years, including the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austrian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Tsardom of Russia. The Cossack Hetmanate emerged in central Ukraine in the 17th century, but was partitioned between Russia and Poland, and absorbed by the Russian Empire. Ukrainian nationalism developed and, following the Russian Revolution in 1917, the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic was formed. The Bolsheviks consolidated control over much of the former empire and established the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, which became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union when it was formed in 1922. In the early 1930s, millions of Ukrainians died in the Holodomor, a human-made famine. The German occupation during World War II in Ukraine was devastating, with 7 million Ukrainian civilians killed, including most Ukrainian Jews.
Ukraine gained independence in 1991 as the Soviet Union dissolved, and declared itself neutral. A new constitution was adopted in 1996. A series of mass demonstrations, known as the Euromaidan, led to the establishment of a new government in 2014 after a revolution. Russia then unilaterally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, and pro-Russian unrest culminated in a war in the Donbas between Russian-backed separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since the outbreak of war with Russia, Ukraine has continued to seek closer ties with the United States, European Union, and NATO.
Ukraine is a unitary state and its system of government is a semi-presidential republic. A developing country, it is the poorest country in Europe by nominal GDP per capita and corruption remains a significant issue. However, due to its extensive fertile land, pre-war Ukraine was one of the largest grain exporters in the world. Ukraine is a middle power and the Ukrainian Armed Force is the fifth largest armed force in the world in terms of both active personnel as well as total number of personnel with the eighth largest defence budget in the world. The Ukrainian Armed Forces also operates one of the largest and most diverse drone fleets in the world. It is a founding member of the United Nations, as well as a member of the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization, and the OSCE. It is in the process of joining the European Union and has applied to join NATO. (Full article...)
In the news
- 16 October 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Foreign involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, North Korea–Ukraine relations
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces that North Korea has now become directly involved in the war in Ukraine, according to a senior Ukrainian intelligence official report that around 3,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia and are training for deployment to Russian-occupied territories. (Politico)
- United States President Joe Biden announces a new $425 million military aid package for Ukraine, containing long-range weaponry. (The Kyiv Independent)
- 15 October 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- Governor of Kharkiv Oblast Oleh Syniehubov orders the mandatory evacuation of all civilians from Kupiansk and Borova in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Reuters)
- 15 October 2024 – Iran–European Union relations
- The European Union sanctions fourteen Iranian individuals and firms, including Iran Air and several high-ranking members of the Quds Force, for allegedly transferring missiles and drones to Moscow in order to help Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. (Al Jazeera)
- 14 October 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Southern Ukraine campaign
- Russian forces claim that they took the village of Levadne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine. (Voice of America)
- 13 October 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Foreign involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy states that North Korean troops have been deployed to Ukraine to fight alongside the Russian military. (Reuters)
Featured pictures
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra brought music by three Ukrainian composers to concert halls in Poland and Germany in April 2022, including the Berlin Philharmonie and the Kurhaus Wiesbaden?
- ... that Volodymyr Kozhukhar, the chief conductor of the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv, led Lysenko's opera Taras Bulba and Shchedrin's ballet Carmen Suite?
- ... that a young Ukrainian photographer, Valeria Shashenok, posts satirical TikTok videos about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine?
- ... that Ukrainian parties obtained only a fifth of the votes in the 1917 Kiev City Duma election?
- ... that a recent cyberattack on Ukrainian websites was disguised as ransomware?
- ... that following the energy price shock caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Turkish government intervened to have the country's renewable energy subsidise coal and gas?
More did you know -
- ... that although the secular music of Mykola Leontovych was well known in the twentieth century, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom was little known because of a ban on sacred music in the Soviet Union?
- ... that according to legend, a tunnel leads from the Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle to the Khotyn Fortress which is 20 kilometres (12 mi) away?
- ... that the married Western Ukrainian Clergy became a hereditary caste that dominated western Ukrainian society?
- ... that Ukrainian naturalist, lecturer, artist and author John Lhotsky was credited as the first discoverer of gold in New South Wales?
- ... that Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych (pictured), known for the "Carol of the Bells", was nicknamed "Ukrainian Bach" in France?
- ... that the Kryvbas economic region in Ukraine is one of the largest iron ore and steel industry centers in Europe?
Selected article -
Kyiv (also Kiev) is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2,952,301, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyiv is an important industrial, scientific, educational, and cultural center in Eastern Europe. It is home to many high-tech industries, higher education institutions, and historical landmarks. The city has an extensive system of public transport and infrastructure, including the Kyiv Metro.
The city's name is said to derive from the name of Kyi, one of its four legendary founders. During its history, Kyiv, one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, passed through several stages of prominence and obscurity. The city probably existed as a commercial center as early as the 5th century. A Slavic settlement on the great trade route between Scandinavia and Constantinople, Kyiv was a tributary of the Khazars, until its capture by the Varangians (Vikings) in the mid-9th century. Under Varangian rule, the city became a capital of Kievan Rus', the first East Slavic state. Completely destroyed during the Mongol invasions in 1240, the city lost most of its influence for the centuries to come. Coming under Lithuania, then Poland and then Russia, the city would grow from a frontier market into an important centre of Orthodox learning in the sixteenth century, and later of industry, commerce, and administration by the nineteenth. (Full article...)
In the news
- 16 October 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Foreign involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, North Korea–Ukraine relations
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces that North Korea has now become directly involved in the war in Ukraine, according to a senior Ukrainian intelligence official report that around 3,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia and are training for deployment to Russian-occupied territories. (Politico)
- United States President Joe Biden announces a new $425 million military aid package for Ukraine, containing long-range weaponry. (The Kyiv Independent)
- 15 October 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- Governor of Kharkiv Oblast Oleh Syniehubov orders the mandatory evacuation of all civilians from Kupiansk and Borova in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Reuters)
- 15 October 2024 – Iran–European Union relations
- The European Union sanctions fourteen Iranian individuals and firms, including Iran Air and several high-ranking members of the Quds Force, for allegedly transferring missiles and drones to Moscow in order to help Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. (Al Jazeera)
- 14 October 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Southern Ukraine campaign
- Russian forces claim that they took the village of Levadne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine. (Voice of America)
- 13 October 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Foreign involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy states that North Korean troops have been deployed to Ukraine to fight alongside the Russian military. (Reuters)
Selected anniversaries for October
- October 4, 2006 — Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 crashed over the Black Sea en route from Tel Aviv (Israel) to Novosibirsk (Russia).
- October 25, 1854 — Battle of Balaclava was fought during the Crimean War, fought between the allied forces of the United Kingdom, French Empire and the Ottoman Empire on one side and Russia on the other.
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