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, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; and 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; Russian is also widely spoken, especially in the east and south.
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 ultimately 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 marked on maps as "Ukraine, land of the Cossacks", but was partitioned between Russia and Poland, and ultimately 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. Nonetheless, Ukraine is a major middle power and possesses the sixth largest and one of the best-funded armed forces in the world. The Ukrainian Armed Forces also operates one of the largest and most diverse drone fleet 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
- 31 May 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kharkiv strikes
- At least three people are killed and 16 others are injured when Russian missiles hit civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv. (Reuters)
- 30 May 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2024 Kharkiv offensive
- The United States gives Ukraine permission to strike Russian territory near Kharkiv Oblast with U.S.-supplied weapons, but not with long-range missiles. (Politico) (CNN)
- 29 May 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russia–NATO relations, Ukraine–NATO relations
- Sweden announces a package of $1.23 billion in military aid to Ukraine, the largest given by Sweden so far. (AP)
- France and Germany announce that French and German weapons sent to Ukraine, including long-range missiles, are permitted to target bases inside Russia. (CNN)
- 28 May 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- Russian guided bombs hit a block of apartments in Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, killing at least two civilians and injuring six others. (Reuters)
Featured pictures
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that during a German charity concert for Ukraine, Slovakian singer Judita Nagyová performed a solo in the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony?
- ... that German violinist and professor Aleksey Semenenko was stranded in Ukraine for a month because Russia invaded the country the day after his performance?
- ... that Ukrainian science fiction and fantasy is written both in Ukrainian and Russian?
- ... that in the history of opera in Ukraine, Mykola Lysenko's historical Taras Bulba was the first grand opera, but not performed during his lifetime because he refused a performance in Russian?
- ... that Halyna Kuzmenko promoted the Ukrainization of the Makhnovist movement, successfully increasing the use of the Ukrainian language by Russian speakers?
- ... that a young Ukrainian photographer, Valeria Shashenok, posts satirical TikTok videos about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine?
More did you know -
- ... that journalist Savik Shuster who used to work for Russian TV channels now prefers to work for the Ukrainian TV because he felt the Russian Government was limiting his journalistic freedom?
- ... that the Privat Group is one of the few Ukrainian companies that own industries in the United States?
- ... that the neo-classical Verkhovna Rada building in Kyiv features a hundred-tonne glass dome over the chamber where the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine convenes to enact legislation?
- ... that among many historic landmarks at the Andrew's Descent in Kyiv, there is a medieval Gothic style castle that locals call the "Castle of Richard the Lion Heart" due to the legend the 12th century King of England had visited the building?
- ... that Vasyl Avramenko is often referred as "The father of the Ukrainian dance"?
- ... that the Kryvbas economic region in Ukraine is one of the largest iron ore and steel industry centers in Europe?
Selected article -
Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, 391 km (243 mi) southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnipro River, after which its name is derived. Dnipro is the administrative centre of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. It hosts the administration of Dnipro urban hromada. Dnipro has a population of 968,502 (2022 estimate).[1]
Archeological evidence suggests the site of the present city was settled by Cossack communities from at least 1524. Yekaterinoslav ("glory of Catherine") was established by decree of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great in 1787 as the administrative center of Novorossiya. From the end of the 19th century, the town attracted foreign capital and an international, multi-ethnic workforce exploiting Kryvbas iron ore and Donbas coal. (Full article...)In the news
- 31 May 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kharkiv strikes
- At least three people are killed and 16 others are injured when Russian missiles hit civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv. (Reuters)
- 30 May 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2024 Kharkiv offensive
- The United States gives Ukraine permission to strike Russian territory near Kharkiv Oblast with U.S.-supplied weapons, but not with long-range missiles. (Politico) (CNN)
- 29 May 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russia–NATO relations, Ukraine–NATO relations
- Sweden announces a package of $1.23 billion in military aid to Ukraine, the largest given by Sweden so far. (AP)
- France and Germany announce that French and German weapons sent to Ukraine, including long-range missiles, are permitted to target bases inside Russia. (CNN)
- 28 May 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- Russian guided bombs hit a block of apartments in Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, killing at least two civilians and injuring six others. (Reuters)
Selected anniversaries for May
- May 9, 2024 — Victory Day
- May 28, 1916 — Ivan Franko, Ukrainian poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, economist, and political activist, died at 4 P.M. in poverty.
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- ^ Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2022 [Number of Present Population of Ukraine, as of January 1, 2022] (PDF) (in Ukrainian and English). Kyiv: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2022.