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 considered a middle power in global affairs, 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
- 8 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kharkiv strikes, Kyiv strikes, Odesa strikes
- One person is killed and at least 38 others are injured in Russian overnight airstrikes in Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Odesa, Ukraine. (AP)
- 8 November 2024 – Ukraine–United States relations
- The United States lifts its ban on deploying military contractors to Ukraine, thereby enabling American companies to directly assist with the maintenance and repair of U.S.-made weapons, such as F-16 fighter aircraft and Patriot air defense systems. The U.S. says that its contractors will be positioned far from the front lines and will not engage in combat with Russian forces. (CNN)
- 7 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Zaporizhzhia strikes
- Four people are killed and 33 others are injured when Russian guided bombs hit residences, an apartment building, and a medical center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (Reuters)
- 7 November 2024 – Russia–United Kingdom relations
- International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 6 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- U.S. President Joe Biden announces the expedited granting of more than US$6 billion in military aid to Ukraine prior to president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in January. (Reuters)
- 5 November 2024 – Russo-Ukrainian War
- Zaporizhzhian strikes
- Six people are killed and at least 20 others are injured in a Russian missile strike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (Reuters)
Featured pictures
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that Ruslana Pysanka, who hosted a Ukrainian television program with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, died as a refugee in Germany?
- ... that Ukrainians Nadia Smyrnytska, Maria Kalyuzhnaya and Maria Kovalevska joined other prisoners in committing suicide to protest against the abuse of imprisoned women in Kara katorga?
- ... that Mali and Niger broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine over the country's alleged support for rebel groups in the Battle of Tinzaouaten?
- ... that Ukrainian designer Anna October showed her collection during Paris Fashion Week after escaping the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine?
- ... 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 the United Ukrainian Ballet Company, consisting of exiled dancers based in The Hague, has toured the UK, Singapore, Australia and the US?
More did you know -
- ... that the Kryvbas economic region in Ukraine is one of the largest iron ore and steel industry centers in Europe?
- ... that Ukrainian naturalist, lecturer, artist and author John Lhotsky was credited as the first discoverer of gold in New South Wales?
- ... that the Privat Group is one of the few Ukrainian companies that own industries in the United States?
- ... 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 at its first years Kiev Zoo had to move its animals into the food storage of the main Kiev railway station for the winter?
- ... that Vasyl Avramenko is often referred as "The father of the Ukrainian dance"?
Selected article -
Luhansk (UK: /luːˈhænsk/, US: /-ˈhɑːn-/; Ukrainian: Луганськ, IPA: [lʊˈɦɑnʲsʲk] ), also known as Lugansk (UK: /-ˈɡæn-/, US: /-ˈɡɑːn-/; Russian: Луганск, IPA: [lʊˈɡansk]), is a city in the Donbas region, eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be 397,677 (2022 estimate),[1] making Luhansk the 12th-largest city in Ukraine.
Luhansk served as the administrative center of Luhansk Oblast, before pro-Russian separatists seized control of the city in 2014 and made it the capital of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic. The Ukrainian administration was located in Sievierodonetsk from 2014 to 2022 during the war in Donbas, due to Ukraine not being in control of Luhansk. Sievierodonetsk was captured by Russia in 2022 and the Luhansk Oblast was later annexed by Russia in late 2022. (Full article...)
In the news
- 8 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kharkiv strikes, Kyiv strikes, Odesa strikes
- One person is killed and at least 38 others are injured in Russian overnight airstrikes in Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Odesa, Ukraine. (AP)
- 8 November 2024 – Ukraine–United States relations
- The United States lifts its ban on deploying military contractors to Ukraine, thereby enabling American companies to directly assist with the maintenance and repair of U.S.-made weapons, such as F-16 fighter aircraft and Patriot air defense systems. The U.S. says that its contractors will be positioned far from the front lines and will not engage in combat with Russian forces. (CNN)
- 7 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Zaporizhzhia strikes
- Four people are killed and 33 others are injured when Russian guided bombs hit residences, an apartment building, and a medical center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (Reuters)
- 7 November 2024 – Russia–United Kingdom relations
- International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 6 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- U.S. President Joe Biden announces the expedited granting of more than US$6 billion in military aid to Ukraine prior to president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in January. (Reuters)
- 5 November 2024 – Russo-Ukrainian War
- Zaporizhzhian strikes
- Six people are killed and at least 20 others are injured in a Russian missile strike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (Reuters)
Selected anniversaries for November
- November 11—November 12, 1918 — Battle of Przemyśl was fought between Polish and Ukrainian forces.
- November 24, 2007 - the official day of remembrance for people who died as a result of Holodomor and political repression.
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Notes
- ^ 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.