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)
- 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)
- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry claims that its troops has engaged with North Korean units recently deployed to help Russia for the first time. (DW)
Featured pictures
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that Zinkiv, Ukraine, was a center of Hasidic Judaism until almost the entirety of the city's 2,300-strong Jewish population was murdered during the Holocaust?
- ... 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 the Jihadist Burkinabè rebels' ongoing siege of Djibo has been described as a "Ukrainian death"?
- ... that Halyna Kuzmenko promoted the Ukrainization of the Makhnovist movement, successfully increasing the use of the Ukrainian language by Russian speakers?
- ... that Artem Datsyshyn, the National Opera of Ukraine's principal dancer in ballets such as Swan Lake and La Bayadère, is said to have danced with "romantic sublimity" and "psychological depth"?
- ... that the Temporary Protection Directive went unused until the Ukrainian refugee crisis?
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 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 Khreschatyk is the main street of Ukrainian capital Kyiv on which Orange Revolution and other historical events mainly took place?
- ... 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?
Selected article -
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in Ukraine face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ individuals; historically, the prevailing social and political attitudes have been intolerant of LGBTQ people, and strong evidence suggests this attitude remains in parts of the wider society. Since the fall of the Soviet Union and Ukraine's independence in 1991, the Ukrainian LGBTQ community has gradually become more visible and more organized politically, organizing several LGBTQ events in Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Kryvyi Rih.
In a 2010 European study, 28% of Ukrainians polled believed that LGBT individuals should live freely and however they like, the lowest number of all European countries polled apart from Russia. In 2015, the Ukrainian Parliament approved an employment anti-discrimination law covering sexual orientation and gender identity, and in 2016, Ukrainian officials simplified the transition process for transgender people and began allowing gay and bisexual men to donate blood. In 2023 the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association ranked Ukraine 39th out of 49 European countries in terms of LGBTQ rights legislation, similarly to EU members Lithuania and Romania. Marriage remains limited to heterosexual couples under the 1996 constitution. (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)
- 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)
- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry claims that its troops has engaged with North Korean units recently deployed to help Russia for the first time. (DW)
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
- ^ In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Ilyich and the family name is Brezhnev.