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
- 17 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia launches its largest aerial attack on Ukraine in months. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, around 120 missiles and 90 drones were launched, hitting energy infrastructure across the country, killing at least five people and causing widespread damage.(CNN)(BBC)
- 15 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany–Russia relations
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine, their first contact since 2022. Putin tells Scholz that any negotiated settlement to end the war must recognize the territories that Russia has occupied as part of Russia and that Ukraine must abandon its aspiration to join NATO. (AP) (The New York Times)
- 14 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- The Russian Defence Ministry claims that Russian forces have captured the village of Voznesenka in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Anadolu Agency)
- Odesa strikes, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
- One person is killed and ten others are injured in Russian airstrikes on an apartment building and energy facilities in Odesa, Ukraine. (Reuters)
- 11 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Mykolaiv strikes, Zaporizhzhia strikes
- Five people are killed and 18 others, including five children, are injured in Russian air strikes on Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (DW) (Arab News)
- 10 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Featured pictures
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that the Malyuk rifle was originally developed as a private venture under a contract with the Security Service of Ukraine?
- ... that Ukrainian activists squatted Viktor Yanukovych's opulent clubhouse at the Mezhyhirya Residence?
- ... that Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna's car was once fired on by Russian tanks?
- ... that the 1885 spiritual anthem Prayer for Ukraine was performed by a choir from New York on Saturday Night Live?
- ... that 24-year-old Mahasweta Chakraborty of Operation Ganga helped around 800 students return to India during the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
- ... that the Jihadist Burkinabè rebels' ongoing siege of Djibo has been described as a "Ukrainian death"?
More did you know -
- ... that Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych (pictured), known for the "Carol of the Bells", was nicknamed "Ukrainian Bach" in France?
- ... 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 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 at its first years Kiev Zoo had to move its animals into the food storage of the main Kiev railway station for the winter?
Selected article -
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative centre of the Odesa Raion and Odesa Oblast, as well as a multiethnic cultural centre. As of January 2021, Odesa's population was approximately 1,010,537.[1] On 25 January 2023, its historic city centre was declared a World Heritage Site and added to the List of World Heritage in Danger by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in recognition of its multiculturality and 19th-century urban planning. The declaration was made in response to the bombing of Odesa during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has damaged or destroyed buildings across the city.
In classical antiquity a large Greek settlement existed at its location no later than the middle of the 6th century BC. It has been researched as a possible site of the ancient Greek settlement of Histria. The first chronicle mention of the Slavic settlement-port of Kotsiubijiv, which was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, dates back to 1415, when a ship was sent from here to Constantinople by sea. After the Grand Duchy lost control, the port and its surroundings became part of the domain of the Ottoman Empire in 1529, under the name Hacibey, and remained in it until the Ottomans' defeat in the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792). In 1794, a decree of the Russian empress Catherine II was issued to establish a navy harbor and trading place in Khadjibey, which was named Odessa soon after. From 1819 to 1858, Odesa was a free port. During the Soviet period, it was an important trading port and a naval base. During the 19th century, Odesa was the fourth largest city of the Russian Empire, after Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Warsaw. Its historical architecture is more Mediterranean than Russian, having been heavily influenced by French and Italian styles. Some buildings are built in a mixture of different styles, including Art Nouveau, Renaissance and Classicist. (Full article...)
In the news
- 17 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia launches its largest aerial attack on Ukraine in months. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, around 120 missiles and 90 drones were launched, hitting energy infrastructure across the country, killing at least five people and causing widespread damage.(CNN)(BBC)
- 15 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany–Russia relations
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine, their first contact since 2022. Putin tells Scholz that any negotiated settlement to end the war must recognize the territories that Russia has occupied as part of Russia and that Ukraine must abandon its aspiration to join NATO. (AP) (The New York Times)
- 14 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- The Russian Defence Ministry claims that Russian forces have captured the village of Voznesenka in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Anadolu Agency)
- Odesa strikes, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
- One person is killed and ten others are injured in Russian airstrikes on an apartment building and energy facilities in Odesa, Ukraine. (Reuters)
- 11 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Mykolaiv strikes, Zaporizhzhia strikes
- Five people are killed and 18 others, including five children, are injured in Russian air strikes on Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (DW) (Arab News)
- 10 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
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.
- ^ In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Sergeyevich and the family name is Khrushchev.
- ^ 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.