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
- 20 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- United Kingdom and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- British-produced Storm Shadow missiles are launched into Russian territory by Ukraine for the first time, following approval by the Starmer cabinet. (The Guardian)
- The U.S., Italian, Greek, and Spanish governments temporarily close their embassies in Kyiv, Ukraine, following threats of a "significant air attack" from Russia. (The Washington Times)
- The embassies of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan urge their citizens to leave areas near Ukrainian combat zones or to leave Ukraine altogether amid an escalating risk of Russian retaliatory attacks. (The Times of Central Asia)
- 19 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- United States and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- U.S. President Joe Biden approves of sending non-persistent anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, with Ukraine committing to not use them in areas with civilians. (Al Jazeera)
- The United Kingdom and France both prepare new military packages containing long-range missiles to send to Ukraine following United States President Joe Biden's decision to allow deep strikes into Russian territory using American weapons. (Newsweek)
- Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Ukraine launches ATACMS ballistic missiles at targets in Bryansk Oblast, Russia, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. It is the first time that Ukraine has used the American-supplied missiles to strike targets inside Russia. (BBC News)
Featured pictures
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that Ukrainian museum director Horpyna Vatchenko forced the Hermitage Museum to abide by its agreement and return the Kernosovskiy idol after a loan?
- ... that Hanna Dmyterko was among 34 Ukrainian women who fought in World War I?
- ... that one of Ukraine's largest power plants was mostly destroyed by Russians in March 2024?
- ... that military volunteer Maria Berlinska led the report that let women hold combat positions in the Ukrainian military?
- ... that street artist TVBoy, known for his murals of footballers in Barcelona, painted uplifting art in regions of Kyiv ahead of the one-year anniversary of the 2022 Russian invasion?
- ... that the Dvorichna settlement hromada has remained divided between Russia and Ukraine since the 2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive?
More did you know -
- ... 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 Privat Group is one of the few Ukrainian companies that own industries in the United States?
- ... that the longest of the Kiev bridges, the 1,543 metres long Paton Bridge over the Dnieper River, constructed in 1953 was the first fully welded steel construction of such length at that time?
- ... 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 the Khreschatyk is the main street of Ukrainian capital Kyiv on which Orange Revolution and other historical events mainly took place?
- ... 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?
Selected article -
Ukrainian nationalism (Ukrainian: Український націоналізм, romanized: Ukrainskyi natsionalizm, pronounced [ʊkrɐˈjinʲsʲkei̯ nɐt͡sʲiɔnɐˈlʲizm]) is the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The origins of modern Ukrainian nationalism emerge during the Cossack uprising against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky in the mid-17th century. Ukrainian nationalism draws upon a single national identity of culture, ethnicity, geographic location, language, politics (or the government), religion, traditions and belief in a shared singular history. (Full article...)
In the news
- 20 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- United Kingdom and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- British-produced Storm Shadow missiles are launched into Russian territory by Ukraine for the first time, following approval by the Starmer cabinet. (The Guardian)
- The U.S., Italian, Greek, and Spanish governments temporarily close their embassies in Kyiv, Ukraine, following threats of a "significant air attack" from Russia. (The Washington Times)
- The embassies of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan urge their citizens to leave areas near Ukrainian combat zones or to leave Ukraine altogether amid an escalating risk of Russian retaliatory attacks. (The Times of Central Asia)
- 19 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- United States and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- U.S. President Joe Biden approves of sending non-persistent anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, with Ukraine committing to not use them in areas with civilians. (Al Jazeera)
- The United Kingdom and France both prepare new military packages containing long-range missiles to send to Ukraine following United States President Joe Biden's decision to allow deep strikes into Russian territory using American weapons. (Newsweek)
- Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Ukraine launches ATACMS ballistic missiles at targets in Bryansk Oblast, Russia, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. It is the first time that Ukraine has used the American-supplied missiles to strike targets inside Russia. (BBC News)
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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