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
- 22 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2024 Kursk offensive
- Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova states that 46 Russian civilians among one thousand claimed to have been forcibly relocated by Ukraine into its territory have been returned, following extensive negotiations involving the Red Cross. (Reuters)
- Northern Ukraine campaign
- Two people are killed and 12 others are injured in a Russian drone attack on civilian infrastructure in Sumy, Ukraine. (Reuters)
- 21 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Dnipro strikes, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
- Russia strikes Dnipro, Ukraine, with a projectile stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin to be a new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) model. This confirms earlier reports from the United States and other western officials, who said that Russia had used an IRBM after initial reports misidentified the missile as a RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. (Reuters) (CBS News) (BBC News)
- Hungary and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Hungary announces the deployment of a missile defense system on its border with Ukraine, saying that the threat of escalation with Russia is now "greater than ever". (Reuters)
- United Kingdom and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrey Kelin says that the UK is now "directly involved" in the war in Ukraine following yesterday's use of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia. (Sky News)
Featured pictures
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that Inna Derusova was the first woman to be posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine?
- ... that the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York, founded in 1949 by immigrants, first toured Ukraine in 1990?
- ... that the first film written and directed by Marysia Nikitiuk has been called one of the "most iconic" works of modern Ukrainian cinema?
- ... that the Malyuk rifle was originally developed as a private venture under a contract with the Security Service of Ukraine?
- ... that Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said that Ukrainians care less about her being transgender than Americans do?
- ... that Mali and Niger broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine over the country's alleged support for rebel groups in the Battle of Tinzaouaten?
More did you know -
- ... 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 Vasyl Avramenko is often referred as "The father of the Ukrainian dance"?
- ... 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 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 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?
Selected article -
The Ukrainian Navy (Ukrainian: Військово-морські сили Збройних сил України, ВМС ЗСУ, romanized: Viiskovo–morski syly Zbroinykh syl Ukrainy, VMS ZSU, lit. 'Military Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine') is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the eight service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The naval forces consist of five components – surface forces, submarine forces, naval aviation, coastal rocket-artillery and naval infantry. In 2022, the Ukrainian navy had 15,000 personnel, including 6,000 naval infantry. (Full article...)
In the news
- 22 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2024 Kursk offensive
- Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova states that 46 Russian civilians among one thousand claimed to have been forcibly relocated by Ukraine into its territory have been returned, following extensive negotiations involving the Red Cross. (Reuters)
- Northern Ukraine campaign
- Two people are killed and 12 others are injured in a Russian drone attack on civilian infrastructure in Sumy, Ukraine. (Reuters)
- 21 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Dnipro strikes, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
- Russia strikes Dnipro, Ukraine, with a projectile stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin to be a new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) model. This confirms earlier reports from the United States and other western officials, who said that Russia had used an IRBM after initial reports misidentified the missile as a RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. (Reuters) (CBS News) (BBC News)
- Hungary and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Hungary announces the deployment of a missile defense system on its border with Ukraine, saying that the threat of escalation with Russia is now "greater than ever". (Reuters)
- United Kingdom and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrey Kelin says that the UK is now "directly involved" in the war in Ukraine following yesterday's use of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia. (Sky 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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Notes
- ^ In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Sergeyevich and the family name is Khrushchev.