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
- 21 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia and weapons of mass destruction, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
- Russia launches an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for the first time in the war. The RS-26 Rubezh, launched from a base near the Caspian Sea, reportedly targeted critical infrastructure in Dnipro. This is the first time in history that an intercontinental ballistic missile has been used in an armed conflict. (The Telegraph) (Reuters)
- Hungary announces the deployment of a missile defense system on its border with Ukraine, saying the threat of escalation with Russia is now "greater than ever". (Reuters)
- 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)
Featured pictures
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York, founded in 1949 by immigrants, first toured Ukraine in 1990?
- ... that the Ukrainian Holodomor Memorial Day, commemorating the victims of the 1932–33 famine, is also observed in Canada?
- ... that when a Russian warship asked the Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island to surrender, their response was "Russian warship, go fuck yourself"?
- ... that Monika Buczkowska, who, as a student in Poznań, performed as Mozart's Susanna, was a soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at a charity concert for Ukraine at the Alte Oper?
- ... that military volunteer Maria Berlinska led the report that let women hold combat positions in the Ukrainian military?
- ... that Ukrainian baritone Danylo Matviienko, who holds a master's degree in mathematics, appeared as Demetrius in Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Oper Frankfurt?
More did you know -
- ... that the Privat Group is one of the few Ukrainian companies that own industries in the United States?
- ... 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 according to legend, a tunnel leads from the Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle to the Khotyn Fortress which is 20 kilometres (12 mi) away?
- ... that the married Western Ukrainian Clergy became a hereditary caste that dominated western Ukrainian society?
- ... 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 Kryvbas economic region in Ukraine is one of the largest iron ore and steel industry centers in Europe?
Selected article -
Mykolaiv (Ukrainian: Миколаїв, IPA: [mɪkoˈlɑjiu̯] ; Russian: Николаев, romanized: Nikolayev [nʲɪkɐˈɫa(j)ɪf]) is a city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (district) and Mykolaiv Oblast (province). The city of Mykolaiv, which provides Ukraine with access to the Black Sea, is the location of the most downriver bridge crossing of the Southern Bug river. This city is one of the main shipbuilding centers of the Black Sea. Aside from three shipyards within the city, there are a number of research centers specializing in shipbuilding such as the State Research and Design Shipbuilding Center, Zoria-Mashproekt and others. As of 2022, the city has a population of 470,011 (2022 estimate).[1] Mykolaiv holds the honorary title Hero City of Ukraine.
The city serves as a transportation hub for Ukraine, containing a sea port, commercial port, river port, highway, railway junction, and airport. (Full article...)
In the news
- 21 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia and weapons of mass destruction, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
- Russia launches an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for the first time in the war. The RS-26 Rubezh, launched from a base near the Caspian Sea, reportedly targeted critical infrastructure in Dnipro. This is the first time in history that an intercontinental ballistic missile has been used in an armed conflict. (The Telegraph) (Reuters)
- Hungary announces the deployment of a missile defense system on its border with Ukraine, saying the threat of escalation with Russia is now "greater than ever". (Reuters)
- 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)
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.