Portal:Ukraine

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The Ukraine Portal - Портал України

Ukraine
Україна (Ukrainian)
ISO 3166 codeUA

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, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; and 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; Russian is also widely spoken, especially in the east and south.

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 ultimately 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 marked on maps as "Ukraine, land of the Cossacks", but was partitioned between Russia and Poland, and ultimately 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. 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

19 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
Russian missile strikes kill seven civilians in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, including five in Synelnykove and two in Dnipro, with several others critically injured. (BBC News)
A Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M3 aircraft is shot down in Russian airspace over Stavropol Krai after launching missiles at targets in Ukraine. (BBC News)
18 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
Foreign involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Germany arrests two German-Russian nationals for an alleged military sabotage plot on behalf of Russia to undermine military support for Ukraine. (Reuters)
17 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
April 2024 Chernihiv missile strike
At least 18 people are killed and 60 others are injured in a Russian missile strike which damaged an eight-storey building in a densely populated area of Chernihiv. (BBC News) (Reuters)
16 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs a new army draft law. (Reuters)
13 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
The Russian Ministry of Defence claims that the village of Pervomaiske near Donetsk has been captured by Russian troops. (Barron's)
12 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure

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Luhansk (UK: /lˈhænsk/, US: /-ˈhɑːn-/; Ukrainian: Луганськ, IPA: [lʊˈɦɑnʲsʲk] ), also known as Lugansk (UK: /-ˈɡæn-/, US: /-ˈɡɑːn-/; Russian: Луганск, IPA: [lʊˈɡansk]), is a city in the Donbas region, eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be 397,677 (2022 estimate),[1] making Luhansk the 12th-largest city in Ukraine.

Luhansk served as the administrative center of Luhansk Oblast, before pro-Russian separatists seized control of the city in 2014 and made it the capital of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic. The Ukrainian administration was located in Sievierodonetsk from 2014 to 2022 during the war in Donbas, due to Ukraine not being in control of Luhansk. Sievierodonetsk was captured by Russia in 2022 and the Luhansk Oblast was later annexed by Russia in late 2022. (Full article...)
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In the news

19 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
Russian missile strikes kill seven civilians in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, including five in Synelnykove and two in Dnipro, with several others critically injured. (BBC News)
A Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M3 aircraft is shot down in Russian airspace over Stavropol Krai after launching missiles at targets in Ukraine. (BBC News)
18 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
Foreign involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Germany arrests two German-Russian nationals for an alleged military sabotage plot on behalf of Russia to undermine military support for Ukraine. (Reuters)
17 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
April 2024 Chernihiv missile strike
At least 18 people are killed and 60 others are injured in a Russian missile strike which damaged an eight-storey building in a densely populated area of Chernihiv. (BBC News) (Reuters)
16 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs a new army draft law. (Reuters)
13 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
The Russian Ministry of Defence claims that the village of Pervomaiske near Donetsk has been captured by Russian troops. (Barron's)
12 April 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine
Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure

Selected anniversaries for April

Naval Ensign of Ukraine (1918)
Naval Ensign of Ukraine (1918)
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