Україна Ukrayina Ukraine
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Ще не вмерла України ні слава, ні воля  (Ukrainian) Shche ne vmerla Ukrayiny ni slava, ni volya  (transliteration) Ukraine's glory has not yet perished, nor her freedom
Location of  Ukraine  (orange) on the European continent  (white)
Capital (and largest city)		Kiev (Kyiv) 50°27′N, 30°30′E
Official languages		Ukrainian
Demonym		Ukrainian
Government		Semi-presidential unitary state
-	President	Viktor Yushchenko
-	Prime Minister	Yulia Tymoshenko
-	Speaker of the Parliament	Arseniy Yatsenyuk
Independence		from the Soviet Union
-	Declared	August 24, 1991
-	Referendum	December 1, 1991
-	Finalized	December 26, 1991
Area
-	Total	603,628 km² (44th) 233,090 sq mi
-	Water (%)	7%
Population
-	2008 estimate	46,372,700 (27th)
-	2001 census	48,457,102
-	Density	77/km² (115th) 199/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$399. The Flag of Ukraine (державний прапор України translit The Coat of Arms of Ukraine (Tryzub features the same colours found on the Ukrainian flag: a blue Shield with yellow Trident A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. "Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy" (Ще не вмерла України or "Ukraine's has not perished") is the National anthem of Transliteration is the practice of Transcribing a Word or text written in one Writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice The data in this article are based on the most recent Ukrainian Census, which was carried out in 2001 and the annual CIA World Factbook. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place Ukrainians (Українці Ukrayintsi,) are an East Slavic Ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly— Citizens For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The semi-presidential system is a System of government in which a prime minister and a President are both active participants in the day-to-day administration A unitary state is a State whose three Organs of state are governed Constitutionally as one single unit with one Constitutionally created The President of Ukraine (Президент України is the head of the state of Ukraine and acts in its name Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( Ukrainian: Viktor Andrijovyč Juščenko) (born February 23 1954) is the third and current President of The Prime Minister of Ukraine (Прем'єр-міністр України Prem'ier-ministr Ukrayiny) presides over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko (Юлія Володимирівна Тимошенко ʋɔlɔ'dɪmɪriʋnɑ tɪmɔ'ʃɛnkɔ Julia Volodymyrivna Tymošenko) (born on November The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Голова Верховної Ради України is the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine Arseniy Petrovych Yatsenyuk (Арсеній Петрович Яценюк (born May 22, 1974 in Chernivtsi, Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukrainian The Soviet Union 's collapse into independent nations began early in 1985 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine (Акт проголошення незалежності України was adopted by the Ukrainian parliament on August Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The Referendum took place in Ukraine on December 1, 1991. The only question of the Referendum was "Do you support the Act of Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here Surface areas between 100000 km² and 1000000 km² This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 866 billion[1] (29th)
-	Per capita	$8,624[1] (83rd)
GDP (nominal)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$131. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita 2 billion[2] (47st)
-	Per capita	$2,852 (88th)
Gini (2006)		31[2] (medium)
HDI (2005)		▲ 0. PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product Per capita at Nominal values, the The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion most prominently used as a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 788 (medium) (76th)
Currency		Hryvnia (UAH)
Time zone		EET (UTC+2)
-	Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Internet TLD		.ua
Calling code		+380

Ukraine (English pronunciation /juːˈkreɪn/; Ukrainian: Україна, Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/) is a country in Eastern Europe. This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or (incorrectly hryvna or hrivna (гривня ˈɦrɪu̯nʲɑ sign: ₴, code: ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established Eastern European Time ( EET) is one of the names of UTC+2 Time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. Daylight saving time ( DST Eastern European Summer Time ( EEST) is one of the names of UTC+3 Time zone, 3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E English phonology is the study of the Phonology (ie the sound system of the English language. Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. It borders Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova (including the disputed territory of Transnistria) to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova ( Republica Moldova) is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania The disputed status of Transnistria arose because of the Transnistrian Unilateral declaration of independence on September 2, 1990, which Transnistria, also known as Trans-Dniester, Transdniestria, and Pridnestrovie (full name Pridnestrovian The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey The Sea of Azov (Азо́вское мо́ре - Azovskoye more; Азо́вське мо́ре - Azovs'ke more, Azaq deñizi is the world's shallowest sea linked The city of Kiev (Kyiv) is Ukraine's capital. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the

The nation's history began with that of the East Slavs. The East Slavs are a Slavic ethnic group, the speakers of East Slavic languages. From at least the 9th century, the territory of Ukraine was a center of the medieval Varangian dominated East Slavic civilization forming the state of Kievan Rus', which disintegrated in the 12th century. The Varangians or Varyags ( Old Norse: Væringjar Greek: Βάραγγοι Βαριάγοι Váraggoi / Varyágoi, Ukrainian The East Slavs are a Slavic ethnic group, the speakers of East Slavic languages. Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan From the 14th century on, the territory of Ukraine was divided among a number of regional powers and by the 19th century the largest part of Ukraine was integrated into the Russian Empire with the rest under Austro-Hungarian control. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya After a chaotic period of incessant warfare and several attempts at independence (1917–1921) following the Russian Revolution and the Great War, Ukraine emerged in 1922 as one of the founding republics of the Soviet Union. Ukrainian territory was fought over by various factions after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the First World War, which added the collapse of Austria-Hungary See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Republics of the Soviet Union were according to the Article 76 of the 1977 Soviet Constitution, Sovereign Soviet Socialist states that had united with other The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic's territory was enlarged westward shortly before and after the Second World War, and again in 1954 with the Crimea transfer. The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or the Ukrainian SSR was one of the 15 constituent republics that made up the Former Soviet Union from its World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым In 1945, the Ukrainian SSR became one of the co-founding members of the United Nations. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security ^[3] Ukraine became independent again after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviet Union 's collapse into independent nations began early in 1985 This began a transition period to a market economy, in which Ukraine was stricken with eight straight years of economic decline. A market economy is a realized Social system based on the Division of labour in which the prices of Goods and Services are determined in a ^[4] But since about the turn of the century, the economy has been experiencing a stable increase, with real GDP growth averaging about seven percent annually. The list of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (real growth rate shows the increase in value of all final goods and services produced ^[4]

Ukraine is a unitary state composed of 24 oblasts (provinces), one autonomous republic (Crimea), and two cities with special status: Kiev, its capital, and Sevastopol, which houses the Russian Black Sea Fleet under a leasing agreement. A unitary state is a State whose three Organs of state are governed Constitutionally as one single unit with one Constitutionally created Oblast (во́бласць oblast о́бласт oblast о́бласть област/ oblast; oblasť област о́бласть is a type of Administrative division An autonomous republic is a type of Administrative division similar to a Province. Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Sevastopol ( see pronunciation below) is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea Peninsula The Black Sea Fleet (Черноморский Флот is a large sub-unit of the Russian (and formerly Soviet) Navy, operating in the Black Sea Ukraine is a republic under a semi-presidential system with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its The semi-presidential system is a System of government in which a prime minister and a President are both active participants in the day-to-day administration A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State At the end of 2004, the country underwent an extensive constitutional reform that has changed the balance of power among the parliament, the prime minister, and the cabinet, as well as their relationship with the president. The President of Ukraine (Президент України is the head of the state of Ukraine and acts in its name

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Early history 2.2 Golden Age of Kiev 2.3 Under foreign domination 2.4 World War I and revolution 2.5 Interwar Soviet Ukraine 2.6 World War II 2.7 Postwar development 2.8 Independence 3 Government and politics 3.1 Military 4 Oblasts 5 Geography 6 Economy 7 Culture 7.1 Language 7.2 Sport 8 Demographics 9 Healthcare 10 Religion 11 Education 12 Infrastructure 13 See also 14 References 15 Notes 16 Print sources 17 External links

Etymology

Main article: Name of Ukraine

The Ukrainian word Ukrayina is from Old East Slavic ukraina "borderland", from u "by, at" and the Slavic root kraj "edge; region". The name Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina,) has been used in a variety of ways since the twelfth century Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. Old East Slavic, also known as Old Russian (древнерусский or Old Ruthenian, was a vernacular literary language used from the 10th to the 14th centuries The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages) a group of closely related Languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages ^[5] In the Ukrainian language krayina simply means "country. " In English, the country is referred to without the definite article, conforming to the usual English grammar rules for names of countries[2]. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Before the country's independence in 1991, the country was often referred to as The Ukraine. The term Ukraine rather than The Ukraine is now predominant in diplomacy^[6] and journalism. ^{[7][8][9][10][11][12]}

History

Main article: History of Ukraine

Early history

Human settlement on the territory of Ukraine dates back to at least 4500 BC, when the Neolithic Cucuteni culture flourished in a wide area that covered parts of modern Ukraine including Trypillia and the entire Dnieper-Dniester region all the way to and including parts of the modern territories of Romania and Moldova. The territory of Ukraine was a key centre of East Slavic culture in the Middle Ages, before being divided between a variety of powers The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The Cucuteni culture, better known in the countries of the former Soviet Union as Trypillian culture or Tripolie culture, is a late Neolithic Trypillia (Трипiлля Триполье Tripolye) is a village in Ukraine in Kiev Oblast with 2800 inhabitants (as of 1 January For the rocket see Dnepr rocket. For other uses see Dnieper (disambiguation. The Dniester (Дністер translit Dnister; Nistru is a river in Eastern Europe. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova ( Republica Moldova) is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania During the Iron Age, the land was inhabited by Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. See Cimmeria (Conan or Cimmeria (Poem for the fiction of Robert E The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic The Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae ( Old Iranian Sarumatah 'archer' Σαρμάτες ^[13] Between 700 BC and 200 BC it was part of the Scythian Kingdom (Scythia). In Classical Antiquity, Scythia ( Greek Skuthia) was the area in Eurasia inhabited by the Scythians, from the 8th

Colonies of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Byzantine Empire, such as Tyras, Olbia, and Hermonassa, were founded starting from the 6th century BC on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea, and thrived well into the 6th century AD. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Tyras, a colony of Miletus, probably founded about 600 BC, situated some 10 m from the mouth of the Tyras River ( Dniester) Pontic Olbia or Olvia is the site of a colony founded by the Milesians on the shores of the Southern Bug estuary (Greek Hypanis) Tmutarakan (Тмутаракань is an ancient city that controlled the Cimmerian Bosporus, the passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey

In the 7th century AD the territory of eastern Ukraine was part of Old Great Bulgaria. Old Great Bulgaria or Great Bulgaria (Стара Велика България Παλαιά Μεγάλη Βουλγαρία in Byzantine chronicles alternative At the end of the century the majority of Bulgar tribes migrated in different directions and the land fell in Khazars' hands. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər.

Golden Age of Kiev

Main article: Kievan Rus'

During the 10th and 11th centuries, much of modern-day Ukraine was populated by the Rus' people who formed the largest and most powerful European polity, called the Kievan Rus'. Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east Rus’ (Русь rusʲ Русичи Русы are an ancient people whose name survives in the cognates Russians, Rusyns, and Ruthenians Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan Rus' laid the foundation for the national identity of Ukrainians, as well as other East Slavic nations, through subsequent centuries. The East Slavs are a Slavic ethnic group, the speakers of East Slavic languages. ^[14] Kiev, the capital of modern Ukraine, became the most important city of the Rus'. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the The city was wrested from Khazars by Askold and Dir in about 860 AD. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. Askold ( Haskuldr in Old East Norse and Höskuldr in Old West Norse) and Dir ( Dyri in both dialects of Old Norse According to the Primary Chronicle, the Rus' elite initially consisted of Varangians from Scandinavia. The Primary Chronicle (ѣѣтъ Пóвесть временны́х лет Povest' vremennykh let; Пóвість врéм'яних літ Povist' vremjanykh The Varangians or Varyags ( Old Norse: Væringjar Greek: Βάραγγοι Βαριάγοι Váraggoi / Varyágoi, Ukrainian Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well The Varangians later became assimilated into the local Slavic population and became part of the Rus' first dynasty, the Rurik Dynasty. The Rurik Dynasty was the ruling Dynasty of Kievan Rus', the successor Russian principalities and early united Russia, from 862 to 1598 ^[14]

Kievan Rus' was composed of several principalities ruled by the interrelated Rurikid Princes. A principality (or princedom) is a monarchical feudatory or Sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of Prince The Rurik Dynasty was the ruling Dynasty of Kievan Rus', the successor Russian principalities and early united Russia, from 862 to 1598 Kniaz’ or knyaz is a word found in some Slavic languages, denoting a Nobility rank The seat of Kiev, the most prestigious and influential of all principalities, became the subject of many rivalries among Rurikids as the most valuable prize in their quest for power. These were sometimes contested through intrigue, but more often through bloody conflicts. The Golden Age of Kievan Rus' began with the reign of Vladimir the Great (Volodymyr, 980–1015), who turned Rus' toward Byzantine Christianity. Saint Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great ( Old Russian: Володимеръ Святославичь, c The Christianization of Kievan Rus' took place in several stages During the reign of his son, Yaroslav the Wise (1019–1054), Kievan Rus' reached the zenith of its cultural development and military power. Yaroslav I the Wise (c 978 in Kiev - February 20, 1054 in Kiev) ( East Slavic: Ярослав Мудрый Christian name This was followed by the state's increasing fragmentation as the relative importance of regions rose again. After a final resurgence under the rule of Vladimir Monomakh (1113–1125) and his son Mstislav (1125–1132), Kievan Rus' finally disintegrated into separate principalities following Mstislav's death. For the cruiser see Russian armoured cruiser Vladimir Monomakh, for the submarine see RFS Vladimir Monomakh Vladimir II Monomakh Mstislav I Vladimirovich the Great (Мстислав Владимирович Великий ( June 1, 1076, Turiv &ndash April 14, The 13th century Mongol invasion devastated Kievan Rus'. The Mongol invasion of Rus' was heralded by the Battle of the Kalka River in 1223 between Subutai 's reconnaissance unit and the combined force Kiev was totally destroyed in 1240. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the ^[15][14][16]

On the Ukrainian territory, the state of Kievan Rus' was succeeded by the principalities of Galich (Halych)and Volodymyr-Volynskyi, which were merged into the state of Galicia-Volhynia. Halych (Галич Гáлич Halicz Halyčas is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia ( Ruthenian: sla Галицко-Волинскоє Королѣвство Regnum Galiciæ et Lodomeriæ or Galicia-Vladimir, was

Under foreign domination

See also: Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Crown of the Polish Kingdom, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Russian Empire

In the mid-14th century, Galicia-Volhynia was subjugated by Casimir the Great of Poland, while the heartland of Rus', including Kiev, fell under the Gediminids of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya The Mongol invasion of Rus' was heralded by the Battle of the Kalka River in 1223 between Subutai 's reconnaissance unit and the combined force The Union of Lublin (Liublino unija Belarusian: Лю́блінская ву́нія Polish: Unia The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic Casimir III the Great (Kazimierz Wielki April 30 1310 – November 5 1370 last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty (1333–1370 was the son of King Władysław The Battle on the Irpen' River (as referred to in historic Chronicles occurred in 1321 between the armies of Gediminas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania The Gediminids ( Lithuanian: Gediminaičiai, singular Gediminaitis) were a Dynasty of Monarchs of the medieval Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje Following the 1386 Union of Krevo, a dynastic union between Poland and Lithuania, most of Ukraine's territory was controlled by the local as well as increasingly Ruthenized Lithuanian nobles as part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Union of Krewo, also known as Krėva Act (other names Union of Krevo, Act of Kreva) was a set of promises of Jogaila, Grand Duke A dynastic union is the combination by which two different states are governed by the same Monarch or Dynasty, while their boundaries their laws and their interests Ruthenia is a geographic and culturo-ethnic name applied to the parts of Eastern Europe populated by Eastern Slavic peoples, as well as to the past various The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje At this time, the term Ruthenia and Ruthenians as the Latinized versions of "Rus'", became widely applied to the land and its people, respectively.

By 1569 the Union of Lublin formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and a significant part of Ukrainian territory was moved from largely Ruthenized Lithuanian rule to the Polish administration, as it was transferred to the Polish Crown. The Union of Lublin (Liublino unija Belarusian: Лю́блінская ву́нія Polish: Unia The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic Under the cultural and political pressure of Polonization much of the Ruthenian upper class converted to Catholicism and became indistinguishable from the Polish nobility. Polonization (polonizacja is the acquisition or imposition As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described Szlachta ( refers to the noble class in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (since 1569 semi-federal semi-confederal ^[17] Thus, the Ukrainian commoners, deprived of their native protectors among Ruthenian nobility, turned for protection to the Cossacks, who remained fiercely orthodox at all times and tended to turn to violence against those they perceived as enemies, particularly the Polish state and its representatives. The Cossacks (Каза́ки́ Kazaki; Козаки́ Kozaki; Kozacy are a group of martial people living in the southern Steppe regions of Eastern ^[18]

In the mid-17th century, a Cossack quasi state, the Zaporozhian Host, was established by the Dnieper Cossacks and the Ruthenian peasants fleeing Polish serfdom. Ilya Yefimovich Repin (Илья́ Ефи́мович Ре́пин Ілля Юхимович Рєпін ( Chuhuiv, Russian Empire (now in Ukraine The Zaporozhian Cossacks (Запорожці Zaporozhtsi,were Cossacks who lived in Zaporizhia, in Central Ukraine The Zaporozhian Cossacks (Запорожці Zaporozhtsi,were Cossacks who lived in Zaporizhia, in Central Ukraine ^[19] Poland had little real control of this land in what is now central Ukraine, which became an autonomous military quasi state, at times allied with the Commonwealth in military campaigns and at times rebelling against the Polish rule. However, the enserfment of peasantry by the Polish nobility emphasized the Commonwealth's fierce exploitation of the workforce and, and perhaps most importantly, the suppression of the Orthodox Church pushed the allegiances of Cossacks away from Poland. Szlachta ( refers to the noble class in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (since 1569 semi-federal semi-confederal A plantation economy is an Economy which is based on Agricultural mass production usually of a few staple products grown on large farms called Plantations Their aspiration was to have representation in Polish Sejm, recognition of Orthodox traditions and the gradual expansion of the Cossack Registry, all being vehemently denied by the Polish kings. Registered Cossacks (Реєстрові козаки Reyestrovi kozaky, Polish: Kozacy rejestrowi) is the term used for Ukrainian Cossacks The Cossacks eventually turned for protection to Orthodox Russia, a decision which would later lead towards the downfall of the Polish-Lithuanian state,^[19] and for Ukraine the preservation of its allegiance to the Orthodox Church and continued lack of national sovereignty. The Tsardom of Rus' (Царство Русское was the official name for the Russian state between Ivan IV 's assumption of the title of Tsar (Emperor in 1547 The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world

In 1648, Bohdan Khmelnytsky led the largest of the Cossack uprisings against the Commonwealth and the Polish king John II Casimir. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Bohdan Zynovii Mykhailovych Khmel'nyts'kyi (Богдан Зиновій Михайлович Хмельницький commonly transliterated as Khmelnytsky; known in The term Khmelnytsky Uprising (also Khmel'nyts'kyi/Chmielnicki Uprising or Khmelnytsky / Chmielnicki Rebellion) refers to a Rebellion or For other monarchs with similar names please see John of Poland. ^[20] This uprising finally led to a partition of the modern territory of Ukraine between Poland and Russia. ^[21] Left-bank Ukraine was eventually integrated into Russia as the Cossack Hetmanate, following the 1654 Treaty of Pereyaslav and the ensuing Russo-Polish War. Left-bank Ukraine ( Livoberezhna Ukrayina; Levoberezhnaya Ukraina; Lewobrzeżna Ukraina is a historic name of the part of Ukraine on the left (East The Hetmanate or officially Viysko Zaporozke (Гетьманщина Het’manshchyna; Військо Запорозьке Viys’ko Zaporoz’ke The Treaty of Pereyaslav (Pereiaslav was concluded in 1654 in the Ukrainian city of Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi (Pereyaslav The Russo-Polish War of 1654–1667, also called the War for Ukraine, was the last major conflict between the Tsardom of Russia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth After the partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century by Prussia, Habsburg Austria, and Russia, Western Ukrainian Galicia was taken over by Austria, while the rest of Ukraine was progressively incorporated into the Russian Empire. The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state Habsburg Monarchy (alternatively Habsburg Empire) refers to the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Galicia (Галичина ( Halychyna) Galicja is a historical region in East Central Europe, currently divided between Poland and Ukraine,

Because of its geographic location, Ukraine played an important role in the frequent wars between East European monarchies and the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish As a result of Russian successes in the wars against Ottoman Empire and Crimean Khanate of 1768–74 and 1787–1792, the territories along the Black Sea coast were annexed to the Russian Empire as well. Russo-Turkish War may refer to one of the following conflicts between Imperial Russia and the Ottoman Empire: Russo-Turkish War (1568–1570 The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey

Despite the promises of Ukrainian autonomy given by the treaty of Pereyaslav, the Ukrainian elite and the Cossacks never received the freedoms and the autonomy they were expecting from Imperial Russia. However, within the Empire, Ukrainians rose to the highest offices of Russian state, and the Russian Orthodox Church. See also Eastern Orthodox Church Structure and organization The Slavic Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure ^[a]

At a later period, the tsarist regime carried the policy of Russification of Ukrainian lands, suppressing the use of the Ukrainian language in print, and in public. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Russification (in Russian: русификация rusifikátsiya)is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute (whether voluntarily Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. ^[22]

World War I and revolution

See also: Ukraine in World War I , Ukraine after the Russian Revolution , and Ukrainian War of Independence

During World War I Austro-Hungarian authorities established the Ukrainian Legion, along with the Polish Legion, to fight against the Russian Empire. Ukrainian territory was fought over by various factions after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the First World War, which added the collapse of Austria-Hungary The Ukrainian War of Independence was a series of military conflicts between Ukrainian, Anarchist, Bolshevik, Central Powers forces World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All These legions were the foundations of the successful Polish Army and the abortive Ukrainian Galician Army that fought against the Bolsheviks and Poles in the post World War I period (1919-1923). Ukrainian Galician Army ( Українська Галицька Армія Ukrayins’ka Halyts’ka Armiya, UHA was the Ukrainian military of the West

Those suspected of the Russophile sentiments were treated harshly. Up to 20,000 supporters of Russia from Galicia were detained and placed in an Austrian internment camp in Talerhof, Styria, and in a fortress at Terezín (now in the Czech Republic). Talerhof was a concentration camp created by the Austro-Hungarian authorities of Franz Joseph I of Austria in the first days of World War I, in a sandy Styria (Steiermark is a state or Bundesland, located in the southeast of Austria. For the Nazi concentration camp see Theresienstadt concentration camp. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, ^[23]

With the collapse of the Russian and Austrian empires following World War I and the Russian Revolution of 1917, a Ukrainian national movement for self-determination reemerged. See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them During 1917–20, several separate Ukrainian states briefly emerged: the Ukrainian People's Republic, the Hetmanate and the Directorate successively established territories in the former Russian Empire, while the West Ukrainian People's Republic emerged briefly in the former Austro-Hungarian territory. The Ukrainian People's Republic (Українська Народна Республіка Ukrayins’ka Narodna Respublika; also translated as the Ukrainian National The Directorate, or Directory (Директорія Dyrektoriya) was a government of the Ukrainian National Republic formed in 1918 in rebellion against The West Ukrainian National Republic (Західно-Українська Народна Республика Zakhidno-Ukrayins’ka Narodna Respublyka or ЗУНР ZUNR In the midst of the civil war, a Ukrainian anarchist movement called the Black Army led by Nestor Makhno also developed. The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Nestor Ivanovich Makhno (Нестор Іванович Махно October 26, 1888 – July 6, 1934) was an anarcho-communist ^[24] However with the Western Ukraine's defeat in the Polish-Ukrainian War followed by the failure of the further Polish invasion repelled by the Russian and Ukrainian pro-Soviet forces, Ukraine lost its initial independence. The 1920 Kiev Offensive (or Kiev Operation) sometimes considered to have started the Soviet-Polish War, was an attempt by the newly re-emerged Poland According to the Peace of Riga concluded between Soviet Russia, Soviet Ukraine and Poland western Ukraine was split-off and incorporated into Poland while the larger central and eastern parts formed a Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in March 1919, that later became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in December 1922. The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga; (Ри́жский ми́рный договóр -- Romanisation Rízhsky Mírny dogovór --, Rīgas The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or the Ukrainian SSR was one of the 15 constituent republics that made up the Former Soviet Union from its The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991

Interwar Soviet Ukraine

The Bolsheviks introduced universal health care, education and social-security benefits, as well as the right to work and housing. Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region Women's rights were greatly increased through new laws aimed to wipe away centuries-old inequalities. ^[25] The Ukrainian culture and language also enjoyed a revival, as Ukrainization became a local implementation of the Soviet-wide Korenization (literally indigenization) policy. The Culture of Ukraine is a result of influence over millennia from the West and East with an assortment of strong culturally-identified Ethnic groups Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. Ukrainization (also spelled Ukrainisation or Ukrainianization) is a policy of increasing the usage and facilitating the development of the Ukrainian language Korenizatsiya (коренизация sometimes also called korenization, meaning "nativization" or "indigenization" literally "putting down roots" ^[26] These cultural policies were sharply reversed by the early-1930s.

Starting from the late 1920s, Ukraine was involved in the Soviet industrialization and the republic's industrial output quadrupled in the 1930s. This period of the Soviet Union was dominated by Joseph Stalin, who sought to reshape Soviet society with aggressive economic planning in particular a sweeping collectivization of agriculture ^[27] However, the industrialization had a heavy cost for the peasantry, demographically a backbone of the Ukrainian nation. To satisfy the state's need for increased food supplies and to finance industrialization, Stalin instituted a program of collectivization of agriculture as the state combined the peasants' lands and animals into collective farms and enforcing the policies by the regular troops and secret police. Collectivization in the Soviet Union was a policy pursued under Stalin, between 1928 and 1940(much later for areas further away from capital to consolidate individual The Cheka ( ЧК - чрезвычайная комиссия Chrezvychaynaya Komissiya,) was the first of a succession of Soviet State security Those who resisted were arrested and deported and the increased production quotas were placed on the peasantry. Population transfer in the Soviet Union may be classified into the following broad categories deportations of " Anti-Soviet " categories of population often classified The collectivization had a devastating effect on agricultural productivity. As the members of the collective farms were not allowed to receive any grain until the unachievable quotas were met, starvation became widespread. Starvation (also called inanition) is a severe reduction in Vitamin, Nutrient, and Energy intake and is the most extreme form of In 1932-33, millions starved to death in a man-made famine known as Holodomor. The Holodomor (Голодомор is the famine that took place in Soviet Ukraine during the 1932-1933 agricultural season ^[b] Scholars are divided as to whether this famine fits the definition of genocide, but the Ukrainian parliament and more than a dozen other countries recognize it as the genocide of the Ukrainian people. Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction in whole or in part of an ethnic racial religious or national group The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Верховна Рада України English: Supreme Council of Ukraine) is Ukraine 's Parliament ^[28]

The times of industrialization and Holodomor also coincided with the Soviet assault on the national political and cultural elite often accused in "nationalist deviations". These policies of Ukrainization were reversed at the turn of the decade. Ukrainization (also spelled Ukrainisation or Ukrainianization) is a policy of increasing the usage and facilitating the development of the Ukrainian language Two waves of purges (1929–1934 and 1936–1938) resulted in the elimination of four-fifths of the Ukrainian cultural elite. Great Purge (Большая чистка transliterated Bolshaya chistka) was a series of campaigns of Political repression and Persecution ^[27]

World War II

See also: Eastern Front (World War II)

Following the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact in September 1939, German and Soviet troops divided the territory of Poland. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied Eastern Galicia and Volhynia with their Ukrainian population became reunited with the rest of Ukraine. Galicia (Галичина ( Halychyna) Galicja is a historical region in East Central Europe, currently divided between Poland and Ukraine, This unifications of Ukraine achieved for the first time in its history was a decisive event in the history of the nation. ^[29][30]

After France surrendered to Germany, Romania ceded Bessarabia and northern Bukovina to Soviet demands. In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Bessarabia ( Basarabia in Romanian, Бесарабія in Ukrainian, Бессарабия in Russian, Бесарабия in Bulgarian Bukovina (Bucovina Буковина/ Bukovyna; German and Polish: Bukowina; see also other languages) is a historical region on the On June 26 1940, Romania received an Ultimatum from the Soviet Union, demanding the evacuation of the Romanian military and administration from The Ukrainian SSR incorporated northern and southern districts of Bessarabia, the northern Bukovina, and the Soviet-occupied Hertsa region. This article is about the territorial controversy over the region of Hertsa (Herţa But it ceded the western part of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic to the newly created Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. Moldavian ASSR or Moldovan ASSR (Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic Romanian Republica Autonomă Socialistă Sovietică Moldovenească) was an autonomous The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic ( Moldovan: Република Советикэ Сочиалистэ Молдовеняскэ or Republica Sovietică Socialistă All these territorial gains were internationally recognized by the Paris peace treaties of 1947. The Paris Peace Conference ( July 29 to October 15, 1946) resulted in the Paris Peace Treaties signed on February 10, 1947

German armies invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, thereby initiating four straight years of incessant total war. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 Operation Barbarossa ( Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the Codename for Nazi Germany 's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Total war is a conflict of unlimited scope in which a Belligerent engages in a total mobilization of all available resources at his disposal The Axis allies initially advanced against desperate but unsuccessful efforts of the Red Army. The Axis powers also known as the Axis alliance Axis nations Axis countries or sometimes just the Axis were those Countries The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya In the encirclement battle of Kiev, the city was acclaimed by the Soviets as a "Hero City", for the fierce resistance by the Red Army and by the local population. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Hero City ( Russian: город-герой gorod-geroy, Ukrainian: Місто-герой Misto-heroy) is a Soviet Honorary The Battle of Kiev was the German name for the operation that resulted in a very large encirclement of Soviet troops in the vicinity of Kiev during World War II More than 600,000 Soviet soldiers (or one quarter of the Western Front) were killed or taken captive. The Western Front was a Front (military subdivision of the Soviet Army, one of the Soviet Army Fronts during the Second World War ^[31][32] Although the wide majority of Ukrainians fought alongside the Red Army and Soviet resistance,^[33] some elements of the Ukrainian nationalist underground created the anti-Soviet nationalist formation Ukrainian Insurgent Army (1942) that later fought the Nazi forces as well while another nationalist movement collaborated with the Nazis. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya The Soviet partisans were members of a Resistance movement which fought a Guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Українська Повстанська Армія U krayins’ka P ovstans’ka A rmiya, UPA Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Not to be confused with the Ukrainian People's Army, which is often called the Ukrainian National Army or UNA Ukrainian National Army (UNA In total, about 4. 5 million ethnic Ukrainians fought in the ranks of the Soviet Army. ^[33][c] The pro-Soviet partisan guerrilla resistance in Ukraine at its peak in 1944 is estimated anywhere from 47,800 to 500,000, with about 48% of them being ethnic Ukrainians. The Soviet partisans were members of a Resistance movement which fought a Guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union ^[34][35] Similar to the Soviet partisans, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army's figures are very inaccurate, ranging anywhere from 15,000 to as much as 100,000 Ukrainians. ^[36][37]

Initially, the Germans were received as liberators by some Ukrainians, especially in western Ukraine, which had only joined the Soviet Union in 1939. However, brutal German rule in the occupied territories eventually turned many of its supporters against the occupation. Nazi administrators of conquered Soviet territories made little attempt to exploit the population of Ukrainian territories' dissatisfaction with Soviet political and economic policies. ^[38] Instead, the Nazis preserved the collective-farm system, systematically carried out genocidal policies against Jews, deported others (mainly Ukrainians) to work in Germany, and began a systematic depopulation of Ukraine to prepare it for German colonization,^[39] which included a food blockade on Kiev. Jewish communities have lived in the territory of Ukraine for centuries and developed many of modern Judaism 's most distinctive theological and cultural traditions Under these circumstances, most people living in the occupied territory either passively or actively opposed the Nazis.

The total losses inflicted upon the Ukrainian population during the war are estimated between five and eight million,^[40][41][42] including over half a million Jews killed by the Einsatzgruppen, sometimes with the help of local collaborators. Einsatzgruppen ( German: "task forces" "intervention groups" were Paramilitary groups formed by Heinrich Himmler and Of the estimated 8. 7 million Soviet troops who fell in battle against the Nazis,^[43][44][45] 1. 4 million were ethnic Ukrainians. Ukrainians (Українці Ukrayintsi,) are an East Slavic Ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly— Citizens ^{[45][43][c][d]} Ukraine is distinguished as one of the first nations to fight the Axis powers in Carpatho-Ukraine, and one that saw some of the greatest bloodshed during the war. Carpatho-Ukraine (Карпатська Україна Karpats’ka Ukrayina) was an autonomous region within Czechoslovakia from late 1938 to March 15 The Eastern Front of World War II (die Ostfront 1941-1945, der Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945 (Russian campaign or der Ostfeldzug 1941-1945 (Eastern Campaign

Postwar development

See also: History of the Soviet Union (1953–1985)

The republic was heavily damaged by the war, and it required significant efforts to recover. The Cold War ensued as the USSR and the United States struggled indirectly for influence around the world Khreschatyk (Хрещатик Khreshchatyk; Крещатик Kreshchatik) is the main street of Kiev, Ukraine. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the More than 700 cities and towns and 28,000 villages were destroyed. ^[27] The situation was worsened by a famine in 1946–47 caused by the drought and the infrastructure breakdown that took away tens of thousand lives. A famine is a widespread shortage of food that may apply to any Faunal species which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional Malnutrition, Starvation ^[46]

The nationalist anti-Soviet resistance lasted for years after the war, chiefly in Western Ukraine, but also in other regions. ^[47] The Ukrainian Insurgent Army, continued to fight the USSR into the 1950s. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Українська Повстанська Армія U krayins’ka P ovstans’ka A rmiya, UPA Using guerilla war tactics, the insurgents targeted for assassination and terror of those who they perceived as the representing, or cooperating at any level with, the Soviet state. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. ^[48][49]

Following the death of Stalin in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev became the new leader of the USSR. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (April 17 1894 – September 11 1971 served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 following Being the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Ukrainian SSR in 1938-49, Khrushchev was intimately familiar with the republic and after taking power union-wide, he began to emphasize the friendship between the Ukrainian and Russian nations. The Communist Party (Bolshevik of Ukraine (Комуністична Партія (більшовиків України Komunistychna Partiya (bilshovykiv Ukrayiny, In 1954, the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Pereyaslav was widely celebrated, and in particular, Crimea was transferred from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. The Treaty of Pereyaslav (Pereiaslav was concluded in 1654 in the Ukrainian city of Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi (Pereyaslav Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or the Ukrainian SSR was one of the 15 constituent republics that made up the Former Soviet Union from its ^[50]

The times of Khrushchev Thaw in early 1960s brought to life a new wave of indigenously Ukrainian dissident movement with such prominent figures as Vyacheslav Chornovil, Vasyl Stus, Levko Lukyanenko. Khrushchev's Thaw or the Khrushchev Thaw refers to the period from the mid 1950s to the early 1960s when repression and Censorship in the Soviet Union A dissident, broadly defined is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine policy or institution Vyacheslav Chornovil (Вячесла́в Макси́мович Чорнові́л ( December 24, 1937 in Yerky, Katerynopilskyi Raion, Vasyl Semenovych Stus (Василь Семенович Стус January 8, 1938 - September 4, 1985) was a Ukrainian poet and Levko Lukyanenko (Лук'яненко Левко Григорович also Levko Lukianenko is a Ukrainian politician and Soviet Dissident. As in the other regions of USSR, the movements were quickly suppressed. During the 1960s, it is estimated that over fifty percent of all political prisoners in the USSR were Ukrainians. ^[51]

Already by the 1950s, the republic fully surpassed pre-war levels of industry and production. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientific/Technical Complex ( Antonov ASTC) (Авіаційний науково-технічний комплекс імені Антонова Chernobyl (as transliterated from the Чернобыль) or Chornobyl (as transliterated from Чорнобиль tʃɔrˈnɔbɪlʲ was a city in northern ^[52] It also became an important center of the Soviet arms industry and high-tech research. The arms industry is a global Industry and Business which Manufactures and sells Weapons and Military technology and equipment. Such an important role resulted in a major influence of the local elite. Many members of the Soviet leadership came from Ukraine, most notably Leonid Brezhnev who would later oust Khrushchev and become the Soviet leader from 1964 to 1982, as well as many prominent Soviet sportsmen, scientists and artists.

The rule of Shcherbytsky, leader of the Communist Party of Ukraine, was characterized by the expanded policies of Russification. Volodymyr Vasylyovych Shcherbytsky (Володимир Васильович Щербицький Владимир Васильевич Щербицкий ( 17 February The Communist Party of Ukraine (Комуністична партія України Komunistychna Partiya Ukrayiny) is a Political party in Ukraine Russification (in Russian: русификация rusifikátsiya)is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute (whether voluntarily At the same time, being one of the most influential Soviet politicians and the veteran of the CPSU Politburo he used his clout to advocate economic interests of Ukraine within the USSR. The Politburo ( in Russian: Политбюро, full Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, abbreviated

On April 26, 1986 a reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, resulting in the Chernobyl disaster, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) The VI Lenin Memorial Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station (Чернобыльская АЭС им The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear reactor accident in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union. This article is a subarticle of Nuclear power. A nuclear reactor is a device in which Nuclear chain reactions are initiated controlled ^[53][54] The disaster was the result of a flawed reactor design, and serious mistakes by plant operators. The explosions and the resulting fire sent a plume of highly radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area, resulting in mandatory evacuation or voluntary resettlement of about 350,000 people. Fallout is the residual radiation hazard from a Nuclear explosion, so named because it "falls out" of the atmosphere into which it is spread during the explosion At the time of the accident seven million people lived in the contaminated territories, including 2. 2 million in Ukraine. ^[55]

After the accident, a new city, Slavutych, was built outside the exclusion zone to house and support the employees of the plant, which was decommissioned in 2000. Slavutych (Славутич is a City in northern Ukraine, named after the Old Slavic name of the near-by Dnieper River. Around 150,000 people were evacuated from the contaminated area, and 300,000–600,000 took part in the cleanup. The Zone of Alienation, which is variously referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of Exclusion, The Fourth Zone, As of 2000, about 4,000 Ukrainian children have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer caused by radiation released by this incident. Thyroid cancer refers to any of four kinds of malignant Tumors of the Thyroid gland papillary, follicular, medullary or ^[56]

Independence

On July 16, 1990 the new parliament adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine. Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine (Декларація про державний суверенітет України was adopted on July 16, 1990 ^[57] The declaration established the principles of the self-determination of the Ukrainian nation, democracy, political and economic independence, and the priority of Ukrainian law on the Ukrainian territory over Soviet law. A month earlier, a similar declaration was adopted by the parliament of the Russian SFSR. This started a period of confrontation between the central Soviet, and new republican authorities. In March 1991, a referendum was organized by Soviet authorities, asking people whether they wanted to live in a "renewed" Soviet Union. The Ukrainian parliament added a second question, asking Ukrainian citizens whether they wished to live in the Soviet Union on the principles established in the Declaration of State Sovereignty. The citizens of Ukraine responded positively to both questions.

In August 1991, the conservative Communist leaders of the Soviet Union attempted a coup to remove Gorbachev and to restore the Communist party's power. The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt ( August 19 - August 21, 1991) also known as the August Putsch or August Coup was a three-day After the attempt failed, on August 24, 1991 the Ukrainian parliament adopted the Act of Independence in which the parliament declared Ukraine as an independent democratic state. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine (Акт проголошення незалежності України was adopted by the Ukrainian parliament on August ^[58] A referendum and the first presidential elections took place on December 1, 1991. The Referendum took place in Ukraine on December 1, 1991. The only question of the Referendum was "Do you support the Act of The Ukrainian presidential election 1991 was the first presidential election held in Ukraine. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. That day, more than 90 percent of the Ukrainian people expressed their support for the Act of Independence, and they elected the chairman of the parliament, Leonid Kravchuk to serve as the first President of the country. For hockey player see Igor Kravchuk Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (Леонід Макарович Кравчук born 10 January 1934) is a The President of Ukraine (Президент України is the head of the state of Ukraine and acts in its name At the meeting in Brest, Belarus on December 8, followed by Alma Ata meeting on December 21, the leaders of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, formally dissolved the Soviet Union and formed the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Belavezha Accords (Беловежские соглашения is the Agreement which declared the Soviet Union effectively dissolved and established the Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Almaty ( Алматы; formerly known as Alma-Ata ( Алма-Ата) also Verniy, (Верный is the largest city in Kazakhstan Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian ^[59] Ukraine became a completely independent state on December 26, 1991 when the Council of Republics (a chamber) of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR recognized the dissolution of the Soviet Union and dissolved itself (another chamber of the Supreme Soviet had been unable to work for some months before this, due to absence of quorum). Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Верхо́вный Сове́т СССР Verkhóvnyj Sovét SSSR) was the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in In Law, a quorum is the minimum number of members of a Deliberative body necessary to conduct the business of that group

Ukraine was initially viewed as a republic with favorable economic conditions in comparison to the other regions of the Soviet Union. ^[60] However, the country experienced deeper economic slowdown than some of the other former Soviet Republics. The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent nations that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics During the recession, Ukraine lost 60 percent of its GDP from 1991 to 1999,^[61][62] and suffered five-digit inflation rates. ^[63] Dissatisfied with the economic conditions, as well as crime and corruption, Ukrainians protested and organized strikes. ^[64]

In 1994, President Kravchuk agreed to hold presidential elections ahead of schedule, in which he lost the presidential post to former Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma who served two terms as the president. For hockey player see Igor Kravchuk Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (Леонід Макарович Кравчук born 10 January 1934) is a The Ukrainian presidential election 1994 was a presidential election held in 1994 in Ukraine. The Prime Minister of Ukraine (Прем'єр-міністр України Prem'ier-ministr Ukrayiny) presides over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which Leonid Danylovych Kuchma (Леонід Данилович Кýчма born August 9, 1938) was the second President of Ukraine from July

The Ukrainian economy stabilized by the end of 1990s. A new currency, the hryvnia, was introduced in 1996. The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or (incorrectly hryvna or hrivna (гривня ˈɦrɪu̯nʲɑ sign: ₴, code: Since 2000 the country has enjoyed steady economic growth averaging about seven percent annually,^[65][4] which is one of the highest growth rates in Europe and the world. A new Constitution of Ukraine was adopted in 1996, which turned Ukraine into a semi-presidential republic and established a stable political system. The Constitution of Ukraine (Конституція України was adopted at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada ( parliament) of The semi-presidential system is a System of government in which a prime minister and a President are both active participants in the day-to-day administration Kuchma was, however, criticized by opponents for concentrating too much of power in his office, corruption, transferring public property into hands of loyal oligarchs, discouraging free speech, and electoral fraud. Business oligarch is a near-synonym of the term " Business magnate " Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an Election. ^[66][67]

The first astronaut of the National Space Agency of Ukraine to enter space under the Ukrainian flag was Leonid Kadenyuk on May 13, 1997. An astronaut or cosmonaut (космона́вт) is a person trained The National Space Agency of Ukraine ( NSAU; Національне космічне агентство України Natsional'ne kosmichne ahentstvo Ukrayiny Leonid Kostyantynovych Kadenyuk ( Леонід Костянтинович Каденюк) born 28 January, 1951 in Klishkivtsi Chernivetska oblast Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Ukraine became an active participant in scientific space exploration and remote sensing missions. Between 1991 and 2007, Ukraine has launched six self made satellites and 101 launch vehicles, and continues to design spacecraft. This article is about artificial satellites For natural satellites also known as moons see Natural satellite. In Spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a Rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into Outer space. ^[68]

In 2004, Viktor Yanukovych, then Prime Minister, was declared the winner of the presidential elections, which had been largely rigged, as many observers agreed. The Orange Revolution (Помаранчева революція Pomarancheva revolyutsiya) was a series of Protests and political events that took place in Ukraine Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Майдан Незалежності literally Independence Square) is the central square of Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( Ukrainian: Viktor Fedorovyč Janukovyč; Виктор Фёдорович Янукович (born on July 9, 1950 The presidential election held in November and December 2004 in Ukraine was mostly a political battle between Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych The results caused a public outcry in support of the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, who challenged the results and led the peaceful Orange Revolution. Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( Ukrainian: Viktor Andrijovyč Juščenko) (born February 23 1954) is the third and current President of The Orange Revolution (Помаранчева революція Pomarancheva revolyutsiya) was a series of Protests and political events that took place in Ukraine The revolution brought Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko to power, while casting Viktor Yanukovych in opposition. Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko (Юлія Володимирівна Тимошенко ʋɔlɔ'dɪmɪriʋnɑ tɪmɔ'ʃɛnkɔ Julia Volodymyrivna Tymošenko) (born on November ^[69] In late March and early April 2007, Ukraine dealt with yet another constitutional crisis. On April 2, 2007, Viktor Yushchenko, the President of Ukraine, dissolved parliament and signed the presidential decree ordering early parliamentary President Viktor Yushchenko dissolved the Ukrainian parliament and ordered an early election to be held May 27, 2007. Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( Ukrainian: Viktor Andrijovyč Juščenko) (born February 23 1954) is the third and current President of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Верховна Рада України English: Supreme Council of Ukraine) is Ukraine 's Parliament An election is a Decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold formal office Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. This decision rallied widespread support from the 'Orange' opposition, and wide spread denial from Yanukovych's fraction, the Party of Regions. The Party of Regions (Партія регіонів rɛɦi'ɔniu̯ Партия регионов is a Ukrainian Political party created in March 2001 ^[70] Eventually, a compromise between Yushchenko and Yanukovych was reached to hold early parliamentary elections. ^[71] The early elections were held on September 30, 2007. Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on September 30, 2007. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. In the elections, the combined parties of Yulia Tymoshenko and 'Our Ukraine' emerged victorious. The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, (Блок Юлії Тимошенко БЮТ Blok Yuliyi Tymoshenko, BYuT is the name of the bloc of political parties in Ukraine led The Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (Блок Наша Україна–Народна Самооборона Blok Nasha Ukrayina-Narodna Samooborona, OU-PSD On December 18, 2007, Yulia Tymoshenko once again became the prime minister of Ukraine. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko (Юлія Володимирівна Тимошенко ʋɔlɔ'dɪmɪriʋnɑ tɪmɔ'ʃɛnkɔ Julia Volodymyrivna Tymošenko) (born on November ^[72]

On April 18, 2007 in Cardiff, Wales, Ukraine won a joint bid with Poland to host the UEFA Euro 2012 football championship, which is the third-largest sporting event in the world after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Cardiff ( 'kɑːdɪf) is the Capital and the largest city and county in Wales. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2012, will be the 14th European Championship for national football teams The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games This is the first time in Ukrainian history that the country got a chance to host such a major international event. Experts and politicians have noted that it will boost Ukrainian infrastructure development, tourism and overall investments into the country. Among the most significant developments that will take place in the process of preparation are the road infrastructure improvement, expanding hotel networks in at least six major cities (in particular, Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Odessa and Lviv), modernization of airports and construction of modern football stadiums. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Dnipropetrovsk (Дніпропетровськ Днепропетро́вск Dnepropetrovsk; formerly Yekaterinoslav, ru Екатериносла́въ is Kharkiv or Kharkov (Харків Харьков is the second largest city in Ukraine. Donetsk (Донецьк translit Donets’k; Доне́цк translit ODESSA which stands for the German phrase O rganisation d er e hemaligen SS - A ngehörigen which in turn translates Lviv ( Ukrainian: Львів, L’viv, Lwów Lemberg Львов L'vov; see also other names) is a major city in western One of the stadiums (under construction) is the Shakhtar Stadium in Donetsk, which received a five-star FIFA rating as one of the best in the world. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football) ^[73]

Government and politics

Main articles: Government of Ukraine, Elections in Ukraine, and Foreign relations of Ukraine

Ukraine is a republic under a mixed semi-parliamentary semi-presidential system with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Ukraine is a Republic under a Semi-presidential system with separate Legislative, executive, and Judicial branches Elections in Ukraine gives information on Election and election results in Ukraine. Western relations Ukraine considers Euro - Atlantic integration its primary foreign policy objective but in practice balances its relationship with Europe The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Верховна Рада України English: Supreme Council of Ukraine) is Ukraine 's Parliament A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its The semi-presidential system is a System of government in which a prime minister and a President are both active participants in the day-to-day administration A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term and is the formal head of state. The President of Ukraine (Президент України is the head of the state of Ukraine and acts in its name Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state ^[74]

Ukraine's legislative branch includes the 450-seat unicameral parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or Parliamentary chamber The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Верховна Рада України English: Supreme Council of Ukraine) is Ukraine 's Parliament ^[75] The parliament is primarily responsible for the formation of the executive branch and the Cabinet of Ministers, which is headed by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (Кабінет Міністрів України is the highest body of state Executive power in Ukraine and serves as the The Prime Minister of Ukraine (Прем'єр-міністр України Prem'ier-ministr Ukrayiny) presides over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which ^[76]

Laws, acts of the parliament and the cabinet, presidential decrees, and acts of the Crimean parliament may be abrogated by the Constitutional Court, should they be found to violate the Constitution of Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Верховна Рада Автономної Республіки Крим Верховная Рада Автономной The Constitutional Court of Ukraine (Конституційний Суд України is the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in Ukraine. The Constitution of Ukraine (Конституція України was adopted at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada ( parliament) of Other normative acts are subject to judicial review. The Supreme Court is the main body in the system of courts of general jurisdiction. The Supreme Court of Ukraine (Верховний Суд України Verkhovny Sud Ukrayiny) is the highest judicial body in the system of courts of general jurisdiction in Local self-government is officially guaranteed. Local councils and city mayors are popularly elected and exercise control over local budgets. The heads of regional and district administrations are appointed by the president.

Ukraine has a large number of political parties, many of which have tiny memberships and are unknown to the general public. Small parties often join in multi-party coalitions (electoral blocs) for the purpose of participating in parliamentary elections.

Military

Main article: Military of Ukraine

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited a 780,000 man military force on its territory, equipped with the third-largest nuclear weapon arsenal in the world. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (Збройні сили України (ЗСУ Zbroyni Syly Ukrayiny (ZSU) were formed from portions of the military of the collapsing The Ukrainian Ground Forces (Cухопутні Війська ЗСУ Sukhoputni Viys’ka ZSU) are the land force component of the Military of Ukraine. BTR-80 is an 8x8 wheeled Armoured personnel carrier (APC designed in the Soviet Union. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. ^[77] In May 1992, Ukraine signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in which the country agreed to give up all nuclear weapons to Russia for disposal and to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state. START (for St rategic A rms R eduction T reaty is a Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT or NNPT) is a Treaty to limit the spread Ukraine ratified the treaty in 1994, and by 1996 the country became free of nuclear weapons. ^[78] Currently Ukraine's military is the second largest in Europe, after that of Russia. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (UTC (Вооружённые Си́лы Росси́йской Федера́ции Transliteration Vooruzhyónniye Síly Rossíyskoy Federátsii ^[79]

Ukraine also took consistent steps toward reduction of conventional weapons. It signed the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which called for reduction of tanks, artillery, and armored vehicles (army forces were reduced to 300,000). The original Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe ( CFE) was negotiated and concluded during the last years of the Cold War and established comprehensive limits The country plans to convert the current conscript-based military into a professional volunteer military not later than in 2011. Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority A volunteer military or all-volunteer military is one which derives its manpower from volunteers rather than Conscription or mandatory service ^[80]

Ukraine has been playing an increasingly larger role in peacekeeping operations. Ukrainian troops are deployed in Kosovo as part of the Ukrainian-Polish Battalion. Polish-Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion or POLUKRBAT is a Polish - Ukrainian Peacekeeping Battalion, formed in the late 1990s expressly ^[81] A Ukrainian unit was deployed in Lebanon, as part of UN Interim Force enforcing the mandated ceasefire agreement. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was created by the United Nations, with the adoption of Security Council Resolution There was also a maintenance and training battalion deployed in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. In 2003-2005, a Ukrainian unit was deployed in Iraq, as part of the Multinational force in Iraq under Polish command. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I, is a military command, led by the United States that is fighting the Iraq War against Iraqi insurgents or resistants Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The total Ukrainian military deployment around the world is 562 servicemen. ^[82]

Following independence, Ukraine declared itself a neutral state. ^[83] The country has had a limited military partnership with Russia, other CIS countries and a partnership with NATO since 1994. Partnership for Peace (PfP is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO program aimed at creating trust between NATO and other states in Europe and the former In the 2000s, the government was leaning towards the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and a deeper cooperation with the alliance was set by the NATO-Ukraine Action Plan signed in 2002. The North Atlantic Treaty As of 2006, this issue is a subject of heated debate within Ukraine as to whether the country should join NATO. In August 2006, the leading political parties signed the Universal of National Unity, a nonbinding document, in which it was agreed that the question of joining NATO should be answered by a national referendum at some point in the future. The Universal of National Unity, also known as the Declaration of National Unity, (Універсал Національної Єдності translit ^[80] According to polls, half of Ukrainians are opposed to NATO membership, with only up to 30% approving it. ^[84]

Oblasts

Main article: Administrative divisions of Ukraine

The system of Ukrainian subdivisions reflects the country's status as a unitary state (as stated in the country's constitution) with unified legal and administrative regimes for each unit. Ukraine is subdivided into 24 Oblasts (provinces, one Autonomous republic, and two " cities with special status' " Ukraine is subdivided into 24 Oblasts (provinces, one Autonomous republic, and two " cities with special status' " A unitary state is a State whose three Organs of state are governed Constitutionally as one single unit with one Constitutionally created The Constitution of Ukraine (Конституція України was adopted at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada ( parliament) of Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State.

Ukraine is subdivided into twenty-four oblasts (provinces) and one autonomous republic (avtonomna respublika), Crimea. Oblast (во́бласць oblast о́бласт oblast о́бласть област/ oblast; oblasť област о́бласть is a type of Administrative division A province is a territorial unit almost always an Administrative division. An autonomous republic is a type of Administrative division similar to a Province. Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым Additionally, the cities of Kiev, the capital, and Sevastopol, both have a special legal status. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Sevastopol ( see pronunciation below) is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea Peninsula The 24 oblasts and Crimea are subdivided into 490 raions (districts), or second-level administrative units. Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым For the manufactured regenerated fiber see Rayon A raion (or rayon) (райо́н ra'jon rayon раён რაიონი Districts are a type of Administrative division, in some countries managed by a Local government. The average area of a Ukrainian raion is 1,200 km², the average population of a raion is 52,000 people. ^[85]

Urban areas (cities) can either be subordinated to the state (as in the case of Kiev and Sevastopol), the oblast or raion administrations, depending on their population and socio-economic importance. Lower administrative units include urban-type settlements, which are similar to rural communities, but are more urbanized, including industrial enterprises, educational facilities, and transport connections, and villages. Urban-type settlement (посёлок городско́го ти́па posyolok gorodskogo tipa; селище міського типу selyshche mis'koho typu; A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City.

In total, Ukraine has 457 cities, 176 of them are labeled oblast-class, 279 smaller raion-class cities, and two special legal status cities. These are followed by 886 urban-type settlements and 28,552 villages. ^[85]

Geography

Main article: Geography of Ukraine

At 603,700 km² (233,074 sq mi) and with a coastline of 2,782 km (1,729 mi), Ukraine is the world's 44th-largest country (after the Central African Republic, before Madagascar). Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe It has a strategic position in Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea in the south Poland, The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. Central Africa|Central African FederationThe Central African Republic ( CAR) République Centrafricaine ʀepyblik sɑ̃tʀafʀikɛn or Centrafrique) is a Landlocked Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern It is the second largest country in Europe (after the European part of Russia, before metropolitan France). Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Metropolitan France (France métropolitaine or la Métropole, or colloquially l'Hexagone) is the part of France located in Europe, including ^[2]

The Ukrainian landscape consists mostly of fertile plains (or steppes) and plateaus, crossed by rivers such as the Dnieper (Dnipro), Seversky Donets, Dniester and the Southern Buh as they flow south into the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. In physical Geography, a steppe ( German, from степь - "a flat and arid land" степ - /stɛp/ тал - tal дала - /dɑlɑ/ pronounced For the rocket see Dnepr rocket. For other uses see Dnieper (disambiguation. The river Seversky Donets (Северский Донец Сіверський Донець alternatively Donetz) flows into the Don River Russia The Dniester (Дністер translit Dnister; Nistru is a river in Eastern Europe. Boh redirects here see also BOH tea. The Western Bug or Buh is another river which flows from Ukraine through Poland The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey The Sea of Azov (Азо́вское мо́ре - Azovskoye more; Азо́вське мо́ре - Azovs'ke more, Azaq deñizi is the world's shallowest sea linked To the southwest, the delta of the Danube forms the border with Romania. The Danube Delta ( Romanian: Delta Dunării; Ukrainian: Дельта Дунаю Del'ta Dunaju) is the second largest delta The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The country's only mountains are the Carpathian Mountains in the west, of which the highest is the Hora Hoverla at 2,061 m (6,762 ft), and those on the Crimean peninsula, in the extreme south along the coast. The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians (Carpaţi Czech, Polish and Slovak: Karpaty; Ukrainian: Карпати Hoverla mountain (Говерла Hoverla; Hóvár Hovârla Goverla, Czech and Slovak: Hoverla, Howerla Говерла) at 2061 A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The Crimean Mountains (Qırım dağları Кримскі Гори translit Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым ^[86]

Ukraine has a mostly temperate continental climate, although a more Mediterranean climate is found on the southern Crimean coast. Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the Climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide Precipitation is disproportionately distributed; it is highest in the west and north and lesser in the east and southeast. In Meteorology, precipitation (also known as one class of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric Western Ukraine, receives around 1,200 mm of precipitation, annually. While Crimea, receives around 400 mm of precipitation. Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым Winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey Average annual temperatures range from 5. 5–7 °C in the north, to 11–13 °C in the south. ^[87]

According to 1887 estimates by Austro-Hungarian geographers, the Ukrainian city of Rakhiv (48°45′N, 18°55′E) is the site of the geographical centre of Europe. Rakhiv (Рахів Рахово translit Rakhovo; Rahó Rahău Рахов translit The location of the geographical centre of Europe depends on the definition of the borders of Europe, mainly whether remote islands are included to define the Extreme ^[88] However, this is disputed by other European cities and the question has not yet been answered.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Ukraine

In Soviet times, the economy of Ukraine was the second largest in the Soviet Union, being an important industrial and agricultural component of the country's planned economy. The economy of Ukraine is an emerging Free market, with a Gross domestic product that has experienced rapid growth in recent years The building of the National Bank of Ukraine (then called Office of the ( Russian State Commerce Bank) opened in Kiev, Ukraine in National Bank of Ukraine (Національний банк України is the Central bank of Ukraine. The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or (incorrectly hryvna or hrivna (гривня ˈɦrɪu̯nʲɑ sign: ₴, code: Ivan Yakovych Franko (Івáн Якович Франкó ( &ndash) was a Ukrainian poet writer social and literary critic journalist economist and political activist The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture A planned economy or directed economy is an Economic system in which the Government or Workers' councils manages the Economy. With the collapse of the Soviet system, the country moved from a planned economy to a market economy. A planned economy or directed economy is an Economic system in which the Government or Workers' councils manages the Economy. A market economy is a realized Social system based on the Division of labour in which the prices of Goods and Services are determined in a The transition process was difficult for the majority of the population which plunged into poverty. ^[27] Ukraine's economy contracted severely following the years after the Soviet collapse. ^[27] Day to day life for the average person living in Ukraine was a struggle. ^[27] A significant number of citizens in rural Ukraine survived by growing their own food, often working two or more jobs and buying the basic necessities through the barter economy. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time ^[27]

In 1991, the government liberalized most prices to combat widespread product shortages, and was successful in overcoming the problem. At the same time, the government continued to subsidize government-owned industries and agriculture by uncovered monetary emission. The loose monetary policies of the early 1990s pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels. In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time Certain figures in this article use Scientific notation for readability For the year 1993, Ukraine holds the world record for inflation in one calendar year. ^[89] Those living on fixed incomes suffered the most. ^[27] Prices stabilized only after the introduction of new currency, the hryvnia, in 1996. The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or (incorrectly hryvna or hrivna (гривня ˈɦrɪu̯nʲɑ sign: ₴, code:

The country was also slow in implementing structural reforms. Following independence, the government formed a legal framework for privatization. Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of business from the Public sector (government to the Private sector (business However, widespread resistance to reforms within the government and from a significant part of the population soon stalled the reform efforts. A large number of government-owned enterprises were exempt from the privatization process. In the meantime, by 1999, the output had fallen to less than 40 percent of the 1991 level,^[90] but recovered to slightly above the 100 percent mark by the end of 2006. ^[1]

Ukraine's 2007 GDP (PPP), as calculated by the IMF, is ranked 29th in the world and estimated at $399. The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. The International Monetary Fund ( IMF) is an International organization that oversees the Global financial system by following the Macroeconomic There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation 866 billion. ^[1] Nominal GDP (in U. S. dollars, calculated at market exchange rate) was $131. 2 billion, ranked 41st in the world. PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE ^[2]

In the early 2000s, the economy showed strong export-based growth of 5 to 10 percent, with industrial production growing more than 10 percent per year. ^[91] The growth was largely attributed to a surge in exports of metals and chemicals to China. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES

The World Bank classifies Ukraine as a middle-income state. The World Bank is an internationally supported Bank that provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries for development programs (e ^[92] Significant issues include underdeveloped infrastructure and transportation, corruption and bureaucracy. But the rapidly growing Ukrainian economy has a very interesting emerging market with a relatively big population, and large profits associated with the high risks. ^[93] The Ukrainian stock market recorded 130% growth in 2007, for second highest in the world. The PFTS Stock Exchange is the larger of Ukraine 's two main Stock exchanges (the other being the Ukrainian Stock Exchange) ^[94] According to the CIA, in 2006 the market capitalization of the Ukrainian stock market was $42. 87 billion. ^[2] Growing sectors of the Ukrainian economy include the IT Outsourcing market, which was expected to grow over 25 percent in 2007. Outsourcing is Subcontracting a process such as product design or Manufacturing, to a Third-party company ^[95]

By December 2007 the average nominal salary in Ukraine reached 1,675 hryvnias per month. The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or (incorrectly hryvna or hrivna (гривня ˈɦrɪu̯nʲɑ sign: ₴, code: ^[96] Despite remaining lower than in neighboring central European countries, the annual growth of average salary income in real terms is about 20 percent for several years (2001-2006) in a row. ^[97]

Ukraine produces nearly all types of transportation vehicles and spacecraft. The National Space Agency of Ukraine ( NSAU; Національне космічне агентство України Natsional'ne kosmichne ahentstvo Ukrayiny Antonov airplanes and KrAZ trucks are exported to many countries. Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientific/Technical Complex ( Antonov ASTC) (Авіаційний науково-технічний комплекс імені Антонова KrAZ (Кременчуцький автомобільний завод Kr emenchuts'ky A vtomobil'ny The majority of Ukrainian exports are marketed to the European Union and CIS. In Economics, an export is any good or Commodity, Transported from one country to another country in a Legitimate fashion The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in ^[98]

The country imports most energy supplies, especially oil and natural gas, and to a large extent depends on Russia as an energy supplier. An oil is a substance that is in a viscous Liquid state ( "oily") at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer and is Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane, Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending While 25 percent of the natural gas in Ukraine comes from internal sources, about 35 percent comes from Russia and the remaining 40 percent from Central Asia through transit routes that Russia controls. Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south At the same time, 85 percent of the Russian gas is delivered to Western Europe through Ukraine. ^[99]

After 15 years of negotiations, Ukraine was invited to join the World Trade Organization on February 5, 2008. Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[100] Ukraine ratified the agreements on April 10, 2008,^[101] and became a full member on May 16, 2008. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

Culture

Main article: Culture of Ukraine

Ukrainian customs are heavily influenced by Christianity, which is the dominant religion in the country. The Culture of Ukraine is a result of influence over millennia from the West and East with an assortment of strong culturally-identified Ethnic groups Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings ^[102] The culture of Ukraine has been also influenced by its eastern and western neighbors, which is reflected in its architecture, music and art.

Communist rule had quite a strong effect on the art and writing of Ukraine. ^[103] In 1932, Stalin made socialist realism state policy in the Soviet Union when he promulgated the decree "On the Reconstruction of Literary and Art Organizations". Socialist realism is a teleologically -oriented style of realistic art which has as its purpose the furtherance of the goals of Socialism and Communism This greatly stifled creativity. During the 1980s glasnost (openness) was introduced and Soviet artists and writers again became free to express themselves as they wanted. (Гла́сность)is literally defined as publicity and sometimes figuratively interpreted as "tipping a vase to let someone see into the vase but not the bottom of the vase" ^[104]

The tradition of the Easter egg, known as pysanky, has long roots in Ukraine. These eggs were drawn on with wax to create a pattern; then, the dye was applied to give the eggs their pleasant colours, the dye did not affect the previously wax-coated parts of the egg. After the entire egg was dyed, the wax was removed leaving only the colourful pattern. This tradition is thousands of years old, and precedes the arrival of Christianity to Ukraine. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings ^[105]

The Ukrainian diet includes chicken, pork, beef, fish and mushrooms. Ukrainians eat a lot of potatoes, grains, fresh and pickled vegetables, different kinds of bread. Popular traditional dishes include varenyky (boiled dumplings with mushrooms, potatoes, sauerkraut, cottage cheese or cherries), borsch (soup made of beets, cabbage and mushrooms or meat) and holubtsy (stuffed cabbage rolls filled with rice, carrots and meat). Gołąbki are a form of Cabbage rolls They are a traditional Polish dish consisting of boiled Cabbage leaves stuffed with ground Beef Ukrainian specialties also include Chicken Kiev and Kiev Cake. Chicken Kiev is a dish of boneless Chicken breast pounded and rolled around cold unsalted Butter, then breaded and fried. Kiev Cake, or Kyiv Cake (Ukr торт "Київський" is a Brand of Dessert Cake, made in Kiev, Ukraine Ukrainians drink stewed fruit, juices, milk, buttermilk (they make cottage cheese from this), mineral water, tea and coffee, beer, wine and horilka. Horilka (горілка is Ukrainian Vodka. Horilka is usually distilled from grain or Potatoes or their peelings ^[106]

In Ukraine, gender roles tend to be more traditional, and grandparents play a greater role in raising children than in the West. ^[107]

Language

Main article: Ukrainian Language

According to the Constitution, the state language of Ukraine is Ukrainian. Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Майдан Незалежності literally Independence Square) is the central square of Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the The Constitution of Ukraine (Конституція України was adopted at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada ( parliament) of An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. Russian, which was the de facto official language of the Soviet Union, is widely spoken, especially in eastern and southern Ukraine. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Russian is the major Minority language in Ukraine. It is the most common First language in Donbass and Crimea regions According to the 2001 census, 67. 5% of the population declared Ukrainian as their native language and 29. 6% declared Russian. ^[108]

It is sometimes difficult to determine the extent of the two languages. ^[109] Many people use a Surzhyk (a mixture of Ukrainian and Russian where the Russian vocabulary is often combined with Ukrainian grammar and pronunciation) while claiming in surveys that they speak Russian or Ukrainian (though most can speak both literary languages). Surzhyk (суржик originally meaning ‘flour or bread made from mixed grains’ e Some ethnic Ukrainians, while calling Ukrainian their native language, use Russian more frequently in their daily lives. ^[110]

These details result in a significant difference across different survey results, as even a small restating of a question switches responses of a significant group of people. ^[e] Ukrainian is mainly spoken in western and central Ukraine. In western Ukraine, Ukrainian is also the dominant language in cities (such as Lviv). Lviv ( Ukrainian: Львів, L’viv, Lwów Lemberg Львов L'vov; see also other names) is a major city in western In central Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian are both equally used in cities, with Russian being more common in Kiev,^[111][e] while Ukrainian is the dominant language in rural communities. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. In eastern and southern Ukraine, Russian is primarily used in cities, and Surzhyk is used in rural areas. Surzhyk (суржик originally meaning ‘flour or bread made from mixed grains’ e

For a large part of the Soviet era the number of Ukrainian speakers was declining from generation to generation and by the mid-1980s the usage of the Ukrainian language in public life decreased significantly. The Cossacks (Каза́ки́ Kazaki; Козаки́ Kozaki; Kozacy are a group of martial people living in the southern Steppe regions of Eastern ODESSA which stands for the German phrase O rganisation d er e hemaligen SS - A ngehörigen which in turn translates ^[109] Following independence, the government of Ukraine began following a policy of Ukrainization,^[112] to increase the use of Ukrainian. Ukrainization (also spelled Ukrainisation or Ukrainianization) is a policy of increasing the usage and facilitating the development of the Ukrainian language This generally comes at the expense of Russian, which was often the language of administration during the periods of rule from Moscow. The government promotes the use of Ukrainian in various spheres that are under government control, such as schools, government offices, and the broadcasting media.

According to the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukrainian is the only state language of the republic. Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым However, the republic's constitution specifically recognizes Russian as the language of the majority of its population and guarantees its usage 'in all spheres of public life'. Similarly, the Crimean Tatar language (the language of a sizable 12% minority of the republic^[113]) is guaranteed a special state protection as well as the 'languages of other ethnicities'. The Crimean Tatar language (Qırımtatar tili Qırımtatarca also known as Crimean (Qırım tili Qırımca and Crimean Turkish (Qırım Türkçesi is the language Russian speakers constitute an overwhelming majority of the Crimean population (77%), with Ukrainian speakers comprising 10. 1%, and Crimean Tatar speakers 11. 4%. ^[114] But in everyday life the majority of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians in Crimea use Russian. ^[115]

Sport

Main article: Sport in Ukraine

Ukraine greatly benefited from the Soviet emphasis on physical education. When it comes to sports Ukraine is a typical European country The Olimpiysky National Sports Complex (also known as Olympic Stadium, Republican Stadium or Central Stadium; Національний спортивний Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Such policies left Ukraine with hundreds of stadiums, swimming pools, gymnasiums, and many other athletic facilities. ^[116] Of the many different sports Ukraine plays, the major sport is football. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The top professional league is the Vyscha Liha, also known as the Ukrainian Premier League. History See also Soviet Top League See also Ukrainian Soviet competitions The league emerged and was established after the collapse of the Union History See also Soviet Top League See also Ukrainian Soviet competitions The league emerged and was established after the collapse of the Union The most decorated and known team is FC Dynamo Kyiv. FC Dynamo Kyiv (ФК Динамо Київ FK Dynamo Kyiv; Динамо Киев Dinamo Kiev) is a professional football Club from the The Ukraine national football team debuted in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions, Italy. The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament The Italian national football team is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC and represents Italy in international football competition

Other sports are also popular in Ukraine. Boxers Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko have held heavyweight world champion titles. Vitali Vladimirovich Klitschko (Віталій Володимирович Кличко Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Klychko) born July 19, 1971) Wladimir Vladimirovich Klitschko (Володимир Володимирович Кличко Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko; born March 25 1976 is a Ukrainian Ukraine has an ice hockey league and a national ice hockey team. Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. The Ukrainian national men's ice hockey team is the national Ice hockey team of Ukraine, and is controlled by the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine They also have a basketball league, and cricket clubs. Ukrainian Basketball Super League is the top professional Basketball league in Ukraine.

Ukraine made its Olympic debut at the 1994 Winter Olympics. The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1994 After attending 3 out of 25 Summer Games and 4 out of 22 Winter Games, Ukraine is ranked 36th by number of gold medals won in the All-time Olympic Games medal count. Many athletes who represented and won medals for the Soviet Union were Ukrainians. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991

Demographics

Ethnic composition of Ukraine
Ukrainians			77. 8%
Russians			17. 3%
Belarusians			0. 6%
Moldovans			0. 5%
Crimean Tatars			0. 5%
Bulgarians			0. 4%
Hungarians			0. 3%
Romanians			0. 3%
Poles			0. 3%
Jews			0. 2%
Armenians			0. 2%
Greeks			0. 2%
Tatars			0. 2%
Source: Ethnic composition of the population of Ukraine, 2001 Census

Main article: Demographics of Ukraine

According to the Ukrainian Census of 2001, ethnic Ukrainians make up 77. The data in this article are based on the most recent Ukrainian Census, which was carried out in 2001 and the annual CIA World Factbook. The first Ukrainian Census was carried out by State Statistics Committee of Ukraine on December 5, 2001, twelve years after the last Soviet Union census Ukrainians (Українці Ukrayintsi,) are an East Slavic Ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly— Citizens 8% of the population. Other significant ethnic groups are Russians (17. The Russian people (Русские— Russkie) are an East Slavic Ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries 3%), Belarusians (0. Belarusians or Belorussians (Беларусы Biełarusy previously also spelled Belarussians, Byelorussians and Belorusians, also 6%), Moldovans (0. Moldovans, or Moldavians (original name Moldoveni; Молдовень in the Moldovan Cyrillic script, used nowadays only in Transnistria 5%), Crimean Tatars (0. Crimean Tatars (sg Qırımtatar, pl Qırımtatarlar) or Crimeans (sg 5%), Bulgarians (0. The Bulgarians (българи balgari) are a South Slavic people generally associated with the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian language 4%), Hungarians (0. Hungarians (or Magyars, magyarok are an Ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. 3%), Romanians (0. The Romanians (dated Rumanians or Roumanians; Romanian: români or historically and today rather seldom and only regional rumâni 3%), Poles (0. The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. 3%), Jews (0. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ 2%), Armenians (0. The Armenians (Հայեր Hayer) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands A large 2%), Greeks (0. The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions 2%) and Tatars (0. Tatars ( Tatar: Tatarlar/Татарлар sometimes spelled Tartars, are a Turkic -speaking ethnic group or multiple ethnic groups 2%). ^[117]

Ukraine is considered to be in a demographic crisis due to its high death rate and a low birth rate. In 2007, the country's population was declining at the fourth fastest rate in the world. ^[118] The demographic trend is showing signs of improvement, as the birth rate has been growing for several consecutive years. Net population growth over the first nine months of 2007 was registered in five provinces of the country (out of 24), and population shrinkage was showing signs of stablising nationwide. The highest birth rates were in Western provinces. ^[119] Immigrants constitute an estimated 14. 7% of the total population. ^[120]

The industrial regions in the east and southeast are the most heavily populated, and about 67. 2% of the population lives in urban areas. ^[121]

Romanians and Moldavians are another significant minority in Ukraine, concentrated mainly in the Chernivtsi, Odessa, Zakarpattia and Vinnytsia oblasts. Chernivtsi Oblast (Чернівецька область translit Odessa Oblast, also written as Odesa Oblast (Одеська область translit Zakarpattia Oblast (Закарпатська область translit Vinnytsia Oblast (Вінницька область translit Vinnyts’ka oblast’; also referred to as Vinnychchyna - Вінниччина

Jews played a very important role in Ukrainian cultural life, especially in the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Today Yiddish, the Ukrainian Jews' traditional language, is only used by a small number of older people. Yiddish (yi [[wiktייִדיש ייִדיש]] yidish or yi [[wiktאידיש אידיש]] idish, literally "Jewish" is a nonterritorial High

Significant migration took place in the first years of Ukrainian independence. More than one million people moved into Ukraine in 1991-1992, mostly from the other former Soviet republics. In total, between 1991 and 2004, 2. 2 million immigrated to Ukraine (among them, 2. 0 million came from the other former Soviet Union states), and 2. 5 million emigrated from Ukraine (among them, 1. 9 million moved to other former Soviet Union republics). ^[122]

In the context of low salaries and unemployment within Ukraine, labor emigration became a mass phenomenon at the end of the 1990s. "Emigrant" redirects here For the Butterflies, see Catopsilia. Although estimates vary, about two to three million Ukrainian citizens are currently working abroad, many illegally, in construction, service, housekeeping, and agriculture industries.

Largest cities of Ukraine								view • talk • edit
	City	Division	Population			City	Division	Population
1	Kiev	Kiev	2,611,327	Kiev Kharkiv	11	Luhansk	Luhansk Oblast	463,097
2	Kharkiv	Kharkiv Oblast	1,470,902		12	Makiivka	Donetsk Oblast	389,589
3	Dnipropetrovsk	Dnipropetrovsk Oblast	1,065,008		13	Simferopol	Crimea	358,108
4	Odessa	Odessa Oblast	1,029,049		14	Vinnytsia	Vinnytsia Oblast	356,665
5	Donetsk	Donetsk Oblast	1,016,194		15	Sevastopol	Sevastopol	342,451
6	Zaporizhia	Zaporizhia Oblast	815,256		16	Kherson	Kherson Oblast	328,360
7	Lviv	Lviv Oblast	732,818		17	Poltava	Poltava Oblast	317,998
8	Kryvyi Rih	Dnipropetrovsk Oblast	668,980		18	Chernihiv	Chernihiv Oblast	304,994
9	Mykolaiv	Mykolaiv Oblast	514,136		19	Cherkasy	Cherkasy Oblast	295,414
10	Mariupol	Donetsk Oblast	492,176		20	Sumy	Sumy Oblast	293,141
Source: 2001 Census[123]

Healthcare

Universal health care is granted to all the citizens of Ukraine by the constitution,^[124] while private institutions are also encouraged and provide a complementary role. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Kharkiv or Kharkov (Харків Харьков is the second largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk or Lugansk (Луга́нськ /lu'ɦɑnʲsʲk/ translit Luhansk Oblast (Луганська область translit Luhans’ka oblast’, Луганская область translit Kharkiv or Kharkov (Харків Харьков is the second largest city in Ukraine. Kharkiv Oblast (Харківська область translit Kharkivs’ka oblast’; also referred to as Kharkivshchyna - Харківщина Makiivka, also spelled Makeevka (Макіївка translit Makiyivka; Макеевка translit Donetsk Oblast (Донецька область Donets’ka oblast’; also referred to as Donechchyna — Донеччина is an oblast (province Dnipropetrovsk (Дніпропетровськ Днепропетро́вск Dnepropetrovsk; formerly Yekaterinoslav, ru Екатериносла́въ is Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (Дніпропетровська область Dnipropetrovs’ka oblast’ or Дніпропетровщина Dnipropetrovshchyna) Simferopol (English pronunciation ˌsɪmfəˈroʊpəl (Сімферополь Симферополь Aqmescit literally The white mosque) is the Capital of the Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым ODESSA which stands for the German phrase O rganisation d er e hemaligen SS - A ngehörigen which in turn translates Odessa Oblast, also written as Odesa Oblast (Одеська область translit Vinnytsia (Вінниця Vinnytsya) (also known by other names) is a City located on the banks of the Southern Buh River, in central Vinnytsia Oblast (Вінницька область translit Vinnyts’ka oblast’; also referred to as Vinnychchyna - Вінниччина Donetsk (Донецьк translit Donets’k; Доне́цк translit Donetsk Oblast (Донецька область Donets’ka oblast’; also referred to as Donechchyna — Донеччина is an oblast (province Sevastopol ( see pronunciation below) is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea Peninsula Sevastopol ( see pronunciation below) is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea Peninsula Zaporizhia, also referred to as Zaporozhye (Запоріжжя translit Zaporizhia Oblast (Запорізька область translit Kherson (Херсон is a City in southern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kherson Oblast ( province) and is Kherson Oblast (Херсонська область translit Khersons’ka oblast’; also referred to as Khersonshchyna - Херсонщина Lviv ( Ukrainian: Львів, L’viv, Lwów Lemberg Львов L'vov; see also other names) is a major city in western Lviv Oblast (Львівська область translit L’vivs’ka oblast’; also referred to as L’vivshchyna - Львівщина Poltava (Полтава Połtawa is a City in central Ukraine. Poltava Oblast (Полтавська область translit Poltavs’ka oblast’; also referred to as Poltavshchyna - Полтавщина Kryvyi Rih or Krivoy Rog (Кривий Ріг Кривой Рог is a city in central Ukraine. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (Дніпропетровська область Dnipropetrovs’ka oblast’ or Дніпропетровщина Dnipropetrovshchyna) Chernihiv, also referred to as Chernigov (Чернігів Чернигов Чарнігаў is a historic city in northern Ukraine. Chernihiv Oblast (Чернігівська область translit Mykolaiv (Миколаїв or Nikolayev (Николаев is a major City in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv Oblast (Миколаївська область translit Cherkasy Oblast (Черкаська область translit Cherkas’ka oblast’; also referred to as Cherkashchyna - Черкащина Mariupol or sometimes Mariupolis (mariˈupʌlʲ Маріуполь Мариу́поль Μαριούπολη formerly known as Zhdanov ( Ukrainian and Donetsk Oblast (Донецька область Donets’ka oblast’; also referred to as Donechchyna — Донеччина is an oblast (province Sumy (Суми Сумы is a City on the Psel River in Ukraine, and the Capital of the Sumy Oblast. Sumy Oblast (Сумська область translit Sums’ka oblast’; also referred to as Sumshchyna - Сумщина is an oblast The first Ukrainian Census was carried out by State Statistics Committee of Ukraine on December 5, 2001, twelve years after the last Soviet Union census Health care is the prevention treatment and management of illness and the preservation of mental health through the services offered by the medical, Nursing A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity As of 2006, the average life expectancy in Ukraine is 62. 16 years for males and 73. Male (♂ refers to the sex of an organism or part of an organism which produces small mobile Gametes called spermatozoa. 96 years for females. Female (♀ is the Sex of an Organism, or a part of an organism which produces ova (egg cells The biggest factor contributing to this relatively low life expectancy for males is a high mortality rate among working-age males from preventable causes such as alcohol poisoning and smoking. Life expectancy is the average number of years of life remaining at a given age Mortality rate is a measure of the number of Deaths (in general or due to a specific cause in some population scaled to the size of that population per unit time The short-term effects of alcohol on the human body can take several forms Smoking is a practice where a substance most commonly Tobacco, is burned and the Smoke tasted or inhaled ^[125] As a result, there are 0. 857 males to every female in Ukraine. ^[2]

The death rate in 2007 is estimated to be 16. 07 per 1000 people, compared with the European Union average of 10. 00 per 1000. ^[126] Ukraine's birth rate is 9. 45 per 1000 people, compared with the European Union average of 10. 00 per 1000. ^[126] To help ease these statistics, the government increased child support payments by 17 times in 2005, thus providing one-time payments of 8,175 Hryvnias, and monthly payments of 154 Hryvnias per child. The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or (incorrectly hryvna or hrivna (гривня ˈɦrɪu̯nʲɑ sign: ₴, code: ^[127][128] Ukraine suffers from the highest per capita rate of cardiovascular diseases in the world. Cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular diseases refers to the class of diseases that involve the Heart or Blood vessels ( arteries and ^[129] HIV/AIDS, which was virtually non-existent in the Soviet Union, rapidly spread following its collapse. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 ^[130] As of 2001, Ukraine had at least 360,000 people, or approximately 1. 4% of the population, living with HIV/AIDS,^[2] giving it the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in Europe and the CIS. The number of physicians in Ukraine is currently at 2. 95 per 1000 people. This is comparable to the United States, which has 2. 56 physicians per 1000 people. ^[131] Nominal spending on the Ukrainian health care system nearly doubled from 1996 to 2000. Thus, in 2000, health care spending sat at 7. 4 billion hryvnias, and was still increasing. The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or (incorrectly hryvna or hrivna (гривня ˈɦrɪu̯nʲɑ sign: ₴, code: ^[132]

Religion

See also: History of Christianity in Ukraine

The dominant religion in Ukraine is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which is currently split between three Church bodies: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church autonomous church body under the Patriarch of Moscow, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate, and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. This article should include material from Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate, Ukrainian St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery (Михайлівський золотоверхий монастир translit Ukrainian Baroque or Cossack Baroque is an architectural style that emerged in Ukraine during the Hetmanate era in the 17th and 18th centuries Bakhchisaray (Бахчисарай Бахчисарай Bağçasaray Bahçesaray is a town in Central Crimea, centre of the Bakhchisaray raion (district best The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Name For the purpose of distinguishing the two Orthodox Churches the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is often referred to in public as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate Autocephaly, in Hierarchical Christian churches and especially Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches is the status of a hierarchical church whose Metropolitans Maximus ( 1283 - 1305) St Peter ( 1308 - 1326) vacant The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC is one of the three major Orthodox Churches in Ukraine ^[102]

A distant second by the number of the followers is the Eastern Rite Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which practices a similar liturgical and spiritual tradition as Eastern Orthodoxy, but is in communion with the See of Rome (Roman Catholic Church) and recognizes the primacy of the Pope as head of the Church. This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See History Before the Union of Brest See also History of Christianity in Ukraine The Ukrainian Catholic church did not exist as such until the A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group according to their particular traditions Spirituality, in a narrow sense concerns itself with matters of the Spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and Faith, a transcendent reality The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of Full communion is a term used in Christian Ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion, with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and ^[133]

Additionally, there are 863 Roman Catholic (Latin or Western Rite) communities, and 474 clergy members serving some one million Roman Catholics in Ukraine. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given Religion. ^[102] The group forms some 2. 19% of the population and consists mainly of ethnic Poles, who live predominantly in the western regions of the country. The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland.

Protestant Christians also form around 2. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. 19% of the population. Protestant numbers have grown greatly since Ukrainian independence. The Evangelical Baptist Union of Ukraine is the largest group, with more than 150,000 members and about 3000 clergy. Evangelical Baptist Union of Ukraine (aka All-Ukrainian Union of the Association of Evangelical Christian Baptists; Всеукраїнський Союз об’єднань The second largest Protestant church is the Ukrainian Church of Evangelical faith (Pentecostals) with 110000 members and over 1500 local churches and over 2000 clergy, but there also exist other Pentecostal groups and unions and together all Pentecostals are over 300,000, with over 3000 local churches. Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism Also there are many Pentecostal high education schools such as the Lviv Theological Seminary and the Kiev Bible Institute. Other groups include Calvinists, Lutherans, Methodists and Seventh-day Adventists. Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated " Adventist " Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is also present. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known ^[102]

There are an estimated 500,000 Muslims in Ukraine. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion About 300,000 Muslims are Crimean Tatars. Crimean Tatars (sg Qırımtatar, pl Qırımtatarlar) or Crimeans (sg There are 487 registered Muslim communities, 368 of them on the Crimean peninsula. In addition, some 50,000 Muslims live in Kiev, mostly foreign-born. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the ^[134]

The Jewish community is a tiny fraction of what it was before World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Jews form 0. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut 63% of the population. A 2001 census indicated 103,600 Jews, although community leaders claimed that the population could be as large as 300,000. There are no statistics on what share of the Ukrainian Jews are observant but the Orthodox Judaism has a stronger presence in Ukraine, than a smaller Reform denomination. Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently subjected to vandalism and the insertion of personal opinions Additionally, there is a presence of the middle-ground sect, Conservative Judaism (aka Masorti Judaism) as well. Conservative Judaism (also known as Masorti Judaism in Israel and Europe) is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out The Masorti movement is the name given to Conservative Judaism in the State of Israel. ^[102]

As of January 1, 2006 there were 35 Krishna Consciousness and 53 Buddhist registered communities in the country. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness ( ISKCON) also known as 'the Hare Krishna ' movement is one of several Vaishnava groups Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices ^[134]

Education

Main articles: Education in Ukraine and List of universities in Ukraine

According to the Ukrainian constitution, the access to free education is granted to all citizens. This article is about Education in Ukraine. General information Ukraine's educational system has produced nearly 100% Literacy. This is a partial list of universities in Ukraine, by city Alchevsk Donbass State Technical University Official Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage third level and' post-secondary education', is the educational level following the completion of a school providing The Constitution of Ukraine (Конституція України was adopted at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada ( parliament) of Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency Complete general secondary education is compulsory in the state schools which constitute the overwhelming majority. Australia See also Education Free higher education in state and communal educational establishments is provided on a competitive basis. ^[135] There is also a small number of accredited private secondary and higher education institutions.

Due to the state supported free education, the literacy rate is an estimated 99. traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write or the ability to use Language to read, write, listen, 4%. ^[2] Since 2005, an eleven-year school program has been replaced with a twelve-year one: primary education takes four years to complete (starting at age six), middle education (secondary) takes five years to complete. There are then three years of upper secondary school. ^[136] In the 12th grade, students take the Government Tests or school-leaving exams. The Government tests act as both school-leaving exams and university admission tests. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects

The Ukrainian higher education system comprises higher educational establishments, scientific and methodological facilities under federal, municipal and self-governing bodies in charge of education. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Methodology (also called manner) is defined as "the analysis of the principles of methods rules and postulates employed by a discipline" Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. ^[137] The organization of higher education in Ukraine is built up in accordance with the structure of education of the world's higher developed countries, as is defined by UNESCO and the UN. The term developed country, or advanced country, is used to categorize countries with developed Economies in which the tertiary and quaternary sectors United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security ^[138]

Infrastructure

Main article: Transport in Ukraine

Most of Ukraine's infrastructure is Soviet era and outdated. This article is about transport in Ukraine. Railways Operated by the state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia (except for industrial railways International Highways (Ukraine - are the roads in Ukraine on the route involving international transport corridors and/or highways that are part of the European network of Although the Ukrainian road system covers all major populated centers, it is considered to be by European standards, of low quality. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Before adding any more images to this * * page please do carefully consider * * whether they would be mere decoration * * or actually improve A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in ^[139] In total, Ukrainian paved roads stretch for 164,732 km. ^[2]

Rail transport in Ukraine plays the role of connecting all major urban areas, port facilities and industrial centers with neighboring countries. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" The heaviest concentration of railroad track is located in the Donbas region of Ukraine. Donets Basin, also known as Donbas or Donbass (Донецький басейн usually abbreviated to Донбас translit Although the amount of freight transported by rail fell by 7. Cargo (or freight) refers to goods or produce transported generally for Commercial gain by ship, aircraft, train, 4% in 1995 in comparison with 1994, Ukraine is still one of the world's highest rail users. This article gives rail usage statistics by country according to the International Union of Railways and other sources ^[140] The total amount of railroad track in Ukraine extends for 22,473 km, of which 9,250 km is electrified. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. ^[2]

Ukraine is one of Europe’s largest energy consumers, it consumes almost double the energy of Germany, per unit of GDP. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. ^[141] A great share of energy supply in Ukraine comes from nuclear power, with the country receiving most of its nuclear services and nuclear fuel from Russia. The remaining oil and gas, is mostly imported from Russia. An oil is a substance that is in a viscous Liquid state ( "oily") at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer and is Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane, Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Ukraine is heavily dependent on its nuclear energy. Nuclear Energy is released by the splitting (fission or merging together (fusion of the nuclei of Atom (s The largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, is located in Ukraine. Nuclear power is any Nuclear technology designed to extract usable Energy from atomic nuclei via controlled Nuclear reactions Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine is the largest Nuclear power plant in Europe and the third largest in the world after the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa In 2006, the government planned to build 11 new reactors by the year 2030, in effect, doubling the current amount of nuclear power capacity. This article is a subarticle of Nuclear power. A nuclear reactor is a device in which Nuclear chain reactions are initiated controlled ^[142] Renewable energy plays a very modest role in electrical output. In 2005 energy production was met by the following sources: nuclear (47%), thermal (45%), hydro and other (8%). ^[142]

See also

References

Notes

Print sources

Subtelny, Orest. Orest Subtelny (b 1943 in Kraków) - is a Canadian Historian of Ukrainian descent Ukraine: A History, 1st edition. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988. The University of Toronto Press Inc (or UTP) is a Publishing house and an independent division of the University of Toronto that engages in Academic ISBN 0-8020-8390-0. Sullivant, Robert. Soviet Politics and the Ukraine 1917-1957. New York: Columbia University Press, 1962. Columbia University Press is a University press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. Grenkevich, Leonid. "The Soviet Partisan Movement, 1941-1944". Published by Routledge, 1999. Routledge is a publisher of non-fiction academic books and journals ISBN 0714648744 Russian Oppression in Ukraine. Reports and Documents. London: Ukrainian Publishers Ltd. , 1962. ISBN 0902322141

Magocsi, Paul Robert, A History of Ukraine. Paul Robert Magocsi is a professor of History and Political science at the University of Toronto since 1980 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of University of Toronto Press, 1996 ISBN 0802078206 Armstrong, John A. The University of Toronto Press Inc (or UTP) is a Publishing house and an independent division of the University of Toronto that engages in Academic Ukrainian Nationalism, 2nd edition New York: Columbia University Press, 1963 Schulte, Theo The German Army and Nazi Policies in Occupied Russia New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989 ISBN 0-85496-160-7 Dallin, Alexander German Rule in Russia 1941-1945 New York: St. Martin's Press 1957 ISBN 0865311021

External links

• The President of Ukraine
• Government Portal of Ukraine
• The Parliament of Ukraine
• Wikimedia Atlas of Ukraine
• Wikia has a wiki on this subject: Ukraine
• Ukraine travel guide from Wikitravel
• Ukraine entry at The World Factbook
• Ukraine at the Open Directory Project

Columbia University Press is a University press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. St Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the iconic Flatiron Building in New York City. St Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the iconic Flatiron Building in New York City. Wikia (originally Wikicities) is a selective Free web hosting service for Wikis (or Wiki farm) operated by Wikia Inc Wikitravel is a Web -based project "to create a free, complete up-to-date and reliable worldwide travel guide. The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory

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