A Short History of Ukraine
Ukraine is a big country with a population of more than 40 million people .Ukrainians make up more than three-fourths of the population of Ukraine; and there is a significant minority of Russians particularly in the east of the country near the Russian border.
Geography
This is a country of Great Plains reknowned for its agricultural produce notably grain, and mineral resources But is also home to the Carpathian Mountains, which extend through the western region for more than 150 miles.
The Donets Basin in the east-central region is one of the major heavy-industrial and mining-metallurgical complexes of Europe. There iron ore and coal are mined, and natural gas, petroleum, iron, and steel are produced. Ukraine is a major producer of winter wheat and sugar beets.
Historical Introduction in Brief
Ukraine was invaded and occupied in the 1st millennium BCE by the Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians and in the 1st millennium CE by the Goths, Huns, Bulgars, Avars, Khazars, and Magyars (Hungarians). Slavic tribes settled there after the 4th century. Kyiv was the chief town. The Mongol conquest in the mid-13th century decisively ended Kyivan power.
From the 14th to the 18th century, portions of Ukraine were ruled by Lithuania, Poland, and Russia. In addition, Cossacks controlled a largely self-governing territory known as the Hetmanate. Most of Ukraine fell to Russian rule in the 18th century.
In the aftermath of World War I and the Russian Revolution of 1917, most of the Ukrainian region became a republic of the Soviet Union, though parts of western Ukraine were divided between Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia. Ukraine suffered a severe famine, called the Holodomor, in 1932–33 under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Under the Stalin purges many of its artists, writers and intellectuals were either exiled or executed for producing so called subversive work.
Overrun by Axis armies in 1941 during World War II, Ukraine was further devastated before being retaken by the Soviets in 1944.
Ukraine was the site of the 1986 Chernobyl accident at a Soviet-built nuclear power plant.
In 1991 Ukraine declared independence. The turmoil it experienced in the 1990s as it attempted to implement economic and political reforms culminated in the disputed presidential election of 2004.
The mass protests in Ukraine over its results came to be known as the Orange Revolution. The effects of the revolution were short-lived, however, and the country remained divided along regional and ethnic lines.
Another mass protest movement toppled the government in 2014. As the interim government struggled to resolve the country’s dire economic situation, Russian troops occupied the Ukrainian autonomous republic of Crimea.
Shortly thereafter, in March 2014, Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and was annexed by Russia. Fighting between pro-Russian separatist militias and Ukrainian government forces remained ongoing in eastern Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president of Ukraine in 2019. In late 2021 Russia began a military buildup along its border with Ukraine, and in February 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces successfully defended Kyiv and soon launched a counteroffensive, but by 2023 the front lines had largely stagnated, and the conflict became a war of attrition as it continued into 2025.
By some estimates the war had displaced a third of Ukraine’s population, with as many as 1.6 million Ukrainians forcibly transferred to Russian territories by Russian forces. Estimates and official counts of Ukrainian civilian and military casualties varied but have run into hundreds of thousands .
Whose Country is Ukraine ?
Ukraine has long been at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and like many countries in the region this has contributed to an explosive history where different nations, empires and ethnicities have fought for conttol – as is happening today
The Middle Ages:
Ukraine enters into written history with the establishment of the medieval state of Kievan Rus’. In Dnieper Ukraine, the tribe of Polans played a key role in the formation of the state, adopting the name Rus’ by the 9th century. The term is believed to have connections to the Varangians, who contributed to the state’s early political and military structure.By the 10th–11th centuries, Kievan Rus’ had grown into one of the most powerful and culturally advanced states in Europe, reaching its golden age under Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise, who introduced Christianity and strengthened political institutions. However, internal conflicts among Kyivan rulers grew along with increasing pressure from Turkic nomadsin Southern Ukraine.
The Next 500 Years
In the 13th century, Kievan Rus’ suffered devastating destruction during the Mongol invasion.Much of the former Rus’ territory fell under Mongol control.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, the majority of Ukrainian territories became part of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ruthenia and Samogitia, while Galicia and Transcarpathia came under Polish and Hungarian rule. Meanwhile Southern Ukraine came under protection of the Ottoman Empire, a major regional power in and around Black Sea.
In the 17th century, the Cossack rebellion marked a turning point in the Ukraine’ history. The uprising, which began in 1648, was fueled by grievances against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s nobility, religious tensions, and social inequalities.
This rebellion led to the creation of the Cossack Hetmanate, a semi-autonomous grouping in central and eastern Ukraine. In 1654, the Cossack Hetmanate allied with the Tsardom of Moscow through the Pereiaslav Agreement. The nature of this alliance has been widely debated by historians. Some argue that it established a protectorate relationship, with Russia offering military support in exchange for loyalty, while others believe it symbolized the subordination of the Hetmanate to the Tsar.
The ambiguity of the treaty’s terms and differing interpretations contributed to tensions over the following decades. Over time, the relationship between the Cossack Hetmanate and Russia evolved, with Russia increasingly asserting dominance. This process intensified in the late 17th and 18th centuries, especially after the Truce of Andrusovo, which divided Ukraine between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia.
The Cossack Hetmanate’s autonomy was progressively eroded, culminating in its abolition by Catherine the Great in the late 18th century. Simultaneously, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s internal decline and external pressures from neighboring powers facilitated the partitions of Poland.
These partitions allowed the Russian Empire to incorporate vast Ukrainian territories, including those previously under Polish control. Western Ukraine, however, came under the rule of the Habsburg monarchy. This division set the stage for the different historical trajectories of Ukrainian lands under Russian and Austrian influence.
20th Century
The 20th century began with a renewed struggle for Ukrainian statehood. Following the collapse of empires during World War I, the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) was proclaimed in 1917 with Kyiv as its capital.
Meanwhile, in the western territories, the West Ukrainian People’s Republic (WUPR) was established in 1918, centered in Lviv. Both republics sought to unite. However, their independence was short-lived. The UPR faced constant military conflict with Bolshevik forces, Poland, and White Army factions. By 1921, following the Soviet-Ukrainian War, Ukrainian lands were divided: the eastern territories became the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (part of the USSR), while western Ukraine was absorbed by Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia.
Under Soviet rule, initial policies of Ukrainianization gave way to oppressive Russification. The Holodomor famine of 1932–1933, a man-made disaster, caused the deaths of 4-5 millions Ukrainians.
During World War II, Ukraine endured brutal occupations by both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) fought for independence, though parts of Ukrainian society also collaborated with occupying forces. Post-war, Soviet control was reestablished, and Crimea was transferred to Ukraine in 1954.
Ukraine became independent when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. This started a period of transition to a market economy, in which Ukraine suffered an eight-year recession.Subsequently however, the economy experienced a high increase in GDP growth until it plunged during the Great Recession.
21st Century
This period was marked by economic challenges, the rise of nationalism, and growing tensions with Russian Federation. In 2013, the Euromaidan protests began in response to President Viktor Yanukovych’s rejection of an EU association agreement. The Revolution of Dignityfollowed, leading to Yanukovych’s ousting.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and supported separatist movements in Donbas, initiating the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. This escalated on 24 February 2022, with Russia’s full-scale invasion, marking a critical phase in Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Destination: Ukraine
