Ukraine 31750 225481274 2008-07-13T22:36:19Z Iridescent 937705 Cleanup/[[WP:AWB/T|typo fixing]], typos fixed: exausted → exhausted using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{semiprotect|small=yes}} {{this|the country}} {{Infobox Country |native_name =Україна<br/>''Ukrayina'' |conventional_long_name =Ukraine |common_name =Ukraine |image_flag =Flag of Ukraine.svg |image_coat =Lesser Coat of Arms of Ukraine.svg |image_map =Europe location UKR.png |map_caption ={{map caption|region=on the [[Europe|European continent]]}} |national_anthem =Ще не вмерла України ні слава, ні воля{{spaces|2}}<small>([[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]])</small><br/>''[[Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy|Shche ne vmerla Ukrayiny ni slava, ni volya]]''{{spaces|2}}<small>([[transliteration]])<br/>''Ukraine's glory has not yet perished, nor her freedom''</small> |official_languages =[[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] |demonym =[[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] |capital =[[Kiev]] (''Kyiv'') |latd=50 |latm=27 |latNS=N |longd=30 |longm=30 |longEW=E |largest_city =capital |government_type =[[Semi-presidential system|Semi-presidential]] [[unitary state]] |leader_title1 =[[President of Ukraine|President]] |leader_name1 =[[Viktor Yushchenko]] |leader_title2 =[[Prime Minister of Ukraine|Prime Minister]] |leader_name2 =[[Yulia Tymoshenko]] |leader_title3 =[[Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada|Speaker of the Parliament]] |leader_name3 =[[Arseniy Yatsenyuk]] |sovereignty_type =[[History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991)|Independence]] |sovereignty_note =from the [[Soviet Union]] |established_event1 =[[Declaration of Independence of Ukraine|Declared]] |established_date1 =[[August 24]] [[1991]] |established_event2 =[[Ukrainian referendum, 1991|Referendum]] |established_date2 =[[December 1]] [[1991]] |established_event3 =Finalized |established_date3 =[[December 26]] [[1991]] |area_rank =44th |area_magnitude =1 E11 |area_km2 =603,628 |area_sq_mi =233,090 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> |percent_water =7% |population_estimate =46,372,700 <!-- Source: http://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/operativ/operativ2007/ds/nas_rik/nas_u/nas_rik_u.html --> |population_estimate_year =2008 |population_estimate_rank =27th |population_census =48,457,102 |population_census_year =2001 |population_density_km2 =77 |population_density_sq_mi =199 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> |population_density_rank =115th |GDP_PPP_year =2007 |GDP_PPP =$399.866 billion<ref name=IMF>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2007/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=1992&ey=2008&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=926&s=PPPGDP&grp=0&a=&pr1.x=41&pr1.y=2|title=Ukrainian GDP (PPP)|accessdate=2008-03-10|work=[[IMF]], World Economic Outlook Database, October 2007}}</ref> |GDP_PPP_rank =29th |GDP_PPP_per_capita =$8,624<ref name=IMF/> |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =83rd |GDP_nominal =$140.5 billion <ref name="CIA World Factbook"/> |GDP_nominal_rank =45th |GDP_nominal_year =2007 |GDP_nominal_per_capita =$3,061 |GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank =88th |HDI_year =2005 |HDI ={{increase}} 0.788 |HDI_rank =76th |HDI_category =<font color="#ffcc00">medium</font> |Gini =31<ref name="CIA World Factbook"/> |Gini_year =2006 |currency =[[Ukrainian hryvnia|Hryvnia]] |currency_code =UAH |country_code =UKR |time_zone =[[Eastern European Time|EET]] |utc_offset =+2 |time_zone_DST =[[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]] |utc_offset_DST =+3 |cctld =[[.ua]] |calling_code =380 }} '''Ukraine''' ([[English pronunciation]] {{IPA|/juːˈkreɪn/}}; {{lang-uk|Україна}}, ''Ukrayina'', {{IPA|/ukrɑˈjinɑ/}}) is a country in [[Eastern Europe]]. It borders [[Russia]] to the east, [[Belarus]] to the north, [[Poland]], [[Slovakia]] and [[Hungary]] to the west, [[Romania]] and [[Moldova]] to the southwest, and the [[Black Sea]] and [[Sea of Azov]] to the south. The city of [[Kiev]] (''Kyiv'') is both the capital and the largest city of Ukraine. The nation's history began with that of the [[East Slavs]]. From at least the 9th century, the territory of Ukraine was a center of the medieval [[Varangian]] dominated [[Early East Slavs|East Slavic civilization]] forming the state of [[Kievan Rus']], which disintegrated in the 12th century. 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 Empire|Austro-Hungarian]] control. After a [[Ukraine after the Russian Revolution|chaotic period]] of incessant warfare and several attempts at independence (1917–21) following the [[Great War]] and the [[Russian civil war]], Ukraine emerged in 1922 as one of the founding [[republics of the Soviet Union]]. The [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic]]'s territory was enlarged westward shortly before and after the [[World War II|second World War]], and again in 1954 with the [[Crimea#Soviet Union|Crimea transfer]]. In 1945, the Ukrainian SSR became one of the co-founding members of the [[United Nations]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/members/list.shtml|title=List of Member States|accessdate=2007-12-16|work=[[United Nations]]}}</ref> Ukraine became independent again after the [[History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991)|dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991. This began a transition period to a [[market economy]], in which Ukraine was stricken with eight straight years of economic decline.<ref name="Macroindicators NBU">{{cite web|url=http://www.bank.gov.ua/ENGL/Macro/index.htm|title=Macroeconomic Indicators|accessdate=2007-12-16|work=[[National Bank of Ukraine]]}}</ref> But since then the economy has been experiencing a stable increase, with [[List of countries by GDP (real) growth rate|real GDP growth]] averaging seven percent annually.<ref name="Macroindicators NBU"/> Ukraine is a [[unitary state]] composed of 24 [[oblast]]s (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. Ukraine is a [[republic]] under a [[semi-presidential system]] with separate [[legislative]], [[executive branch|executive]], and [[judicial]] branches. Being the second largest country in Europe, Ukraine also posses the second largest military on the continent.<ref name=milmsn/> The country is home to some 46.4 million people, 77.8 percent of them are ethnic [[Ukrainians]], with sizable minorities of Russians, Belarusians and Romanians. The [[Ukrainian language]] is only official language in Ukraine, while Russian is also widely spoken and is known to most Ukrainians as a second language. The dominant religion in the country in [[Christianity]], which has heavily influenced [[Ukrainian architecture]], [[Ukrainian literature|literature]] and [[Music of Ukraine|music]]. ==Etymology== {{main|Name of Ukraine}} "Ukraine" is from [[Old East Slavic]] ''ukraina'' meaning "borderland". It derives from ''u'' "by, at" and the [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] root ''kraj'' "edge; region".<ref name=room>Room, Adrian. ''Placenames of the World''. London: MacFarland and Co., Inc., 1997.</ref> The territory was called this because it was the borderland or "frontier zone" of medieval Russia at the time of the Tatar invasion in the 13th century.<ref name=room/> It was also known as "[[Little Russia]]", so called by contrast with "[[Great Russia]]", when the medieval principality here became separated from "mainstream" tsarist Russia as a result of the Mongol invasion.<ref name=room/> In the Ukrainian language ''krayina'' simply means "country." In [[English language|English]], the country is referred to without the definite article, conforming to the usual English grammar rules for names of countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/grammar/whentousea.htmlM|title=When to Use A, An, The|accessdate=2008-07-11|publisher=Gallaudet University}}</ref> 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<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DF173DF930A35751C1A967958260 Terminology Of Nationalism] ''The New York Times'' (Dec 3 1991) Accessed on 23-6-08</ref> and journalism.<ref>Paul Brians, Ph.D. ''Common Errors in English Usage'' William James & Company (March 2003)</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://stylemanual.ngs.org/intranet/styleman.nsf/024cc3c609acdb0285256648004af446/254d7e6fcd6b0f24852566b1007144b6?OpenDocument|title=Style manual|accessdate=2008-01-27|work=[[National Geographic]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.economist.com/research/styleGuide/index.cfm?page=805717|title=Style Guide |accessdate=2008-01-27|work=[[The Economist]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide/page/0,5817,184820,00.html|title=Manual of Style|accessdate=2008-01-27|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/specials/style_guide/article986739.ece|title=Style Guide|accessdate=2008-01-27|work=[[The Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3211.htm |title=Background Note: Ukraine|accessdate=2008-01-27|work=Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs March 2007, at the [[United States Department of State]]}}</ref> ==History== {{main|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. During the [[Iron Age]], the land was inhabited by [[Cimmerians]], [[Scythians]], and [[Sarmatians]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9066426|title=Scythian|accessdate=2007-09-12|work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref> Between 700 BC and 200 BC it was part of the Scythian Kingdom, or [[Scythia]]. Later, colonies of [[Ancient Greece]], [[Ancient Rome]], and [[Byzantine Empire]], such as [[Tyras]], [[Olbia, Ukraine|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. In the 7th century AD the territory of eastern Ukraine was part of [[Old Great Bulgaria]]. At the end of the century the majority of Bulgar tribes migrated in different directions and the land fell into the [[Khazars]]' hands. ===Golden Age of Kiev=== <!--- (800–1349) ---> {{main|Kievan Rus'}} [[Image:Kievan Rus en.jpg|thumb|Map of the [[Kievan Rus']], 11th century. During the Golden Age of Kiev the lands of [[Kievan Rus'|Rus']] covered much of present day Ukraine, as well as western [[Russia]] and [[Belarus]].]] 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']]. This nation laid the foundation for the national identity of Ukrainians, as well as other [[Early East Slavs|East Slavic nations]], through subsequent centuries.<ref name="Columbia">{{cite encyclopedia|ency=The Columbia Encyclopedia|edition=| year=2001–2005|article=Kievan Rus|url=http://www.bartleby.com/65/ki/KievanRu.html}}</ref> [[Kiev]], the capital of modern Ukraine, became the most important city of the Rus'. According to the ''[[Primary Chronicle]]'', the Rus' elite initially consisted of [[Varangian]]s from [[Scandinavia]]. The Varangians later became assimilated into the local Slavic population and became part of the Rus' first dynasty, the [[Rurik Dynasty]].<ref name="Columbia"/> Kievan Rus' was composed of several [[principality|principalities]] ruled by the interrelated [[Rurikid]] [[Kniaz|Princes]]. 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 [[Baptism of Kievan Rus'|turned Rus' toward Byzantine Christianity]]. During the reign of his son, [[Yaroslav the Wise]] (1019–1054), Kievan Rus' reached the zenith of its cultural development and military power. 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 I of Kiev|Mstislav]] (1125–1132), Kievan Rus' finally disintegrated into separate principalities following Mstislav's death. The 13th century [[Mongol invasion of Rus'|Mongol invasion]] devastated Kievan Rus'. [[Kiev]] was totally destroyed in 1240.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/citd/RussianHeritage/4.PEAS/4.L/12.III.5.html|title=The Destruction of Kiev|accessdate=2008-01-03|work=University of Toronto's Research Repository}}</ref><ref name="Columbia"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9106196|title=Eastern Orthodoxy|accessdate=2007-09-12|work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref> On the Ukrainian territory, the state of Kievan Rus' was succeeded by the principalities of Galich ([[Halych]]) and [[Volhynia|Volodymyr-Volynskyi]], which were merged into the state of [[Galicia-Volhynia]]. <br clear="all"> ===Under foreign domination=== <!--- (1349–1914) ---> {{see also|Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Crown of the Polish Kingdom|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Russian Empire}} [[Image:Rzeczpospolita2nar.png|thumb|right|In the centuries following the [[Mongol invasion of Rus'|Mongol invasion]], much of Ukraine was controlled by Lithuania (from the 14th century on) and since the [[Union of Lublin]] (1569) by Poland, as seen at this outline of the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] as of 1619.]][[Image:History of Russia, 1682-1762.jpg|thumb|right|Map of the [[Russian Empire]], 1682–1762]] In the mid-14th century, Galicia-Volhynia was subjugated by [[Casimir III of Poland|Casimir the Great of Poland]], while the [[Battle on the Irpen' River|heartland of Rus', including Kiev, fell]] under the [[Gediminids]] of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. 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 [[Ruthenia|Ruthenized]] Lithuanian nobles as part of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. 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 [[Crown of the Polish Kingdom|Polish Crown]]. Under the cultural and political pressure of [[Polonization]] much of the Ruthenian upper class converted to [[Catholicism]] and became indistinguishable from the [[Polish nobility]].<ref>Subtelny, p. 92–93</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-28237|title=Poland|accessdate=2007-09-12|work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref> [[Image:Repin Cossacks.jpg|left|thumb|''"[[Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks]] to Sultan [[Mehmed IV]] of the [[Ottoman Empire]]."'' Painted by [[Ilya Repin]] from 1880 to 1891.]] In the mid-17th century, a Cossack military quasi state, the [[Zaporozhian Host]], was established by the [[Dnieper Cossacks]] and the Ruthenian peasants fleeing Polish [[serfdom]].<ref name="zaporizhia">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkPath=pages\Z\A\ZaporizhiaThe.htm|title=Zaporizhia, The|accessdate=2007-12-16|author=Krupnytsky B. and A. Zhukovsky|work=[[Encyclopedia of Ukraine]]}}</ref> Poland had little real control of this land, although at times, the cossacks allied with the Commonwealth in military campaigns. However, the continued [[serf|enserfment]] of peasantry by the [[Polish nobility]] emphasized the Commonwealth's [[plantation economy|fierce exploitation of the workforce]] and, and most importantly, the suppression of the Orthodox Church pushed the allegiances of Cossacks away from Poland. Their aspiration was to have representation in Polish [[Sejm#Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Sejm]], recognition of Orthodox traditions and the gradual expansion of the [[Registered Cossacks|Cossack Registry]]. These were all vehemently denied by the Polish kings. The Cossacks eventually turned for protection to Orthodox [[Tsardom of Russia|Russia]], a decision which would later lead towards the downfall of the Polish-Lithuanian state,<ref name="zaporizhia"/> and the preservation of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Church]] and in Ukraine.<ref>Magocsi, p. 195</ref> In 1648, [[Bohdan Khmelnytsky]] led the [[Khmelnytsky Uprising|largest of the Cossack uprisings]] against the Commonwealth and the Polish king [[John II Casimir]].<ref>Subtelny, p. 123–124</ref> [[Left-bank Ukraine]] was eventually integrated into Russia as the [[Cossack Hetmanate]], following the 1654 [[Treaty of Pereyaslav]] and the ensuing [[Russo-Polish War (1654-1667)|Russo-Polish War]]. After the [[partitions of Poland]] at the end of the 18th century by [[Prussia]], [[Habsburg Monarchy|Habsburg Austria]], and [[Russian Empire|Russia]], Western Ukrainian [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]] was taken over by Austria, while the rest of Ukraine was progressively incorporated into the Russian Empire. 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]].{{Ref_label|A|a|none}} 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3763/is_200703/ai_n19433957|title=Valuev Circular and Censorship of Ukrainian Publications in the Russian Empire (1863-1876)|accessdate=2007-12-16|author=Remy, Johannes|date=March-June 2007|publisher=findarticles.com|work=Canadian Slavonic Papers}}</ref> ===World War I and revolution=== <!--- (1914–1922) ---> {{Main|Ukrainian War of Independence}} {{See also|Ukraine in World War I|Russian Civil War|Ukraine after the Russian Revolution}} Ukraine entered [[World War I]] on the side of both the [[Central Powers]], under Austria, and the [[Entente]], under Russia. During the war, [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] authorities established the Ukrainian Legion, along with the Polish Legion, to fight against the Russian Empire. These legions were the foundations of the interwar Polish Army and the [[Ukrainian Galician Army]] that fought against the Bolsheviks and Poles in the post World War I period (1919–23). Those suspected of the Russophile sentiments in Austris were treated harshly. Up to 20,000 supporters of the Russian Empire from Galicia were detained and placed in Austrian internment camps in [[Talerhof]], [[Styria (state)|Styria]], and in a fortress at [[Terezín]] (now in the [[Czech Republic]]).<ref>{{cite book |title=Terezín and Talerhof|last=Vavrik|first=I.R.|publisher=publishing house of Archpriest R. N.Samelo|year=1966|location=[[New York City|New York]]}}</ref>[[Image:Voyaky unr.jpg|thumb|right|Soldiers of the [[Ukrainian People's Army]]]] 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. During 1917–20, several separate Ukrainian states briefly emerged: the [[Ukrainian People's Republic]], the [[Hetmanate]], the [[Directorate of Ukraine|Directorate]] and the pro-Bolshevik [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic]] (or Soviet Ukraine) successively established territories in the former Russian Empire; while the [[West Ukrainian People's Republic]] emerged briefly in the former Austro-Hungarian territory. In the midst of the [[Russian civil war|civil war]], a Ukrainian [[anarchist]] movement called the [[The Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine|Black Army]] led by [[Nestor Makhno]] also developed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkPath=pages\M\A\MakhnoNestor.htm |title=Makhno, Nestor|author=Serge Cipko|accessdate=2008-01-17|work=Encyclopedia of Ukraine}}</ref> However with Western Ukraine's defeat in the [[Polish-Ukrainian War]] followed by the failure of the further [[Kiev Offensive (1920)|Polish invasion]] that was repelled by the Russian and Ukrainian pro-Soviet forces, Ukraine lost its initial independence. According to the [[Peace of Riga]] concluded between Soviet Russia, Soviet Ukraine and [[Second Polish Republic|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 founding republic of the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]] or the [[Soviet Union]] in December, 1922. ===Interwar Soviet Ukraine=== <!--- (1922–1939) ---> The revolution that brought the Soviet government to power devastated Ukraine. It left over 1.5 million people dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. Seeing the exhausted society, the Soviet government remained very flexible during the 1920s.<ref>Subtelny, p. 380</ref> Thus, the [[Culture of Ukraine|Ukrainian culture]] and [[Ukrainian language|language]] enjoyed a revival, as [[Ukrainization]] became a local implementation of the Soviet-wide [[Korenization]] (literally ''indigenization'') policy.<ref name=Britannica/> The Bolsheviks were also committed to introducing [[universal health care]], education and social-security benefits, as well as the right to work and housing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572241_2/communism.html|title=Communism|accessdate=2008-07-05|work=MSN Encarta}}</ref> [[Women's rights]] were greatly increased through new laws aimed to wipe away centuries-old inequalities.<ref>Cliff, p. 138–39</ref> Most of these policies were sharply reversed by the early-1930s after [[Joseph Stalin]] gradually consolidated power to become the de facto communist party leader and a [[dictator]] of the Soviet Union. [[Image:DneproGES.jpg|thumb|left|[[DniproGES]] hydroelectric power plant under construction circa 1930]] Starting from the late 1920s, Ukraine was involved in the [[History of the Soviet Union (1927-1953)#Industrialization in practice|Soviet industrialization]] and the republic's industrial output quadrupled in the 1930s.<ref name=Britannica/> 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 [[Collectivisation in the USSR|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 [[Cheka|secret police]]. Those who resisted were [[Population transfer in the Soviet Union|arrested and deported]] and the increased production quotas were placed on the peasantry. 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]] in the Soviet Union became widespread. In 1932–33, millions starved to death in a man-made famine known as [[Holodomor]].{{Ref_label|C|c|none}} 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.<ref name=countriesmar2008>Sources differ on interpreting various statements from different branches of different governments as to whether they amount to the official recognition of the Famine as Genocide by the country. For example, after the statement issued by the Latvian Sejm on March 13, 2008, the total number of countries is given as 19 (according to ''Ukrainian [[BBC]]'': [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukrainian/domestic/story/2008/03/080313_latvia_holodomor_oh.shtml "Латвія визнала Голодомор ґеноцидом"]), 16 (according to ''[[Korrespondent]]'', Russian edition: [http://korrespondent.net/ukraine/politics/403002 "После продолжительных дебатов Сейм Латвии признал Голодомор геноцидом украинцев"]), "more than 10" (according to ''Korrespondent'', Ukrainian edition: [http://ua.korrespondent.net/ukraine/403780 "Латвія визнала Голодомор 1932-33 рр. геноцидом українців"])</ref> The times of industrialization and Holodomor also coincided with the Soviet assault on the national political and cultural elite often accused in "nationalist deviations". Two waves of Stalinist [[Great Purge|political repression]] and persecution in the Soviet Union (1929–34 and 1936–38) resulted in the elimination some 681,692 people; this included four-fifths of the Ukrainian cultural elite and three quarters of all the Red Army's higher-ranking officers.<ref name=Britannica>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30078/Ukraine|title=Soviet Ukraine|accessdate=2007-09-12|work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref>{{Ref_label|B|b|none}} ===World War II=== <!--- (1939–1945) ---> {{See Also|Eastern Front (World War II)}} [[Image:Dayosh Kiev.jpg|thumb|right|[[Soviet Army|Soviet soldiers]] preparing rafts to cross the [[Dnieper River|Dnieper]] (the sign reads "To Kiev!") in the 1943 [[Battle of the Dnieper]]]] Following the [[Invasion of Poland]] in September 1939, [[Nazi Germany|German]] and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] troops divided the territory of Poland. Thus, Eastern [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]] and [[Volhynia]] with their Ukrainian population became reunited with the rest of Ukraine. This unifications of Ukraine achieved for the first time in its history was a decisive event in the history of the nation.<ref>Wilson, p. 17</ref><ref>Subtelny, p. 487</ref> After [[Battle of France|France surrendered]] to Germany, [[Romania]] ceded [[Bessarabia]] and northern [[Bukovina]] to [[June 1940 Soviet Ultimatum|Soviet demands]]. The Ukrainian SSR incorporated northern and southern districts of Bessarabia, the northern Bukovina, and the Soviet-occupied [[Hertsa region]]. But it ceded the western part of the [[Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic]] to the newly created [[Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic]]. All these territorial gains were internationally recognized by the [[Paris Peace Treaties, 1947|Paris peace treaties of 1947]]. [[Wehrmacht|German armies]] [[Operation Barbarossa|invaded the Soviet Union]] on [[June 22]], [[1941]], thereby initiating four straight years of incessant [[total war]]. The [[Axis Powers|Axis]] allies initially advanced against desperate but unsuccessful efforts of the [[Red Army]]. In the encirclement battle of [[Kiev]], the city was acclaimed as a "[[Hero City]]", for the fierce [[Battle of Kiev (1941)|resistance]] by the Red Army and by the local population. More than 600,000 Soviet soldiers (or one quarter of the [[Soviet Western Front|Western Front]]) were killed or taken captive there.<ref>Roberts, p. 102</ref><ref>Boshyk, p. 89</ref> Although the wide majority of Ukrainians fought alongside the [[Red Army]] and [[Soviet partisans|Soviet resistance]],<ref name="worldwars">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages\W\O\Worldwars.htm|title=World wars|accessdate=2007-12-20|work=Encyclopedia of Ukraine}}</ref> some elements of the Ukrainian nationalist underground created an anti-Soviet nationalist formation in [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]], the [[Ukrainian Insurgent Army]] (1942) that at times engaged the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] forces; while [[Ukrainian Liberation Army|another nationalist movement]] fought alongside the Nazis. In total, the number of ethnic Ukrainians that fought in the ranks of the Soviet Army is estimated from 4.5 million<ref name="worldwars"/> to 7 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peremoga.gov.ua/index.php?2150005000000000020|title=Losses of the Ukrainian Nation, p. 2|accessdate=2007-12-16|work=Peremoga.gov.ua}}</ref>{{Ref_label|D|d|1}} The [[Soviet Partisans|pro-Soviet partisan]] guerrilla resistance in Ukraine is estimated to number at 47,800 from the start of occupation to 500,000 at its peak in 1944; with about 48 percent of them being ethnic Ukrainians.<ref>Subtelny, p. 476</ref> Generally, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army's figures are very inaccurate, ranging anywhere from 15,000 to as much as 100,000 fighters.<ref>Magocsi, p. 635</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkPath=pages\U\K\UkrainianInsurgentArmy.htm|title=Ukrainian Insurgent Army|accessdate=2007-12-20|work=Encyclopedia of Ukraine}}</ref> [[Image:Kiev warmuseum 070611 01.jpg|thumb|left|[[Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Kiev]]]] Initially, the Germans were even received as liberators by some western Ukrainians, who had only joined the Soviet Union in 1939. However, brutal German rule in the occupied territories eventually turned its supporters against the occupation. Nazi administrators of conquered Soviet territories made little attempt to exploit the population of Ukrainian territories' dissatisfaction with Stalinist political and economic policies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30082|title=Ukraine - World War II and its aftermath|accessdate=2007-12-28|work=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> Instead, the Nazis preserved the collective-farm system, systematically carried out genocidal policies [[History of the Jews in Ukraine|against Jews]], [[OST-Arbeiter|deported others to work in Germany]], and began a systematic depopulation of Ukraine to prepare it for German colonization,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uncpress.unc.edu/chapters/lower_nazi.html|title=Nazi Empire-Building and the Holocaust in Ukraine|accessdate=2007-09-12|last=Lower|first=Wendy|date=2005|publisher=[[University of North Carolina Press]]}}</ref> which included a food blockade on Kiev. Under these circumstances, people that remained 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,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peremoga.gov.ua/index.php?3450000000000000010|title=Losses of the Ukrainian Nation, p. 1|accessdate=2007-12-16|work=Peremoga.gov.ua}}</ref><ref name="Losses">Stalislav Kulchytsky, ''"Demographic losses in Ukrainian in the twentieth century"'', [[Zerkalo Nedeli]], October 2-8, 2004. Available online [http://www.zn.ua/3000/3150/47913/ in Russian] and [http://www.zn.ua/3000/3150/47913/ in Ukrainian].</ref> including over half a million Jews killed by the [[Einsatzgruppen]], sometimes with the help of local collaborators. Of the estimated 8.7 million Soviet troops who fell in battle against the Nazis,<ref name="peremoga7">{{cite web|url=http://www.peremoga.gov.ua/index.php?2150005000000000070|title=Losses of the Ukrainian Nation, p. 7|accessdate=2007-12-16|work=Peremoga.gov.ua}}</ref><ref>Overy, p. 518</ref><ref name="Krivosheev">Г. Ф. Кривошеев, ''Россия и СССР в войнах XX века: потери вооруженных сил. Статистическое исследование'' (G. F. Krivosheev, ''Russia and the USSR in the wars of the 20th century: losses of the Armed Forces. A Statistical Study'', in Russian)</ref> 1.4 million were ethnic [[Ukrainians]].<ref name="Krivosheev"/><ref name="peremoga7"/>{{Ref_label|D|d|2}}{{Ref_label|E|e|none}} <br clear="all"> ===Postwar=== {{see also|History of the Soviet Union (1953–1985)|History of the Soviet Union (1985–1991)}} [[Image:Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sergey Korolyov]], the head Soviet rocket engineer and designer during the [[Space Race]]]] The republic was heavily damaged by the war, and it required significant efforts to recover. More than 700 cities and towns and 28,000 villages were destroyed.<ref name=Britannica>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30082/Ukraine|title=Ukraine :: World War II and its aftermath|accessdate=2007-09-12|work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref> 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.<ref>[[Stanislav Kulchytsky]], "Demographic losses in Ukraine in the twentieth century"'', [[October 2]]-[[October 8]] [[2004]]. Available online [http://www.zerkalo-nedeli.com/nn/show/514/47913/ in Russian] and [http://www.zn.kiev.ua/ie/show/514/47913/ in Ukrainian].</ref> The nationalist anti-Soviet resistance lasted for years after the war, chiefly in Western Ukraine, but also in other regions.<ref>Oksana Klymonchuk, [http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-241752.html Archive data: OUN-UPA fought for Ukraine in Donbass region up to mid-50ies], ''[[Ukrainian Independent Information Agency]] (UNIAN)'', 18.03.2008.</ref> The [[Ukrainian Insurgent Army]], continued to fight the USSR into the 1950s. 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.<ref>Piotrowski p. 352–54</ref><ref>Weiner p.127–237</ref> [[Image:Chernobylreactor 1.jpg|thumb|left|The Chernobyl reactor #4]] Following the death of Stalin in 1953, [[Nikita Khrushchev]] became the new leader of the USSR. Being the First Secretary of the [[Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine|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. 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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iccrimea.org/historical/crimeatransfer.html|title=The Transfer of Crimea to Ukraine|accessdate=2007-03-25|year=2005|month=July|work=International Committee for Crimea}}</ref> Already by the 1950s, the republic fully surpassed pre-war levels of industry and production.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30084/Ukraine|title=Ukraine - The last years of Stalin's rule|accessdate=2007-12-28|work=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> It also became an important center of the Soviet [[arms industry]] and high-tech research. 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. 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.<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael S.|last=Serrill|title=ANATOMY OF A CATASTROPHE|url=http://www.time.com/time/daily/chernobyl/860901.accident.html|work=[[Time (magazine)|TIME Magazine]]|date=[[September 1]], [[1986]]|accessdate=2007-12-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_n2_v33/ai_18795971|title='Sombre anniversary' of worst nuclear disaster in history - Chernobyl: 10th anniversary|accessdate=2007-12-16|author=Remy, Johannes|date=1996|publisher=findarticles.com|work=[[UN Chronicle]]}}</ref> At the time of the accident seven million people lived in the contaminated territories, including 2.2 million in Ukraine.<ref name="Chernobyl.info">{{cite web|title=Geographical location and extent of radioactive contamination| publisher=Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation|url=http://www.chernobyl.info/index.php?navID=2}} (quoting the "Committee on the Problems of the Consequences of the Catastrophe at the Chernobyl NPP: 15 Years after Chernobyl Disaster", Minsk, 2001, p. 5/6 ff., and the "Chernobyl Interinform Agency, Kiev und", and "Chernobyl Committee: MailTable of official data on the reactor accident")</ref> 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. Around 150,000 people were evacuated from the [[Zone of alienation|contaminated area]], and 300,000–600,000 took part in the cleanup. As of 2000, about 4,000 Ukrainian children have been diagnosed with [[thyroid cancer]] caused by radiation released by this incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Features/Chernobyl-15/thyroid.shtml|title=Thyroid Cancer Effects in Children|accessdate=2007-12-16|date=August 2005|work=[[International Atomic Energy Agency]]}} </ref> ===Independence=== [[Image:008 04001999.jpg|thumb|The first launch of a [[Zenit rocket|Ukrainian rocket]] at the [[Sea Launch]] complex]] On [[July 16]], [[1990]], the new parliament adopted the [[Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gska2.rada.gov.ua:7777/site/postanova_eng/Declaration_of_State_Sovereignty_of_Ukraine_rev1.htm|title=Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine|accessdate=2007-09-12|date=[[July 16]], [[1990]]|work=[[Verkhovna Rada|Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine]]|language=English}}</ref> 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 August 1991, the conservative Communist leaders of the Soviet Union [[Soviet coup attempt of 1991|attempted a coup]] to remove Gorbachev and to restore the Communist party's power. After the attempt failed, on [[August 24]], [[1991]] the Ukrainian parliament adopted the [[Act of Independence of Ukraine|Act of Independence]] in which the parliament declared Ukraine as an independent democratic state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gska2.rada.gov.ua:7777/site/postanova_eng/Rres_Declaration_Independence_rev12.htm|title=Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Resolution On Declaration of Independence of Ukraine|accessdate=2007-09-12|date= [[August 24]], [[1991]]|work=[[Verkhovna Rada|Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine]]|language=English}}</ref> A [[Ukrainian referendum, 1991|referendum]] and the [[Ukrainian presidential election, 1991|first presidential elections]] took place on [[December 1]], [[1991]]. 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 Ukraine|President]] of the country. At the [[Belavezha Accords|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]] (CIS).<ref>{{cite news|title=Soviet Leaders Recall 'Inevitable' Breakup Of Soviet Union|url=http://rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/12/14b6b499-9eb2-4dee-b96c-784ec918969a.html|work=[[RadioFreeEurope]]|date=[[December 8]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2007-09-12|language=English}}</ref> Ukraine was initially viewed as a republic with favorable economic conditions in comparison to the other regions of the Soviet Union.<ref>Shen, p. 41</ref> However, the country experienced deeper economic slowdown than some of the other [[former Soviet Republics]]. During the recession, Ukraine lost 60 percent of its [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] from 1991 to 1999,<ref name=IMF/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbank.org/html/prddr/trans/june1998/ukraine.htm|title=Can Ukraine Avert a Financial Meltdown?|accessdate=2007-12-16|date=June 1998|work=[[World Bank]]}}</ref> and suffered five-digit inflation rates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/np/vc/2002/083102.htm|title=The IMF and Ukraine: What Really Happened|accessdate=2007-12-16|date=[[August 31]], [[2002]]|author=|last=Figliuoli|first=Lorenzo|coauthors=Bogdan Lissovolik|work=[[International Monetary Fund]]}}</ref> Dissatisfied with the economic conditions, as well as crime and corruption, Ukrainians protested and organized strikes.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Aslund|first=Anders|year=1995|month=Autumn|title=Eurasia Letter: Ukraine's Turnaround|journal=[[Foreign Policy]] |issue=100|pages=pp. 125–143|publisher=JSTOR|url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0015-7228(199523)100%3C125%3AELUT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H|accessdate= 2007-12-16|doi=10.2307/1149308}}</ref> [[Image:Ukraine elections massprotest 20041122.jpg|thumb|left|[[Orange Revolution|Orange-clad demonstrators]] gather in the [[Maidan Nezalezhnosti|Independence Square]] in [[Kiev]] on [[November 22]] [[2004]]]] The Ukrainian economy stabilized by the end of the 1990s. A new currency, the [[Ukrainian hryvnia|hryvnia]], was introduced in 1996. Since 2000 the country has enjoyed steady economic growth averaging about seven percent annually,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/ukr_ict.pdf|title=Ukraine. Country profile|accessdate=2007-12-16|work=[[World Bank]]}}</ref><ref name="Macroindicators NBU"/> 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. Kuchma was, however, criticized by opponents for concentrating too much of power in his office, corruption, transferring public property into hands of loyal [[Business oligarch|oligarch]]s, discouraging free speech, and [[electoral fraud]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Serhii|last=Holovatyi||title=Ukraine at the crossroads: perspectives on independence, democracy and reform|url=http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/1999/249922.shtml|work=[[The Ukrainian Weekly]]|date=[[June 13]], [[1999]]|accessdate=2007-12-24}} </ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Wines|title=Leader's Party Seems to Slip In Ukraine|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9502EFD9143AF932A35757C0A9649C8B63|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=[[April 1]], [[2002]]|accessdate=2007-12-24}}</ref> In 2004, [[Viktor Yanukovych]], then Prime Minister, was declared the winner of the [[Ukrainian presidential election, 2004|presidential elections]], which had been largely rigged, as the [[Supreme Court of Ukraine]] later ruled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skubi.net/ukraine/judgment-december-3.html|title=The Supreme Court findings|accessdate=2008-07-07|publisher=Supreme Court of Ukraine|date=December 3, 2004|language=Ukrainian}}</ref> The results caused a public outcry in support of the opposition candidate, [[Viktor Yushchenko]], who challenged the results and led the peaceful [[Orange Revolution]]. The revolution brought Viktor Yushchenko and [[Yulia Tymoshenko]] to power, while casting Viktor Yanukovych in opposition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30090/Ukraine|title=Ukraine-Independent Ukraine|accessdate=2008-01-14|work=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> Since independence, Ukraine has maintained its own space agency, the [[National Space Agency of Ukraine]] (NSAU). The first [[astronaut]] of the NSAU to enter space under the Ukrainian flag was [[Leonid Kadenyuk]] on [[May 13]], [[1997]]. 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 vehicle]]s, and continues to design spacecraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nkau.gov.ua/nsau/catalogNEW.nsf/mainE/731F5A089D942FA8C2256FBF002DFA78?OpenDocument&Lang=E|title=Statistics of Launches of Ukrainian LV|accessdate=2007-12-24|work=[[National Space Agency of Ukraine]]}}</ref> So to this day, Ukraine is recognized as a world leader in producing missiles and missile related technology.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessukraine.com.ua/missile-defence-nato-ukraine-s|title=MISSILE DEFENCE, NATO: UKRAINE’S TOUGH CALL|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Business Ukraine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/ukraine/|title=Ukraine Special Weapons|accessdate=2008-07-05|work=The Nuclear Information Project}}</ref> ==Government and politics== {{main|Government of Ukraine|Elections in Ukraine|Foreign relations of Ukraine|International membership of Ukraine}} [[Image:Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy.jpg|thumb|[[Verkhovna Rada]], the Parliament of Ukraine]] Ukraine is a [[republic]] under a mixed semi-parliamentary [[semi-presidential system]] with separate [[legislative branch|legislative]], [[executive branch|executive]], and [[judicial branch|judicial]] branches. The [[President of Ukraine|President]] is elected by popular vote for a five-year term and is the formal [[head of state]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en/publish/article%3fart_id=235995&cat_id=32672|title=General Articles about Ukraine|accessdate=2007-12-24|work=Government Portal}}</ref> Ukraine's legislative branch includes the 450-seat [[unicameral]] parliament, the [[Verkhovna Rada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portal.rada.gov.ua/|title=Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine|accessdate=2007-12-24|work=[[Verkhovna Rada|Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine]] Official Web-site}}</ref> The parliament is primarily responsible for the formation of the executive branch and the [[Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine|Cabinet of Ministers]], which is headed by the [[Prime Minister of Ukraine|Prime Minister]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Ukraine|title=Constitution of Ukraine|accessdate=2007-12-24|work=[[Wikisource]]}}</ref> Laws, acts of the parliament and the cabinet, presidential decrees, and acts of the [[Verkhovna Rada of Crimea|Crimean parliament]] may be abrogated by the [[Constitutional Court of Ukraine|Constitutional Court]], should they be found to violate the [[Constitution of Ukraine]]. Other normative acts are subject to judicial review. The [[Supreme Court of Ukraine|Supreme Court]] is the main body in the system of courts of general jurisdiction. 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|Military of Ukraine}} [[Image:Ukranian BTR-80.jpg|thumb|[[Ukrainian army]] soldiers aboard a [[BTR-80]] in [[Iraq War|Iraq]]]] 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.<ref name=milgov/><ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/ukraine/index.html|title=Ukraine Special Weapons|accessdate=2007-12-24|work=globalsecurity.org}}</ref> 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. Ukraine ratified the treaty in 1994, and by 1996 the country became free of nuclear weapons.<ref name=milgov>{{cite web|url=http://www.mil.gov.ua/index.php?lang=en&part=history&sub=history|title=The history of the Armed Forces of Ukraine|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=The [[Ministry of Defence of Ukraine]]}}</ref> Currently Ukraine's military is the second largest in Europe, after that of [[Military of Russia|Russia]].<ref name=milmsn>{{cite web|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761573617_8/Ukraine.html|title=Ukraine|accessdate=2008-02-12|work=MSN encarta}}</ref> 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 country plans to convert the current [[conscript]]-based military into a professional [[volunteer military]] not later than in 2011.<ref name="wbook06">{{cite web|url=http://www.mil.gov.ua/files/white_book_eng2006.pdf|title=White Book 2006|accessdate=2007-12-24|format=PDF|work=Ministry of Defense of Ukraine}}</ref> [[Image:Ukrainian in Kosovo.JPG|thumb|left|A Ukrainian peacekeeper in [[Kosovo]]]] Ukraine has been playing an increasingly larger role in peacekeeping operations. Ukrainian troops are deployed in [[Kosovo]] as part of the [[Polish-Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion|Ukrainian-Polish Battalion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mil.gov.ua/index.php?lang=en&part=peacekeeping&sub=kfor_kosovo|title=Multinational Peacekeeping Forces in Kosovo, KFOR|accessdate=2007-12-24|work=[[Ministry of Defense of Ukraine]]}}</ref> A Ukrainian unit was deployed in [[Lebanon]], as part of [[United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon|UN Interim Force]] enforcing the mandated ceasefire agreement. There was also a maintenance and training battalion deployed in [[Sierra Leone]]. In 2003–05, a Ukrainian unit was deployed in [[Iraq]], as part of the [[Multinational force in Iraq]] under [[Poland|Polish]] command. The total Ukrainian military deployment around the world is 562 servicemen.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.mil.gov.ua/index.php?part=peacekeeping&lang=en|title=Peacekeeping|accessdate=2008-05-02|work=Ministry of Defense of Ukraine}}</ref> Following independence, Ukraine declared itself a neutral state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gska2.rada.gov.ua:7777/site/postanova_eng/Declaration_of_State_Sovereignty_of_Ukraine_rev1.htm|title=Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine|accessdate=2007-12-24|work=[[Verkhovna Rada|Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine]] Official Web-site}}</ref> The country has had a limited military partnership with Russia, other CIS countries and a [[Partnership for Peace|partnership with NATO]] since 1994. In the 2000s, the government was leaning towards the [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organization]], and a deeper cooperation with the alliance was set by the NATO-Ukraine Action Plan signed in 2002. It was later agreed that the question of joining NATO should be answered by a national referendum at some point in the future.<ref name="wbook06"/> <br clear="all"> == Administrative divisions == {{main|Administrative divisions of Ukraine}} The system of [[Administrative divisions of Ukraine|Ukrainian subdivisions]] reflects the country's status as a [[unitary state]] (as stated in the [[Constitution of Ukraine|country's constitution]]) with unified [[legal]] and [[Local government|administrative]] regimes for each unit. Ukraine is subdivided into twenty-four ''[[oblast]]s'' ([[province]]s) and one [[autonomous republic]] (''avtonomna respublika''), [[Crimea]]. Additionally, the cities of [[Kiev]], the capital, and [[Sevastopol]], both have a special legal status. The 24 oblasts and [[Crimea]] are subdivided into 490 ''[[raion]]s'' ([[district]]s), or second-level administrative units. The average area of a Ukrainian raion is 1,200 kilometres² (460 sq mi), the average population of a raion is 52,000 people.<ref name="oblasts">{{cite web|url=http://gska2.rada.gov.ua:7777/pls/z7502/a002|title=Regions of Ukraine and their divisions|accessdate=2007-12-24|work=[[Verkhovna Rada|Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine]] Official Web-site|language=Ukrainian}}</ref> 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 settlement]]s, which are similar to rural communities, but are more urbanized, including industrial enterprises, educational facilities, and transport connections, and [[village]]s. 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.<ref name="oblasts"/> {{Ukraine divisions list}} ==Geography== {{main|Geography of Ukraine}} [[Image:Ukraine topo en.jpg|thumb|A topographic map of Ukraine]] At 603,700 kilometres² (233,074 [[square miles|sq&nbsp;mi]]) and with a coastline of 2,782&nbsp;kilometres (1,729&nbsp;mi), Ukraine is the world's [[List of countries and outlying territories by area|44th-largest country]] (after the [[Central African Republic]], before [[Madagascar]]). It is the [[Europe#Territories and regions|second largest country]] in Europe (after the European part of [[Russia]], before [[metropolitan France]]).<ref name="CIA World Factbook">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/up.html|title=Ukraine|accessdate=2007-12-24|date=[[December 13]], [[2007]]|work=[[CIA World Factbook]]}}</ref> The Ukrainian landscape consists mostly of fertile plains (or [[steppes]]) and plateaus, crossed by rivers such as the [[Dnieper River|Dnieper]] (''Dnipro''), [[Seversky Donets]], [[Dniester]] and the [[Southern Bug|Southern Buh]] as they flow south into the [[Black Sea]] and the smaller [[Sea of Azov]]. To the southwest, the [[Danube Delta|delta]] of the [[Danube]] forms the border with Romania. The country's only mountains are the [[Carpathian Mountains]] in the west, of which the highest is the [[Hora Hoverla]] at 2,061&nbsp;m (6,762&nbsp;[[foot (unit of length|ft]]), and [[Crimean Mountains|those]] on the [[Crimea]]n peninsula, in the extreme south along the coast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30093/Ukraine|title=Ukraine - Relief |accessdate=2007-12-27|work=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> Ukraine has a mostly [[temperate climate|temperate]] [[continental climate]], although a more [[Mediterranean climate]] is found on the southern Crimean coast. [[precipitation (meteorology)|Precipitation]] is disproportionately distributed; it is highest in the west and north and lesser in the east and southeast. Western Ukraine, receives around 1,200&nbsp;mm (47 in) of precipitation, annually. While [[Crimea]], receives around 400&nbsp;mm (15.4 in) of precipitation. Winters vary from cool along the [[Black Sea]] to cold farther inland. Average annual temperatures range from 5.5–7&nbsp;°C (42–45 °F) in the north, to 11–13&nbsp;°C (52–55.4 °F) in the south.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30096/Ukraine|title=Ukraine - Climate|accessdate=2007-12-27|work=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> ==Economy== {{main|Economy of Ukraine}} [[Image:National Bank of Ukraine.jpg|thumb|right|The [[National Bank of Ukraine building|building]] of the [[National Bank of Ukraine]]]] [[Image:Ukrainian salary map.png|thumb|Ukrainian [[oblast]]s (provinces) by [[List of Ukrainian oblasts and territories by salary|monthly salary]]]] In Soviet times, the economy of Ukraine was the second largest in the [[Soviet Union]], being an important [[industry|industrial]] and [[agriculture|agricultural]] component of the country's [[planned economy]]. With the collapse of the Soviet system, the country moved from a [[planned economy]] to a [[market economy]]. The transition process was difficult for the majority of the population which plunged into poverty. Ukraine's economy contracted severely following the years after the Soviet collapse. Day to day life for the average person living in Ukraine was a struggle. 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.<ref name=Britannica/> 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 [[hyperinflation]]ary levels. For the year 1993, Ukraine holds the world record for inflation in one calendar year.<ref>[http://www.mw.ua/2000/2040/54367/ Yuriy Skolotiany, The past and the future of Ukrainian national currency], Interview with Anatoliy Halchynsky, ''[[Mirror Weekly]]'', #33(612), 2—8 September 2006</ref> Those living on fixed incomes suffered the most.<ref name=Britannica/> Prices stabilized only after the introduction of new currency, the [[Ukrainian hryvnia|hryvnia]], in 1996. The country was also slow in implementing structural reforms. Following independence, the government formed a legal framework for [[privatization]]. 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,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.faqs.org/docs/factbook/print/up.html|title=CIA World Factbook - Ukraine. 2002 edition|accessdate=2008-07-05 |work=CIA}}</ref> but recovered to slightly above the 100 percent mark by the end of 2006.<ref name=IMF/>[[Image:Antonov-148.jpg|thumb|left|A Ukrainian-made [[Antonov An-148]].]] Ukraine's 2007 GDP ([[Purchasing power parity|PPP]]), as calculated by the [[IMF]], is ranked [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|29th in the world]] and estimated at $399.866 billion.<ref name=IMF/> Nominal GDP (in U.S. dollars, calculated at market exchange rate) was $140.5 billion, [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|ranked 41st in the world]].<ref name="CIA World Factbook"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.umsl.edu/services/govdocs/wofact2004/geos/up.html|title=CIA World Factbook - Ukraine. 2004 edition|accessdate=2008-07-05|work=CIA}}. .</ref> Ukraine produces nearly all types of transportation vehicles and [[National Space Agency of Ukraine|spacecraft]]. [[Antonov]] airplanes and [[KrAZ]] trucks are exported to many countries. The majority of Ukrainian [[exports]] are marketed to the [[European Union]] and [[CIS]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/operativ/operativ2005/zd/zd_rik/zd_u/gs_u.html|title=Structure export and import, 2006|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=State statistics Committee of Ukraine}}</ref> The [[World Bank]] classifies Ukraine as a middle-income state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTOED/EXTMIDINCCOU/0,,contentMDK:21453301~isCURL:Y~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:2831368,00.html|title=What are Middle-Income Countries?|accessdate=2008-01-03|work=The World Bank - (IEG)}}</ref> Significant issues include underdeveloped infrastructure and transportation, corruption and bureaucracy. The [[PFTS Ukraine Stock Exchange|Ukrainian stock market]] recorded 130 percent growth in 2007, for second highest in the world.<ref>{{cite news|first=Olga|last=Pogarska|title=Ukraine macroeconomic situation - Feb 2008|url=http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-238714.html|publisher=UNIAN news agency|accessdate=2008-02-29}}</ref> According to the CIA, in 2006 the market capitalization of the Ukrainian stock market was $42.87 billion.<ref name="CIA World Factbook"/> Growing sectors of the Ukrainian economy include the [[IT Outsourcing]] market, which was expected to grow over 25 percent in 2007.<ref>[http://cooltech.iafrica.com/features/930368.htm Discount super-geeks fuel IT boom] Dario Thuburn, ''[[Agence France-Presse]]'', June 4, 2007</ref> By December 2007 the average nominal salary in Ukraine reached 1,774 [[Ukrainian hryvnia|hryvnias]] per month.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/operativ/operativ2005/gdn/reg_zp_m/reg_zpm_u/arh_zpm_u.htm|title=Average Wage Income in 2007 by Region|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=State Statistics Committee of Ukraine}}</ref> 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 (2001–06) in a row.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/operativ/operativ2005/gdn/tznr/tznr_u/tznr_u.htm|title=Growth Rate of Nominal and Real Wages (1995-2006)|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=State Statistics Committee of Ukraine}}</ref> The country imports most energy supplies, especially [[oil]] and [[natural gas]], and to a large extent depends on [[Russia]] as an energy supplier. 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. At the same time, 85 percent of the Russian gas is delivered to Western Europe through Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfordenergy.org/pdfs/NG21.pdf|title=Ukraine's gas sector|accessdate=2008-07-05|format=.pdf|publisher=Oxford institute for energy studies|pages=p.36 of 123}}</ref> ==Culture== {{main|Culture of Ukraine}} [[Image:VolynPysanky.jpg|thumb|A collection of traditional [[pysanka|pysanky]] from [[Volhynia|Volyn]]]] Ukrainian customs are heavily influenced by [[Christianity]], which is the dominant religion in the country.<ref name=derzhkomrelig/> Gender roles also tend to be more traditional, and grandparents play a greater role in raising children than in the West.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tryukraine.com/society/cultural_differences.shtml |title=Cultural differences|accessdate=2008-01-27|work=Ukraine's Culture}}</ref> The culture of Ukraine has been also influenced by its eastern and western neighbors, which is reflected in its [[Ukrainian architecture|architecture]], music and art. The Communist era had quite a strong effect on the art and writing of Ukraine.<ref>Britannica: "In all, some four-fifths of the Ukrainian cultural elite was repressed or perished in the course of the 1930s." [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30078/Ukraine]</ref> 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". 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.<ref> "Gorbachev, Mikhail." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2 Oct. 2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037405>. "Under his new policy of glasnost (“openness”), a major cultural thaw took place: freedoms of expression and of information were significantly expanded; the press and broadcasting were allowed unprecedented candour in their reportage and criticism; and the country's legacy of Stalinist totalitarian rule was eventually completely repudiated by the government."</ref> 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.<Ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukraine.com/culture/ |title=Culture|accessdate=2008-01-27 |work=Ukraine.com - The official gateway}}</ref> The traditional Ukrainian diet includes chicken, pork, beef, fish and mushrooms. Ukrainians also tend to eat a lot of potatoes, grains, fresh and pickled vegetables. 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 [[Gołąbki|holubtsy]] (stuffed cabbage rolls filled with rice, carrots and meat). Ukrainian specialties also include [[Chicken Kiev]] and [[Kiev Cake]]. Ukrainians drink stewed fruit, juices, milk, buttermilk (they make cottage cheese from this), mineral water, tea and coffee, beer, wine and [[horilka]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukraine.com/culture/cuisine/ |title=Culture - Cuisine|accessdate=2008-01-27 |work=Ukraine.com - The official gateway}}</ref> ===Language=== {{main|Ukrainian Language|Languages of Ukraine}} [[Image:Ukr lang ukr 2001.jpg|thumb|Percentage of native Ukrainian speakers by subdivision (in Ukrainian)]] According to the [[Constitution of Ukraine|Constitution]], the [[official language|state language]] of Ukraine is [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]. [[Russian language|Russian]], which was the ''[[de facto]]'' official language of the Soviet Union, is [[Russian language in Ukraine|widely spoken]], especially in eastern and southern Ukraine. According to the 2001 census, 67.5 percent of the population declared Ukrainian as their native language and 29.6 percent declared Russian.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/language/|title=Linguistic composition of the population|accessdate=2008-01-27|work=All-Ukrainian population census, 2001}}</ref> Most native Ukrainian speakers know Russian as a second language. It is sometimes difficult to determine the extent of the two languages.<ref name=Shamshur/> 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). Some ethnic Ukrainians, while calling Ukrainian their native language, use Russian more frequently in their daily lives.<ref>Kuzio, p. 57</ref> 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.{{Ref_label|F|f|1}} Ukrainian is mainly spoken in western and central Ukraine. In western Ukraine, Ukrainian is also the dominant language in cities (such as [[Lviv]]). In central Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian are both equally used in cities, with Russian being more common in [[Kiev]],{{Ref_label|F|f|2}} while [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] is the dominant language in rural communities. In eastern and southern Ukraine, Russian is primarily used in cities, and [[Surzhyk]] is used in rural areas. [[Image:Ruslangsup.PNG|thumb|left|Percentage of native Russian speakers by subdivision{{Ref_label|F|f|3}}]] 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.<ref name=Shamshur>Shamshur, p. 159-168</ref> Following independence, the government of Ukraine began following a policy of [[Ukrainization]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archives.gov.ua/Sections/Revolution_2004/UKL/photos.php?UKL302|title=Світова преса про вибори в Україні-2004|accessdate=2008-01-07|work=Архіви України}}</ref> to increase the use of Ukrainian, while discouraging Russian, which has been banned or restricted in the media and films.<ref>{{cite news|title=Anger at Ukraine's ban on Russian|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3630631.stm |publisher=[[BBC]]|date=15 April, 2004|accessdate=2008-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Wanted: Russian-language movies in Ukraine|url= http://www.russiatoday.ru/features/news/27078|work=|publisher=[[RussiaToday]]|date=July 6, 2008|accessdate=2008-07-07}}</ref>This means that Russian-language programmes need a Ukrainian translation or subtitles. According to the Constitution of the [[Crimea|Autonomous Republic of Crimea]], Ukrainian is the only state language of the republic. 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 percent minority of the republic<ref name=Census2001CrimeaNationality>[http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/Crimea/ National structure of the population of Autonomous Republic of Crimea], [[2001 Ukrainian Census]]. Retrieved on 2008-01-27. </ref>) is guaranteed a special state protection as well as the 'languages of other ethnicities'. Russian speakers constitute an overwhelming majority of the Crimean population (77 percent), with Ukrainian speakers comprising just 10.1 percent, and Crimean Tatar speakers 11.4 percent.<ref name=Census2001CrimeaLanguage>[http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/language/Crimea/ Linguistic composition of population Autonomous Republic of Crimea], [[2001 Ukrainian Census]]. Retrieved on 2008-01-27.</ref> But in everyday life the majority of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians in Crimea use Russian.<ref name = Belitser>For a more comprehensive account of language politics in Crimea, see Natalya Belitser, "[http://www.iccrimea.org/scholarly/nbelitser.html The Constitutional Process in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in the Context of Interethnic Relations and Conflict Settlement]," International Committee for Crimea. Retrieved August 12, 2007.</ref><br clear="all"> ===Literature=== {{main|Ukrainian literature}} [[Image:Taras Shevchenko bw.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Taras Shevchenko]] (1814–1861)]] The history of Ukrainian literature dates back to the 11th century, following the Christianization of the Kievan Rus’.<ref name=ualit>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30082|title=Ukraine - Cultual Life - Literature|accessdate=2008-07-03|work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref> The writings of the time were mainly liturgical and were written in [[Old Church Slavonic]]. Historical accounts of the time were referred to as ''[[chronicle]]s'', the most significant of which was the [[Primary Chronicle]].<ref name=ualitmsn>{{cite web|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761573617_4/Ukraine.html |title=Ukraine - Literature |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work=MSN Encarta}}</ref>{{Ref_label|G|g|none}} Literary activity faced a sudden decline during the [[Mongol invasion of Rus']].<ref name=ualit/> Ukrainian literature again began to develop in the 14th century, and was advanced significantly in the 16th century with the introduction of [[Printing|print]] and with the beginning of the Cossack era, under both Russian and Polish dominance.<ref name=ualit/> The Cossacks established an independent society and popularized a [[dumy|new kind]] of [[epic poem]]s, which marked a high point of Ukrainian [[oral literature]].<ref name=ualitmsn/> These advances were then set back in the 17th and early 18th centuries, when publishing in the Ukrainian language was discouraged. But by the late 18th century modern literary Ukrainian finally emerged.<ref name=ualit/> The 19th century initiated a [[vernacular]] period in Ukraine, lead by [[Ivan Kotliarevsky]]’s work ''Eneyida'', the first publication written in modern Ukrainian. By the 1830s, Ukrainian [[romanticism]] began to develop, and the nation’s most renowned cultural figure, romanticist poet-painter [[Taras Shevchenko]] emerged. Where Ivan Kotliarevsky is considered to be the ‘father’ of literature in the Ukrainian vernacular; Shevchenko is the father of a national revival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?AddButton=pages\L\I\Literature.htm|title=Literature|author=Danylo Husar Struk|accessdate=2008-01-17|work=Encyclopedia of Ukraine}}</ref> Then, in 1863, use of the Ukrainian language in print was effectively [[Ems Ukaz|prohibited]] by the Russian Empire. This severely curtained literary activity in the area, and Ukrainian writers were forced to either publish their works in Russian or release them in Austrian controlled [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]]. The ban was never officially lifted, but it became obsolete after the revolution and the Bolsheviks’ coming to power.<ref name=ualitmsn/> Ukrainian literature continued to flourish in the early Soviet years, when nearly all literary trends were approved. These policies faced a steep decline in the 1930s, when Stalin implemented his policy of [[socialist realism]]. The doctrine didn’t necessarily repress the Ukrainian language, but it required writers to follow a certain style in their works. Literary activities continued to be somewhat limited under the communist party, and it was not until Ukraine gained its independence in 1991 when writers were free the express themselves as they wished.<ref name=ualit/> ===Sport=== {{main|Sport in Ukraine}} [[Image:Olimpiysky National Sports Complex.jpg|thumb|[[Olimpiysky National Sports Complex|Olympic stadium]] in [[Kiev]]]] Ukraine greatly benefited from the Soviet emphasis on physical education. Such policies left Ukraine with hundreds of stadiums, swimming pools, gymnasiums, and many other athletic facilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30127/Ukraine |title=Ukraine - Sports and recreation|accessdate=2008-01-12|work=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> The most popular sport is [[Football (soccer)|football]]. The top professional league is the [[Vyscha Liha]], also known as the [[Ukrainian Premier League]]. The two most successful teams in the Vyscha Liha are rivals [[FC Dynamo Kyiv]] and [[FC Shakhtar Donetsk]]. Although Shakhtar is the reigning champion of the Vyscha Liha, Dynamo Kyiv has been much more successful historically, winning two [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]]s, one [[UEFA Super Cup]], a record 13 [[USSR Championship]]s and a record 12 [[Ukrainian Championship]]s; while Shakhtar only won four USSR championships and four Ukrainian championships.<ref>[http://www.fcdynamo.kiev.ua/ua/trophy/ Trophies of Dynamo] - Official website of Dynamo Kyiv {{uk icon}}, Accessed 23-6-08</ref> Many Ukrainians also played for the [[Soviet national football team]], most notably [[Igor Belanov]] and [[Oleg Blokhin]], winners of the prestigious [[Golden Ball]] for the best football player of the year. This award was only presented to one Ukrainian after the collapse of the Soviet Union, [[Andriy Shevchenko]], the current captain of the [[Ukrainian national football team]]. The national team made its debute in the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]], and reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions, [[Italian national football team|Italy]]. Ukrainians also faired well in [[boxing]], where the brothers [[Vitali Klitschko]] and [[Wladimir Klitschko]] have dominated for almost a decade. Ukraine made its Olympic debut at the [[1994 Winter Olympics]]. So far, Ukraine has been much more successful in summer Olympics (69 medals in three appearances) than in the winter Olympics (five medals in four appearances). Ukraine is currently ranked 36th by number of gold medals won in the [[All-time Olympic Games medal count]], with every country above them, except for Russia, having more appearances. ==Demographics== {{bar box |width = 200px |float = right |title = <small>Ethnic composition of Ukraine</small> |titlebar = #ddd |bars = {{bar percent|Ukrainians|teal|77.8}} {{bar percent|Russians|teal|17.3}} {{bar percent|Moldovans & Romanians|teal|1|0.8%}} {{bar percent|Belarusians|teal|1|0.6%}} {{bar percent|Crimean Tatars|teal|1|0.5%}} {{bar percent|Bulgarians|teal|1|0.4%}} {{bar percent|Hungarians|teal|1|0.3%}} {{bar percent|Poles|teal|1|0.3%}} {{bar percent|Jews|teal|0.2}} {{bar percent|Armenians|teal|0.2}} |caption = <small>Source: [http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/ Ethnic composition of the population of Ukraine, 2001 Census]</small> }} {{main|Demographics of Ukraine}} According to the [[Ukrainian Census (2001)|Ukrainian Census of 2001]], ethnic [[Ukrainians]] make up 77.8% of the population. Other significant ethnic groups are [[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%), [[Jew]]s (0.2%), [[Armenians]] (0.2%), [[Greeks]] (0.2%) and [[Tatars]] (0.2%).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/|title=Ethnical composition of the population of Ukraine|accessdate=2008-07-05|work=2001 Census}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2002.html|title=Field Listing - Population growth rate|accessdate=2008-07-05|work=CIA World Factbook}}</ref> 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.<ref>[http://unian.net/eng/news/news-215771.html Ukraine’s birth rate shows first positive signs in decade] [[Ukrainian Independent Information Agency]] (UNIAN). 05.10.2007 Retrieved on 2008-07-03.</ref> Immigrants constitute an estimated 14.7 percent of the total population, or 6.9 million people; this is the [[List of countries by immigrant population|fourth largest]] figure in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WPP2005/WPP2005%20web/Countries/Ukraine/demographic.xml|title=World Population Policies 2005, Ukraine|accessdate=2008-07-05|work=United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs}}</ref> The industrial regions in the east and southeast are the most heavily populated, and about 67.2 percent of the population lives in urban areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ukraine_statistics.html |title=Ukraine - Statistics|accessdate=2008-01-07 |work=[[UNICEF]]}}</ref> [[Image:Population of Ukraine.svg|thumb|left|Number of inhabitants in millions (1990–2007)]] Romanians and Moldavians are another significant minority in Ukraine, concentrated mainly in the [[Chernivtsi Oblast|Chernivtsi]], [[Odessa Oblast|Odessa]], [[Zakarpattia Oblast|Zakarpattia]] and [[Vinnytsia Oblast|Vinnytsia]] oblasts. [[Gagauzians]] are another minority, concentrated mainly in [[Budjak]]. 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. 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).<ref name=MigrationMalynovska>[http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=365 Olena Malynovska, Caught Between East and West, Ukraine Struggles with Its Migration Policy], National Institute for International Security Problems, Kiev, January 2006. Retrieved on 2008-07-03.</ref> {{Ukrainian cities}} ==Religion== {{see also|History of Christianity in Ukraine}} [[Image:Kyjiv sofienkathedrale.jpg|thumb|The [[Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev]], a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/527|title=Kiev Saint Sophia Cathedral|accessdate=2008-07-08|work=UNESCO|publisher=UN}}</ref>]] The dominant religion in Ukraine is [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox Christianity]], which is currently split between three Church bodies: the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)|Ukrainian Orthodox Church]] [[Autonomy (Eastern Christianity)|autonomous]] church body under the [[Patriarch of Moscow]], the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate]], and the [[Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church]].<ref name=derzhkomrelig>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20041204115821/www.derzhkomrelig.gov.ua/info_zvit_2003.html|title= State Department of Ukraine on Religious|accessdate=2008-01-27|work=2003 Statistical report}}</ref> A distant second by the number of the followers is the [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Rite]] [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]], which practices a similar [[Liturgy|liturgical]] and [[Spirituality|spiritual]] [[tradition]] as Eastern Orthodoxy, but is in [[full communion|communion]] with the [[See of Rome]] (Roman Catholic Church) and recognizes the primacy of the [[Pope]] as head of the Church.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ugcc.org.ua/eng/ugcc_history/definition/|title=Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC)|accessdate=2008-01-27}}</ref> Additionally, there are 863 [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] (Latin or Western Rite) communities, and 474 [[clergy]] members serving some one million [[Roman Catholic]]s in Ukraine.<ref name=derzhkomrelig/> The group forms some 2.19 percent of the population and consists mainly of ethnic [[Poles]], who live predominantly in the western regions of the country. [[Image:Bakhchisaray, Hansaray Museum.jpg|thumb|left|The Crimean Khan's palace in [[Bakhchisaray]] is the center of Islam in Ukraine and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1820/|title=Bakhchisaray palace of Crimean Khans|accessdate=2008-07-08|work=UNESCO|publisher=UN}}</ref>]] [[Protestantism|Protestant Christians]] also form around 2.19 percent 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. The second largest Protestant church is the Ukrainian Church of Evangelical faith ([[Pentecostalism|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. 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 Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]]. [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] is also present.<ref name=derzhkomrelig/> There are an estimated 500,000 [[Muslims]] in Ukraine, and about 300,000 of them are [[Crimean Tatars]]. 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.<ref name="muslim">{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90205.htm|title=International Religious Freedom Report 2007 - Ukraine|accessdate=2008-01-27|work=[[USDOS]]}}</ref> The Jewish community is a tiny fraction of what it was before [[World War II]]. [[Judaism|Jews]] form 0.63 percent 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 Judaism|Reform]] denomination. Additionally, there is a presence of the middle-ground sect, [[Conservative Judaism]] (aka [[Masorti Judaism]]) as well.<ref name=derzhkomrelig/> As of [[January 1]] [[2006]] there were 35 [[Krishna Consciousness]] and 53 [[Buddhist]] registered communities in the country.<ref name="muslim"/> ==Education== {{main|Education in Ukraine|List of universities in Ukraine}} [[Image:Graduates in tertiary education-thousands.jpg|thumb|Ukraine produces the fourth largest number of [[Tertiary education|tertiary graduates]] in [[Europe]], while being ranked seventh in population.]] According to the [[Constitution of Ukraine|Ukrainian constitution]], access to free [[education]] is granted to all citizens. Complete general [[secondary education]] is compulsory in the state schools which constitute the overwhelming majority. Free higher education in state and communal educational establishments is provided on a competitive basis.<ref>[http://www.rada.kiev.ua/const/conengl.htm Constitution of Ukraine] Chapter 2, Article 53. Adopted at the Fifth Session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 28 June 1996. Retrieved on 2008-07-03.</ref> There is also a small number of accredited private secondary and higher education institutions. Due to the Soviet Union's emphasis and total access of education for all citizens, which continues today, the [[literacy rate]] is an estimated 99.4 percent.<ref name="CIA World Factbook"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.education.gov.ua/pls/edu/docs/common/secondaryeduc_eng.html|title=General secondary education|accessdate=2007-12-23|publisher=Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine}}</ref> 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. The Ukrainian higher education system comprises higher educational establishments, [[scientific]] and [[methodological]] facilities under [[federal government|federal]], [[municipal government|municipal]] and self-governing bodies in charge of education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.education.gov.ua/pls/edu/docs/common/higher_educ_eng.html|title=System of Higher Education of Ukraine|accessdate=2007-12-23|publisher=Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.education.gov.ua/pls/edu/docs/common/education_eng.html |title=System of the Education of Ukraine|accessdate=2007-12-23|publisher=Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine}}</ref> ==Infrastructure== {{main|Transport in Ukraine}} [[Image:Ukraine motorways en.PNG|thumb|[[Roads in Ukraine|Ukraine's road Network]]]] Although the Ukrainian [[Highway|road system]] covers all [[City|major populated centers]], it is considered to be by [[EU|European standards]], of low quality. In total, Ukrainian paved roads stretch for 164,732 kilometres (102,401 mi).<ref name="CIA World Factbook"/> [[Rail transport]] in Ukraine plays the role of connecting all major [[urban area]]s, [[port]] facilities and [[industry|industrial centers]] with neighboring countries. The heaviest concentration of [[railroad track]] is located in the [[Donbas]] region of Ukraine. Although the amount of [[freight]] transported by rail fell by 7.4 percent in 1995 in comparison with 1994, Ukraine is still one of the [[Rail usage statistics by country|world's highest rail users]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps3997/9510uktn.htm|title=Transportation in Ukraine|accessdate=2007-12-22|work= U.S. Government Printing Office}} </ref> The total amount of [[Rail transport|railroad]] track in Ukraine extends for 22,473 kilometres (13 970 mi), of which 9,250 kilometres (5750 mi) is electrified.<ref name="CIA World Factbook"/> Ukraine is one of [[Europe|Europe’s]] largest [[Electricity|energy]] consumers, it consumes almost double the energy of [[Germany]], per unit of [[GDP]].<ref name=eia>{{cite web|url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Ukraine/Full.html|title=Ukraine|accessdate=2007-12-22|work=[[Energy Information Administration]] (EIA)|publisher=US government}}</ref> A great share of energy supply in Ukraine comes from nuclear power, with the country receiving most of its nuclear fuel from Russia. The remaining [[oil]] and [[natural gas|gas]], is also imported from the former Soviet Union. Ukraine is heavily dependent on its [[nuclear energy]]. The largest [[nuclear power plant]] in Europe, the [[Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant]], is located in Ukraine. In 2006, the government planned to build 11 new [[Nuclear reactor|reactors]] by the year 2030, in effect, almost doubling the current amount of nuclear [[electricity|power capacity]].<ref name="Nuclear UA">{{cite web|url= http://world-nuclear.org/info/inf46.html|title=Nuclear Power in Ukraine|accessdate=2007-12-22|publisher=World Nuclear Association}}</ref> Ukraine's power sector is the twelfth-largest in the world in terms of installed capacity, with 54 gigawatts (GW).<ref name=eia/> Renewable energy still plays a very modest role in electrical output, and in 2005 energy production was met by the following sources: nuclear (47 percent), thermal (45 percent), hydro and other (8 percent).<ref name="Nuclear UA"/> ==See also== {{Ukraine topics|state=uncollapsed}} ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==Notes== {{refbegin}} '''a.'''{{Note_label|A|a|none}} Among the Ukrainians that rose to the highest offices in the Russian Empire were [[Aleksey Razumovsky]], [[Alexander Bezborodko]], [[Ivan Paskevich]]. Among the Ukrainians who greatly influenced the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] in this period were [[Stephen Yavorsky]], [[Feofan Prokopovich]], [[Dimitry of Rostov]]. '''b.'''{{Note_label|B|b|none}} See the [[Great Purge]] article for details. '''c.'''{{Note_label|C|c|none}} Estimates on the number of death vary. Official Soviet data is not available because the Soviet government denied the existence of the famine. See the [[Holodomor]] article for details. '''d.'''{{Note_label|D|d|1}}{{Note_label|D|d|2}} These figures are likely to be much higher, as they '''do not''' include Ukrainians from nations or Ukrainian Jews, but instead only [[ethnic]] Ukrainians, from the Ukrainian SSR '''e.'''{{Note_label|E|E|none}} This figure excludes [[POW]] deaths. '''f.'''{{note_label|F|f|1}}{{note_label|F|f|2}}{{note_label|F|f|3}} According to the official [[Ukrainian Census (2001)|2001 census]] data ([http://ukrcensus.gov.ua/results/general/nationality/city_kyiv/ by nationality]; [http://ukrcensus.gov.ua/results/general/language/city_kyiv/ by language]) about 75 percent of Kiev's population responded 'Ukrainian' to the native language (ridna mova) census question, and roughly 25 percent responded 'Russian'. On the other hand, when the question 'What language do you use in everyday life?' was asked in the 2003 sociological survey, the Kievans' answers were distributed as follows: 'mostly Russian': 52 percent, 'both Russian and Ukrainian in equal measure': 32 percent, 'mostly Ukrainian': 14 percent, 'exclusively Ukrainian': 4.3 percent.<br/>{{cite news|url= http://www.wumag.kiev.ua/index2.php?param=pgs20032/72|title=What language is spoken in Ukraine?|publisher=Welcome to Ukraine|date=2003/2|accessdate=2008-07-11 }} '''g.'''{{Note_label|G|g|none}} Such writings were also the base for Russian and Belarusian literature. '''h.'''{{Note_label|H|h|none}} Without the city of Inhulets. {{refend}} ==Print sources== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} <div class="references-small"> *{{cite book|title=Ukraine During World War II: History and Its Aftermath|last=Boshyk|first=Yuri|year=1986|publisher=Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies|isbn=0920862373}} *{{cite book|last=Cliff|first=Tony|title=Class Struggle and Women’s Liberation|publisher=Bookmarks|date=1984|isbn=0906224128}} *Kuzio, Taras: ''Contemporary Ukraine: Dynamics of Post-Soviet Transformation'', M.E. Sharpe, 1998, ISBN 0765602245 *[[Magocsi, Paul Robert]], ''A History of Ukraine''. [[University of Toronto Press]], 1996 ISBN 0802078206 *Overy, Richard : ''The Dictators'', page 518, W. W. Norton & Company, 2004, ISBN 0393020304 *Piotrowski Tadeusz, ''Poland's Holocaust: Ethnic Strife, Collaboration with Occupying Forces and Genocide in the Second Republic, 1918-1947'', McFarland & Company, 1998, ISBN 0-7864-0371-3 </div> {{col-2}} <div class="references-small"> *{{cite book|title=Stalin's Wars: From World War to Cold War 1939-1953|last=Roberts|first=Geoffrey|year=2006|publisher=[[Yale University Press]]|isbn=0920862373}} *Shamshur O. V., Ishevskaya T. I., ''Multilingual education as a factor of inter-ethnic relations: the case of the Ukraine'', in ''Language Education for Intercultural Communication'', By D. E. Ager, George Muskens, Sue Wright, Multilingual Matters, 1993, ISBN 1853592048 *{{cite book|title=Ukraine's Economic Reform: Obstacles, Errors, Lessons|last=Shen|first=Raphael|publisher=Praeger/Greenwood|isbn=0275952401}} *[[Orest Subtelny|Subtelny, Orest]]. ''Ukraine: A History'', 1st edition. Toronto: [[University of Toronto Press]], 1988. ISBN 0-8020-8390-0. *Weiner, Amir, ''Making Sense of War: The Second World War and the Fate of the Bolshevik Revolution'', [[Princeton University Press]], ISBN 0691095434, Part II *[[Andrew Wilson (historian)|Wilson, Andrew]], ''Ukrainian Nationalism in the 1990s: A Minority Faith'', [[Cambridge University Press]], ISBN 0521574579 </div> {{col-end}} ==External links== {{sisterlinks}} {{portal|Ukraine|Flag of Ukraine.svg}} *[http://www.president.gov.ua/en/ The President of Ukraine] *[http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en Government Portal of Ukraine] *[http://portal.rada.gov.ua/control/en/index The Parliament of Ukraine] *{{wikiatlas|Ukraine}} *{{wikia|world:Ukraine|Ukraine}} *{{wikitravel}} *{{CIA World Factbook link|up|Ukraine}} *{{dmoz|Regional/Europe/Ukraine}} <br clear="all"/> {{Template group |title = Geographic locale |list = {{Countries of Europe}} {{Countries bordering the Black Sea}} }} {{Template group |title = [[International membership of Ukraine|International membership]] |list = {{Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)|state=collapsed}} {{Council of Europe}} {{La Francophonie|state=collapsed}} {{Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)}} {{OSCE}} {{GUAM countries}} {{Black Sea Naval Co-operation Task Group (BLACKSEAFOR)}} {{Slavic-speaking states}} }} <!--Categories--> [[Category:Ukraine| ]] [[Category:Slavic countries]] [[Category:Liberal democracies]] [[Category:Ukrainian-speaking countries and territories]] <!--Other languages--> [[af:Oekraïne]] [[als:Ukraine]] [[am:ዩክሬን]] [[ang:Ucrægna]] [[ar:أوكرانيا]] [[an:Ucraína]] [[arc:ܐܘܩܪܐܝܢܐ]] [[roa-rup:Ucraina]] [[frp:Ucrayena]] [[ast:Ucrania]] [[gn:Ukyaña]] [[az:Ukrayna]] [[bn:ইউক্রেন]] [[zh-min-nan:Ukrayina]] [[be:Украіна]] [[be-x-old:Украіна]] [[bar:Ukraine]] [[bs:Ukrajina]] [[br:Ukraina]] [[bg:Украйна]] [[ca:Ucraïna]] [[cv:Украина]] [[ceb:Ukraine]] [[cs:Ukrajina]] [[cy:Wcráin]] [[da:Ukraine]] [[de:Ukraine]] [[dv:ޔުކްރެއިން]] [[dsb:Ukraina]] [[et:Ukraina]] [[el:Ουκρανία]] [[es:Ucrania]] [[eo:Ukrainio]] [[eu:Ukraina]] [[fa:اوکراین]] [[fo:Ukraina]] [[fr:Ukraine]] [[fy:Oekraïne]] [[ga:An Úcráin]] [[gv:Yn Ookraan]] [[gd:An Ùcrain]] [[gl:Ucraína - Україна]] [[zh-classical:烏克蘭]] [[hak:Vû-khiet-làn]] [[ko:우크라이나]] [[hy:Ուկրաինա]] [[hi:उक्राइना]] [[hsb:Ukraina]] [[hr:Ukrajina]] [[io:Ukrainia]] [[ilo:Ukrainia]] [[bpy:ইউক্রেন]] [[id:Ukraina]] [[ia:Ukraina]] [[ie:Ucraina]] [[os:Украинæ]] [[is:Úkraína]] [[it:Ucraina]] [[he:אוקראינה]] [[kl:Ukraine]] [[pam:Ukraine]] [[kn:ಯುಕ್ರೇನ್]] [[ka:უკრაინა]] [[csb:Ùkrajina]] [[kk:Украина]] [[kw:Ukrayn]] [[ky:Украина]] [[sw:Ukraine]] [[kv:Украина]] [[ht:Ikrèn]] [[ku:Ukrayna]] [[la:Ucraina]] [[lv:Ukraina]] [[lb:Ukrain]] [[lt:Ukraina]] [[lij:Ucrainn-a]] [[li:Oekraïne]] [[jbo:vurgu'e]] [[hu:Ukrajna]] [[ml:യുക്രെയിന്‍]] [[ms:Ukraine]] [[mn:Украйн]] [[nah:Ucrantlān]] [[na:Ukraine]] [[nl:Oekraïne]] [[nds-nl:Oekraïne]] [[ne:युक्रेन]] [[ja:ウクライナ]] [[ce:Украина]] [[no:Ukraina]] [[nn:Ukraina]] [[nrm:Ukraîne]] [[nov:Ukraina]] [[oc:Ucraïna]] [[uz:Ukraina]] [[ps:اوکراين]] [[pms:Ucrain-a]] [[nds:Ukraine]] [[pl:Ukraina]] [[pt:Ucrânia]] [[crh:Ukraina]] [[ro:Ucraina]] [[rm:Ucraina]] [[qu:Ukranya]] [[ru:Украина]] [[se:Ukraina]] [[sco:Ukraine]] [[sq:Ukraina]] [[simple:Ukraine]] [[sk:Ukrajina]] [[cu:Оукра́ина]] [[sl:Ukrajina]] [[sr:Украјина]] [[sh:Ukrajina]] [[fi:Ukraina]] [[szl:Ůkraina]] [[sv:Ukraina]] [[tl:Ukraine]] [[ta:உக்ரைன்]] [[th:ประเทศยูเครน]] [[vi:Ukraina]] [[tg:Украина]] [[chr:ᏳᎬᎳᎢᏅ]] [[tr:Ukrayna]] [[tk:Ukraina]] [[udm:Украина]] [[uk:Україна]] [[ur:یوکرین]] [[vec:Ucraina]] [[vo:Lukrayän]] [[fiu-vro:Ukraina]] [[wa:Oucrinne]] [[war:Ukranya]] [[wo:Ukreen]] [[wuu:乌克莱恩]] [[yi:אוקריינא]] [[yo:Ukraine]] [[zh-yue:烏克蘭]] [[cbk-zam:Ukrania]] [[diq:Ukrayna]] [[bat-smg:Okraėna]] [[zh:乌克兰]]