Ukraine is a sovereign country in Eastern Europe, known as the second largest country by area on the continent, with a population of approximately 42.7 million as of 2025. Its capital and largest city is Kyiv. Ukraine is a unitary multiparty republic with a single legislative body called the Verkhovna Rada. The current head of state is President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the head of government is Prime Minister Yuliya Svyrydenko. Ukrainian is the official language, though Russian is widely spoken, and the country has no official religion[2][4]. Historically, Ukraine’s territory was home to the Kyivan Rus’, a powerful early medieval Slavic state influential in Eastern Europe during the 10th and 11th centuries. Over centuries, the region was ruled by various powers including Lithuania, Poland, and Russia. The 17th-century Cossack Hetmanate established a degree of Ukrainian autonomy. In the 20th century, Ukraine was affected by major upheavals: it declared independence briefly after World War I but was incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The country suffered devastating events including the Holodomor famine in the 1930s and widespread destruction during World War II[1][2][6]. Ukraine gained full independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then, it has developed as a democratic state with a market economy but has faced significant challenges, including territorial conflicts and political instability. Ukraine’s contemporary relevance is underscored by ongoing geopolitical tensions and conflict, especially following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war in eastern Ukraine. These events have drawn international attention to Ukraine’s sovereignty and security[3][4]. Ukraine remains a significant European nation culturally, historically, and politically, striving to strengthen its democratic institutions and integrate with Western organizations.
#ukraine #russia #military #conflict
Read about the coordinated effort by Ukrainian forces to strike at Russian military installations in response to ongoing aggression and territorial disputes between the two countries.