Ukraine (MFA: [ʊkrɐˈjɪn̪ɐ] (listen)) is a country located in Eastern Europe, covering the southwest of the East European Plain, part of the Eastern Carpathians and the Crimean Mountains. It borders Romania and Moldova to the southwest, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland to the west, Belarus to the north, and Russia to the east and northeast. In the south, it is washed by the Black and Azov seas. The area is 603,700 km²[5]. The largest country in terms of area among those located entirely in Europe[6].

As of the last census (2001), the population of Ukraine was 48.4 million people[7]. The main and indigenous population of Ukraine is Ukrainians[8][9] (77.8% of the population in 2001[7]). Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks are also officially indigenous peoples of Ukraine[10]. In addition, Russians are a significant minority (17.3% of the population in 2001[7]). Historically, Ukrainian Jews were also one of the largest minorities in Ukraine.[11]

Modern Ukraine, having chosen as its coat of arms the symbol of the princely state of Volodymyr the Great [12], derives its statehood from the Rus of Kyiv princes of the Rurik dynasty of the IX-XIII centuries [13]. During its heyday, in the X-XI centuries, Rus' was one of the largest and most influential countries in Europe[13]. After the Mongol invasion, Rus' became the heir of the Russian Kingdom of the XIII-XIV centuries [13], which was later absorbed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania became the de facto successor of the traditions of Russia.[14] Russian lands within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania enjoyed wide autonomy[15]. In 1569, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, having concluded the Union of Lublin, united into a federal state of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, after which the modern Ukrainian lands came under the authority of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland.

The restoration of Ukrainian statehood took place during Khmelnytskyi, from 1648[13][16], which resulted in the formation of an autonomous Cossack state, the Hetmanship, or the Zaporizhzhya Army. The Hetmanate retained limited autonomy until 1764, when part of the lands went to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the other part was under the protectorate of Muscovy, which gradually absorbed the Cossack state. Subsequently, the Ukrainian lands were divided between the Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

The state of the Crimean Tatars, one of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine[10], was the Crimean Khanate, which existed in the southern Ukrainian lands in 1441-1783 during the reign of the Girei dynasty. In 1783, it was annexed by the Russian Empire.[17][18]

During the Ukrainian revolution of the beginning of the 20th century, several national states appeared on Ukrainian lands, first of all the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR, 1917—1921), as well as the Ukrainian State (1918), the West Ukrainian People's Republic (1918—1919), and the Kuban People's Republic ( 1918—1920)[19]. The Ukrainian People's Republic was approaching the unification of all these states, but as a result of a series of wars, it was invaded by its neighbors: Soviet Russia, the Republic of Poland, the Kingdom of Romania, and the Czechoslovak Republic.

From 1919, initially in the eastern Ukrainian lands with the capital in Kharkiv, the Bolshevik Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR, later the Ukrainian SSR) began to be created, which in 1922 became part of the Soviet Union. Kyiv became the capital of the Ukrainian SSR in 1934. During the Second World War, part of Western Ukraine and Bujak were annexed to the Ukrainian SSR, later Transcarpathia, and since 1954 - Crimea.

The modern state of Ukraine regained its independence as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the declaration of independence on August 24, 1991, which was confirmed by a referendum on December 1, 1991.

Ukraine is a unitary state consisting of 24 regions, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and two cities with special status: Kyiv, the capital and largest city, and Sevastopol.

Ukraine is a parliamentary-presidential republic. The supreme body of state power is the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the head of state is the President of Ukraine.

The majority of Ukrainian citizens are Christians, mainly of the Orthodox faith, although Greek Catholicism is also widespread in the west of Ukraine.[20][21] Religions of indigenous peoples of Ukraine are also Islam, Judaism and Karaism. Before the adoption of Christianity in Russia in 988, the pagan Slavic religion was dominant.

Ukraine is an industrial-agrarian country with a predominance of raw material production. It is one of the leading exporters of some types of agricultural products. The economic complex of the country includes mineral extraction, some branches of mechanical engineering, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, etc. Ukraine is a powerful producer of electricity. Significant positions are occupied by the production of military equipment and weapons