In the northeastern, eastern, and southeastern directions, Ukraine is bordered by Russia. The countries are separated not only by geography but also by a history that dates back hundreds of years, including shared cultural, linguistic, and familial ties.
A millennium ago, the heartland of the Kyivan Rus’ (Land of Rus) comprised what is now Ukraine. Kyivan Rus was a federation of Eastern Slavic, Baltic, and Finnic tribes of Eastern and Northern Europe, based in the ancient city of Kyiv. This federation reached its peak power in the 10th and 11th centuries.
The Fall of Kyivan Rus’ and the Rise of Ukraine
In the 13th century, the Kyivan Rus’ fell to the Mongol Golden Horde due to the declining trade after the Byzantine Empire’s collapse. The Mongols from the Golden Horde ruled over regions which include modern-day Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and the Caucasus from 1240 until 1502.
The Ukrainian national identity began to take shape about a century after large parts of the former Kyivan Rus’ were included in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth through the Union of Lublin, Poland, in 1569.
Understanding the Features of Ukraine
Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe and is the largest country in Europe after Russia. It has an estimated population of 43.7 million as of July 2021 with Ukrainian ethnicity making up 77.8% of the population. Despite having reserves of iron ore and coal and being a major exporter of sunflower oil, corn, iron and iron products, and wheat, it is considered the poorest country in Europe based on gross domestic product.
Ukraine’s primary export to India is sunflower oil which makes India the largest export destination for Ukraine in the Asia Pacific region.
Ukraine’s Incorporation into the Russian Empire
The entire ethnic Ukrainian territory was incorporated into the Russian Empire under Empress Catherine the Great (1762-96). This led to the suppression of the Ukrainian language and identity under a Russification policy.
Ukraine in the Twentieth Century
World War I ended the reign of the Tsarist and Ottoman empires. Independent Ukrainian states emerged, leading to the declaration of an independent Ukrainian People’s Republic after the Bolsheviks took power in 1917. A civil war ensued among various factions, and in 1922, Ukraine became part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
Post-USSR Ukraine
The USSR dissolved in 1991. Demands for independence in Ukraine had been growing during the years preceding its dissolution. The parliament of Ukraine adopted the country’s Act of Independence on August 24, 1991. Despite this, Ukraine was never legally a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as its parliament never ratified the accession.
Recent Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Recently, Ukraine has urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to expedite its membership in the alliance to which Russia responded by declaring it a “red line”, expressing concerns about the expansion of US-led military alliances to its borders. This led to the recent conflict between the two countries.