About Ukraine

Image from The World Factbook 2021. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2021.

©iStock.com/Olegda88

©Unsplash.com/Diana Vyshniakova

Ukraine is a country in Europe, bordered by Belarus, Russia, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Poland, and, to the south, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Its capital city is Kyiv, (pronounced “kee-yiv,” from the Ukrainian Київ) which sits on the banks of the grand Dnieper River.

Formerly part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine celebrated full independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. At that time, its name was changed from the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (S.S.R.) to Ukraine. In 1992, a new flag was approved by the country’s young government, one that kept the blue and yellow of previous flags that had long been in place but were banned during Soviet rule. The colors represent the blue of the sky and the yellow of the wheat fields that are so plentiful in the country.

Before the 2022 Russian invasion, Ukraine had an estimated population of over 41 million people, and was the eighth-most populous country in Europe. After the invasion, millions of people were forced to flee their homes and move within Ukraine or to seek shelter in other countries.

The War in Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Troops crossed the borders into the country and bombing missions started up in multiple cities throughout the nation, including Kyiv, the seat of government. Within 24 hours, Russian tanks had reached the outskirts of the capital city. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, declared martial law and called for those of military age to mobilize to defend the country. While Russian forces captured an airport, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and the city of Kherson in the early days, they were met with enormous—and unexpected—resistance from a Ukrainian defense. With Russia bombing both military and civilian targets, causing widespread destruction, injury, and death, millions of Ukrainians fled the country, primarily heading to Poland with many continuing on to Germany and the Czech Republic. As of February 2024, there were nearly 3.7 million internally displaced people in Ukraine and more than 6 million refugees had sought safety outside the country, creating Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War.

Now, more than two years after the invasion, the fighting continues with little end in sight.