Factbook
Histoire de Ukraine — Chronologie
Dates clés de l'histoire de Ukraine, d'après le Factbook Magna et l'Encyclopédie universelle.
1648982 (VOLODYMYR I consolidates Kyivan Rus); 1199 (Principality (later Kingdom) of Ruthenia formed); 1648 (establishment of the Cossack Hetmanate); 22 January 1918 (from Soviet Russia).
1917After czarist Russia collapsed in 1917, Ukraine -- which has long been known as the region's "bread basket" for its agricultural production -- achieved a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but the country was reconquered and endured a Soviet rule that engineered two famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over eight million died.
1986In 1986, a sudden power surge during a reactor-systems test at Ukraine's Chernobyl power station triggered the worst nuclear disaster in history, releasing massive amounts of radioactive material.
1991Although Ukraine overwhelmingly voted for independence in 1991 as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) dissolved, democracy and prosperity remained elusive, with the legacy of state control, patronage politics, and endemic corruption stalling efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.
1991Independence: 24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: ca.
2001Languages: Ukrainian (official) 67.5%, Russian (regional language) 29.6%, other (includes Crimean Tatar, Moldovan/Romanian, and Hungarian) 2.9% (2001 est.) Religions: Orthodox (includes the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), and the Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP)), Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish (2013 est.) Urban population: 70.1% of total population (2023).
2004In 2004 and 2005, a mass protest dubbed the "Orange Revolution" forced the authorities to overturn a presidential election and allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO.
2006Rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH became prime minister in 2006 and was elected president in 2010.
2012In 2012, Ukraine held legislative elections that Western observers widely criticized as corrupt.
2013In 2013, YANUKOVYCH backtracked on a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU -- in favor of closer economic ties with Russia -- and then used force against protestors who supported the agreement, leading to a three-month protestor occupation of Kyiv's central square.
2014In mid-2014, Russia began an armed conflict in two of Ukraine's eastern provinces.
2014Shortly after YANUKOVYCH's departure in 2014, Russian President Vladimir PUTIN ordered the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
2014The government's use of violence to break up the protest camp in 2014 led to multiple deaths, international condemnation, a failed political deal, and the president's abrupt departure for Russia.
2019Pro-West President Petro POROSHENKO took office later that year; Volodymyr ZELENSKYY succeeded him in 2019.
2021Military spending: 4% of GDP (2021 est.).
2022International efforts to end the conflict failed, and by 2022, more than 14,000 civilians were killed or wounded.
2022On 24 February 2022, Russia escalated the conflict by invading the country on several fronts, in what has become the largest conventional military attack on a sovereign state in Europe since World War II.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 32.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 50.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 4.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 9.9% of total installe Energy use: 57.856 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: industrial machinery, ferrous and nonferrous metals, automotive and aircraft components, electronics, chemicals, textiles, mining, construction Agriculture: maize, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, milk, barley, soybeans, rapeseed, tomatoes (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 3.017 million KYIV (capital), 1.421 million Kharkiv, 1.008 million Odesa, 942,000 Dnipropetrovsk, 888,000 Donetsk (2023) lower-middle-income, non-EU, Eastern European economy; key wheat and corn exporter; gradual recovery after 30% GDP contraction at start of war; damage to infrastructure and agriculture balanced by consumer and business resilience in western Ukraine; international aid has stabilized foreign exchange reserves, allowing managed currency float; continued progress on anti-corruption reforms Inflation: 6.5% (2024 est.).
2024Population: 35.7 million (2024 estimate).
