History of Ukraine in Timeline

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe, the second-largest on the continent after Russia. It shares borders with Russia to the east and northeast, Belarus to the north, Poland and Slovakia to the west, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to the south and southeast. Kyiv is its capital and largest city, followed by Kharkiv, Odesa, and Dnipro. The official language is Ukrainian. Ukraine covers 603,628 km2 (233,062 sq mi) with an estimated population of 32.8 million in 2025.

1906: Increased Emigration after Trans-Siberian Railway opening

In the ten years after the opening of the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1906, an additional 1.6 million Ukrainians emigrated to the east.

1917: Formation of the Ukrainian People's Republic

Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic was formed.

1918: Ukrinform Founded

In 1918, The National News Agency of Ukraine, Ukrinform, was founded.

1921: End of fighting on Ukrainian soil

Fighting on Ukrainian soil persisted until late 1921, marking the end of Ukraine's involvement in World War I and subsequent conflicts.

1921: Famine in eastern provinces

In 1921, a famine further hit the eastern provinces of Ukraine, exacerbating the devastation caused by the Russian Civil War.

July 1922: Arrests and deportations of Ukrainian intellectuals begin

In July 1922, arrests and deportations of Ukrainian intellectuals (e.g. university professors) began in Soviet Ukraine and continued throughout the 1920s.

1922: Establishment of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

In 1922, the Bolsheviks established the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, which became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union.

1932: Socialist Realism Policy

In 1932, Stalin's decree "On the Reconstruction of Literary and Art Organisations" made socialist realism state policy in the Soviet Union, stifling artistic creativity.

1935: Abandonment of local autonomy policy

After Piłsudski's death in 1935, the policy of offering local autonomy to Ukrainians was abandoned due to continued unrest and assassinations of Polish officials.

September 1939: Division of Poland and Ukrainian unification

In September 1939, following the invasion of Poland, German and Soviet troops divided the territory, leading to Eastern Galicia and Volhynia becoming part of Ukraine.

1939: Incorporation into the Soviet Union

Some western Ukrainians, who had only joined the Soviet Union in 1939, hailed the Germans as liberators.

1940: Territorial gains of Ukrainian SSR

In 1940, the Ukrainian SSR incorporated northern and southern districts of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and the Hertsa region from Romania.

June 1941: German invasion of the Soviet Union

On June 22, 1941, German armies invaded the Soviet Union, initiating nearly four years of total war.

1942: Formation of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army

In 1942, the independent Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) movement arose in Western Ukraine, supporting the goal of an independent Ukrainian state.

1943: UPA massacres of ethnic Poles

From mid-1943 until the end of the war, the UPA carried out massacres of ethnic Poles in the Volhynia and Eastern Galicia regions.

1944: Ukrainian Partisan Resistance Units

In 1944, half of the Pro-Soviet partisan guerrilla resistance units, which counted up to 500,000 troops were also Ukrainian.

1945: Ukrainian SSR becomes a founding member of the UN

In 1945, the Ukrainian SSR became one of the founding members of the United Nations (UN), part of a special agreement at the Yalta Conference.

1946: Famine in Ukraine

A famine in 1946–1947, caused by drought and wartime destruction, killed at least tens of thousands of people in Ukraine.

1947: Famine in Ukraine

A famine in 1946–1947, caused by drought and wartime destruction, killed at least tens of thousands of people in Ukraine.

1947: International recognition of territorial gains

In 1947, the territorial gains of the USSR, including those in the Ukrainian SSR, were internationally recognised by the Paris peace treaties.

1950: Republic surpassing pre-war levels

By 1950, the republic had fully surpassed pre-war levels of industry and production.

January 1953: Ukrainians among special deportees

As of 1 January 1953, Ukrainians were second only to Russians among adult "special deportees", comprising 20% of the total.

1953: Nikita Khrushchev became leader of the USSR

Following the death of Stalin in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev became the new leader of the USSR, who began the policies of de-stalinisation and the Khrushchev Thaw.

1964: Leonid Brezhnev becomes General Secretary

In 1964, Leonid Brezhnev became General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

1982: Leonid Brezhnev remains General Secretary

Leonid Brezhnev remained General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1982.

April 1986: Chernobyl disaster

On 26 April 1986, a reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, resulting in the Chernobyl disaster, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history.

1988: Higher Education Institutions Increase

By 1988, the number of higher education institutions in Ukraine had increased to 146, accommodating over 850,000 students.

1991: Ukraine gains independence

In 1991, Ukraine gained independence as the Soviet Union dissolved, declaring itself neutral.

1991: Ukrainian Independence Reestablishment

Literary freedom grew alongside the decline and collapse of the USSR and the reestablishment of Ukrainian independence in 1991.

1991: Independence of Ukraine

Since Ukraine's declaration of independence in 1991, the usage of "the Ukraine" has become politicised and is now rarer, and style guides advise against its use.

1992: BBC Ukrainian Broadcasts Start

BBC Ukrainian started its broadcasts in 1992.

1993: Sergey Bubka Record

Sergey Bubka held the record in the Pole vault from 1993 to 2014.

1996: Adoption of a new constitution

In 1996, a new constitution was adopted in Ukraine as the country transitioned to a free market liberal democracy.

1997: Language issue perception changes

In 1997, the popularity of granting Russian official status in Ukraine reached its lowest point since polling began, influenced by Russian armed aggression.

2000: Pysanka Museum Built

In 2000, the museum of Pysanka was built in the city of Kolomyia.

2004: Orange Revolution

The Orange Revolution of 2004 ushered in electoral and constitutional reforms in Ukraine.

2005: Education System Reform

In 2005, Ukraine initiated a reform to replace the eleven-year school program with a twelve-year system.

2005: Orange Revolution

The Orange Revolution of 2005 ushered in electoral and constitutional reforms in Ukraine.

2006: FIFA World Cup

In 2006, the Ukraine national team made its debut in the FIFA World Cup, reaching the quarterfinals.

2007: Pysanka Museum Nomination

In 2007, the museum of Pysanka won a nomination as the monument of modern Ukraine, part of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine action.

2008: Vasyl Lomachenko Olympic Gold Medal

Vasyl Lomachenko won an Olympic gold medal in 2008.

2011: EuroBasket 2015

In 2011, Ukraine was granted the right to organise EuroBasket 2015.

2012: National Register of Elements Formed

Since 2012, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine has formed the National Register of Elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine.

2012: Vasyl Lomachenko Olympic Gold Medal

Vasyl Lomachenko won an Olympic gold medal in 2012.

2013: EuroBasket

In 2013, the Ukraine national basketball team finished sixth in EuroBasket 2013 and qualified to FIBA World Cup for the first time in its history.

2014: Euromaidan Revolution and Annexation of Crimea

In 2014, mass demonstrations known as the Euromaidan led to a revolution, at the end of which Russia unilaterally occupied and annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, and pro-Russian unrest culminated in a war in Donbas with Russia and Russian-backed separatists.

2014: Sergey Bubka Record

Sergey Bubka held the record in the Pole vault from 1993 to 2014.

2015: EuroBasket 2015

In 2011, Ukraine was granted the right to organise EuroBasket 2015.

2016: Protestant Population

In 2016, Protestants in Ukraine constituted 1.9% of the population.

2018: Protestant Population Increase

By 2018, the Protestant community in Ukraine had grown to represent 2.2% of the population.

2018: Oleksandr Usyk Champion

In 2018, Oleksandr Usyk became the undisputed cruiserweight champion.

2019: Christianity in Ukraine

In 2019, Christians represented 82% of the Ukrainian population, with a majority belonging to the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Roughly 58.3% of the Ukrainian Orthodox population were members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and 25.4% were members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

2021: Religiosity Survey

In 2021, a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) revealed that 82% of Ukrainians identified as religious, with Western Ukraine showing the highest level of religiosity at 91%.

February 2022: UNESCO Verified Damage

Between February 2022 and March 2023, UNESCO verified the damage to 247 sites in Ukraine including religious sites, buildings of artistic or historical interest, monuments and libraries.

2022: Internet Usage

As of 2022, 75% of the population of Ukraine use the internet, and social media is widely used by government and people.

2022: Application to join NATO

In 2022, Ukraine applied to join NATO.

2022: Russian invasion of Ukraine

In 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine began the current phase of the war.

2022: Attacks on Healthcare

Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the World Health Organization has documented over 2,254 attacks on healthcare in Ukraine.

January 2023: Odesa Inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger

Since January 2023, the historic centre of Odesa has been inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

March 2023: UNESCO Verified Damage

Between February 2022 and March 2023, UNESCO verified the damage to 247 sites in Ukraine including religious sites, buildings of artistic or historical interest, monuments and libraries.

March 2024: Oscar Award

On 10 March 2024, creators of the documentary film 20 Days in Mariupol were awarded with the Oscar in the category "Best Documentary Feature Film", the first Oscar in Ukraine's history.

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October 2024: Health Decline

According to the October 2024 data of the World Health Organization Ukraine health needs assessment, 68% of Ukrainians reported a decline in their health compared to the pre-war period, with Ukrainian children's physical and mental health worsened.