Ukraine

American  

[yoo-kreyn, -krahyn, yoo-kreyn] / yuˈkreɪn, -ˈkraɪn, ˈyu kreɪn /

noun

1. a republic in southeastern Europe: rich agricultural and industrial region. 223,090 sq. mi. (603,700 sq. km). Kyiv.

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Ukraine British  

/ juːˈkreɪn /

noun

1. a republic in SE Europe, on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov: ruled by the Khazars (7th–9th centuries), by Ruik princes with the Mongol conquest in the 13th century, then by Lithuania, by Poland, and by Russia; one of the four original republics that formed the Soviet Union in 1922; unilaterally declared independence in 1990, which was recognized in 1991. Consists chiefly of lowlands; economy based on rich agriculture and mineral resources and on the major heavy industries of the Donets Basin. Official language: Ukrainian; Russian is also widely spoken. Religion: believers are mainly Christian. Currency: hryvna. Capital: Kiev. Pop: 44 573 205 (2013 est). Area: 603 700 sq km (231 990 sq miles)

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Ukraine Cultural  

1. Republic in southeastern Europe, bordered by Belarus to the north; Russia to the northeast and east; the Black Sea to the south; Moldova, Romania, and Hungary to the southwest; and Slovakia and Poland to the west; includes the peninsula of Crimea. Kiev is the capital and largest city.

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Usage

Is it Ukraine or the Ukraine? The official name of the country is simply Ukraine—it does not use the word "the." The use of the word the when referring to the country (once widespread but now less common) is thought to have been influenced by the period of its history when it was part of the Soviet Union. During this time, it was called the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, before gaining full independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Most Ukrainians object to the use of the before the name because it can suggest that the nation is not fully independent.

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Ukraine came under a succession of invaders and foreign rulers, including central Asian tribes, the Mongols, Lithuania, the Ottoman Empire, Poland, and finally Russia. Under oppressive Polish and Russian rule in the seventeenth century, Ukrainian fugitives, known as Cossacks, organized resistance movements.

Ukraine was traditionally home to a large Jewish population. Many Jews (see also Jews) left Ukraine under oppressive conditions in the nineteenth century, and thousands more were exterminated by the Nazis in World War II.

Of the former Soviet republics, it is second to Russia in population.

A nationalist and cultural revival in the nineteenth century was rewarded after World War I by independence, which was, however, short-lived. Invaded by Russian troops, Ukraine became one of the original Soviet republics in 1922.

Example Sentences

Himars—the truck-based weapons system that Washington has deployed to Ukraine and the Middle East.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

Rubio's offer came after Russia battered Ukraine over the weekend -- including firing its Oreshnik hypersonic missile -- and following a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

But four and a half years of war have taught Ukraine to develop and ramp up a sophisticated and layered air defence system.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

They should observe a drone-operation center and learn about the enterprise and wit of the private citizens who are innovating, adapting and making Ukraine a promising place in the free world to do business.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

The result was that an estimated four million people died of famine in 1933 in Ukraine alone—an area about the size of all the New England and mid-Atlantic states put together.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein