Ukraine

[yoo-kreyn, -krahyn, yoo-kreyn]

noun

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

Ukraine

/ 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)

Ukraine

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.

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

But Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and China’s move this year to restrict rare-earth exports showed how dependent the continent had become on those countries.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The scandal prompted some of Ukraine's European allies to urge Zelensky's government to do more to battle corruption.

Read more on Barron's

Ukraine said Saturday it had attacked a Russian oil refinery in a region near Moscow, a day after deadly Russian attacks on its capital Kyiv.

Read more on Barron's

BRUSSELS—The European Union is racing against the clock to overcome Belgium’s objections to a plan to fund Ukraine’s defense using Russian money.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Futures prices for natural gas, a key fuel for heating homes, generating electricity and powering data centers, this week notched their highest level since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine whipsawed markets in 2022.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When To Use

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.