General · EdgepediaSeptember 17, 20267 min read

Ukraine (Україна)

Ukraine (Україна) is a country in eastern Europe, the second largest on the continent after Russia, with its capital at Kyiv.¹ It declared independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991 and has been at war with Russia since the full-scale invasion of February 2022, which has caused one of the largest displacement crises in the world and reconstruction needs estimated at almost $588 billion over the next decade.²^•³^•⁴

Key fact	Detail
Location	Eastern Europe; the second largest country on the continent after Russia¹
Independence	Lawmakers proclaimed independence on 24 August 1991; a nationwide referendum later that year approved it with more than 90% of voters²^•⁵
Languages (2001 est.)	Ukrainian (official) 67.5%, Russian (regional language) 29.6%, other 2.9%⁶
Agriculture	In 2021 the farm sector made up 10% of GDP and food processing another 4%; Ukraine supplies up to 46% of global sunflower seed and sunflower oil production and is the largest exporter of sunflower oil⁷
Displacement	As of August 2024, 3.7 million people displaced inside the country and 6.7 million refugees abroad, including 6.2 million in Europe⁸
Reconstruction cost	Almost $588 billion (over €500 billion) over the next decade as of 31 December 2025, nearly 3 times Ukraine's estimated nominal GDP for 2025⁴
EU accession	Accession negotiations opened in June 2024; bilateral screening on Cluster 1 (Fundamentals) has covered public administration reform and public investment management⁹

Territory and people

Ukraine sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, with extraordinarily fertile land and considerable natural resources.¹⁰ Its climate is temperate continental, with a Mediterranean regime on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation is higher in the west and north and lesser in the east and southeast, winters range from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland, and summers are warm across most of the country and hot in the south.⁶

The war has reshaped the country's demography. The full-scale invasion has caused widespread destruction and one of the largest displacement crises globally.³ As of August 2024 the International Organization for Migration counted 3.7 million people displaced inside Ukraine, while 6.7 million refugees from Ukraine sought safety beyond its borders, including 6.2 million in countries across Europe.⁸ UNHCR, present in Ukraine since 1994, works through a network of over 550 community-based organizations to assist internally displaced people, returnees, refugees, asylum-seekers, and stateless people.¹¹^•³

History

Ukrainian national historiography traditionally divides the country's past into eight periods: the Princely era of Kyivan Rus' and the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia; the Lithuanian-Ruthenian state; the Cossacks and the Hetman state; the national and cultural revival of the 19th century; the Ukrainian nation-state of 1917–21; the interwar occupation of Ukrainian territories by four foreign powers; the consolidation of most Ukrainian ethnic territory into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic; and, after 1991, independent Ukraine.¹² Western Ukraine followed a historical development separate from central and eastern Ukraine, producing the distinct entities of Galicia, Volhynia, Bukovyna, and Transcarpathia.¹²

Independence. Ukraine enjoyed a short-lived spell as an independent state during 1918–20; however, parts of its western territory fell under Polish, Romanian, and Czechoslovak control in the years separating the two World Wars, after which it joined the Soviet Union as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.¹ Ukrainian lawmakers voted on 24 August 1991 to proclaim independence, and a nationwide referendum later that year overwhelmingly approved it.² On 8 December, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Russian Federation signed the Belavezha Agreement, through which they established the Commonwealth of Independent States and announced that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics had ceased to exist.¹² The referendum was backed by more than 90% of voters.⁵

Post-Soviet politics. The World Bank's evaluation of its 2012–2020 partnership divides the period into three phases: stagnant engagement under President Yanukovych in 2012–13; the major economic and financial crisis that followed the 2014 Euromaidan revolution, also called the Revolution of Dignity, alongside Russia's invasion of Crimea and Donbas; and, after the election of President Zelensky in April 2019 with an unprecedented majority, closer dialogue on previously sensitive areas such as land reform.¹³ Since the Euromaidan Revolution, Ukraine has significantly reformed its anti-corruption framework, enhancing transparency, digitalizing public services, creating independent anti-corruption bodies, reforming political finance, and decentralizing government.¹⁴

Wartime economy

Ukraine's economy remains in a wartime equilibrium, maintaining macroeconomic stability through external assistance while growth slows under labor shortages and an energy crisis caused by infrastructure destruction and rising global fuel prices.¹⁵ Growth is projected to slow to 1.2% in 2026 from 1.8% in 2025, weighed down by continued hostilities, rising energy costs, and fiscal pressures.¹⁶^•¹⁷ Donors have committed US$136.5 billion for 2026 to 2029 under a new International Monetary Fund program, though much of the disbursement depends on completing policy conditions under the Ukraine Facility Plan, the IMF program, and World Bank budget support.¹⁵

Agriculture has been a backbone of the economy and of global food security. In 2021 the sector accounted for 10% of GDP, with food processing adding another 4%; Ukraine provides up to 46% of global sunflower seed and sunflower oil production, making it the largest exporter of sunflower oil in the world.⁷ The economy relies heavily on transport and logistics for trade.¹⁸

Reconstruction

An updated Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA5) by the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank Group, the European Commission, and the United Nations estimates the total cost of reconstruction and recovery at almost $588 billion (over €500 billion) over the next decade as of 31 December 2025, nearly 3 times Ukraine's estimated nominal GDP for 2025.⁴ Needs are highest in transport (over $96 billion), followed by energy (nearly $91 billion), housing (almost $90 billion), commerce and industry (over $63 billion), and agriculture (over $55 billion).¹⁶ At least $20 billion in needs have been met since February 2022 through urgent repairs and early recovery in housing, energy, education, transport, and other essential sectors, and the government's 2026 priorities include more than $15 billion in public investment projects and programs for destroyed housing, demining, and economic support.¹⁶ EU accession is a critical driver of recovery planning.⁹

Governance and corruption

Ukraine's independent media continue to expose corruption within the elite despite wartime pressure, and the country ranked 55th of 180 in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, up 7 places, an improvement attributed to its dynamic media sector and investigative journalism.¹⁹^•²⁰ On the Corruption Perceptions Index, Ukraine scored 36 in 2025, up one point after an energy-sector corruption scandal forced high-level resignations.²¹

Anti-corruption institutions have become a test of wartime governance. In July 2025 President Zelenskyy fast-tracked a law that would have curbed the independence of the country's anti-corruption watchdogs, then quickly reversed course after widespread protests that threatened the stability of his leadership for the first time since the invasion.²² The European Union, which considers weakening anti-corruption mechanisms in a candidate country unacceptable, had exerted pressure over the measure.²³ Ukraine sees EU membership as a security guarantee for a stable future once the war ends.²⁴

Cultural landmarks

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves), with its golden-topped domes, is one of the largest monastery complexes in Ukraine, containing over 20 churches and more than 1,000 meters of caves.²⁵

References

Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026