Ukraine on the way to independence. First years of the independence ( ). Plan  Social, political and economic situation in Ukraine ( )  Ukraine in the first years of independence. Presidency of Leonid Kravchuk.

Social, political and economic situation in Ukraine ( )  communist ideology lost its authority  spring of 1989 – the first free elections were held in the USSR  July 16, 1990 the Parliament adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine.  August 19, 1991 – an attempt of the state upheaval, striving to turn the country life to the state before 1985 was made.

The last Secretary of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev

 August 24 –“The Bill of Independence Announcement of Ukraine” was approved.  December 1, 1991 – the referendum on confirmation of “The Bill of Independence Announcement of Ukraine” took place.  A week after the referendum, Borys Yeltsin, Leonid Kravchuk, and S. Shushkevych announced at the meeting in Minsk that the USSR no longer existed.  Leonid Kravchuk became the first President of Ukraine.

Flag of Ukraine Coat of arms of Ukraine

Ukraine in the first years of independence. Presidency of Leonid Kravchuk.  positive developments: the media became much more open substantial development in religious life relations with minority groups were peaceful

 negative developments: economic decline corruption increased numerous social ills the relations between Ukraine and Russia were tense

 contentious issues: the nature of participation in the CIS nuclear disarmament the status of the Crimea control of the Black Sea Fleet and its port city of Sevastopol

 Leonid Kravchuk  achieved and strengthened sovereignty of the countrysovereignty  develop its relations with the West  refused of nuclear weapons based on Ukrainian territorynuclear weapons  failed to avoid corruptioncorruption  annual inflation rates from 1992 to 1994 reached thousands of percentsinflation  The collapse of the Black Sea Steamship Company – the saddest symbol of the Kravchuk eraBlack Sea

a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine (from December 5, 1991 until July 19, 1994),President of Ukraine a former Chairman of the Verkhovna RadaChairman of the Verkhovna Rada Leonid Kravchuk

Geography  At 603,700 kilometres² (233,074 sq mi) and with a coastline of 2,782 kilometres (1,729 mi), Ukraine is the world's 44th- largest country (after the Central African Republic, before Madagascar).sq mi44th- largest countryCentral African RepublicMadagascar  It is the second largest country in Europe (after the European part of Russia, before metropolitan France).second largest country metropolitan France

 The Ukrainian landscape consists mostly of fertile plains (or steppes) and plateaus, crossed by rivers such as the Dnieper (Dnipro), Seversky Donets, Dniester and the Southern Buh as they flow south into the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov.steppesDnieperSeversky DonetsDniester Southern Buh Black SeaSea of Azov  The country's only mountains are the Carpathian Mountains in the west, of which the highest is the Hora Hoverla at 2,061 m (6,762 ft), and those on the Crimean peninsula, in the extreme south along the coast. Carpathian MountainsHora HoverlaftthoseCrimean

View of Yalta from the coast of the Black Sea.Black Sea

Azov sea coast near Kerch.

The Dnieper River seen atop a hill in Kiev, Ukraine. KievUkraine

TiraspolTiraspol and the Dniester river

Economy  With the collapse of the Soviet system, the country moved from a planned economy to a market economy.planned economymarket economy  Ukraine produces nearly all types of transportation vehicles and spacecraft.spacecraft  The country imports most energy supplies, especially oil and natural gas, and to a large extent depends on Russia as its energy supplier.oilnatural gas  While 25 percent of the natural gas in Ukraine comes from internal sources, about 35 percent comes from Russia and the remaining 40 percent from Central Asia through transit routes that Russia controls.Central Asia

 The World Bank classifies Ukraine as a middle- income state. [World Bank [  By July 2008 the average nominal salary in Ukraine reached 1,930 hryvnias per month. [92 [92  Significant issues include underdeveloped infrastructure and transportation, corruption and bureaucracy.  Ukraine produces nearly all types of transportation vehicles and spacecraft.spacecraft  Ukraine is recognised as a world leader in producing missiles and missile related technology.

The building of the National Bank of UkrainebuildingNational Bank of Ukraine

Ukrainian oblasts (provinces) by monthly salaryoblasts monthly salary

Culture  Ukrainian customs are heavily influenced by Christianity, which is the dominant religion in the country. Christianity  The tradition of the Easter egg, known as pysanky, has long roots in Ukraine.Easter egg pysanky  In the city of Kolomya near the foothills of the Carpathian mountains in 2000 was built the museum of Pysanka which won a nomination as the monument of modern Ukraine in 2007, part of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine action. Carpathian mountainsSeven Wonders of Ukraine

 Popular traditional dishes include varenyky (boiled dumplings with mushrooms, potatoes, sauerkraut, cottage cheese or cherries), borsch (soup made of beets, cabbage and mushrooms or meat) and holubtsy (stuffed cabbage rolls filled with rice, carrots and meat). holubtsy

A collection of traditional pysanky from Volynpysanky Volyn

The Pysanka Museum, Kolomiya, Ukraine

1. Sofiyivsky Park 1. Sofiyivsky Park in Uman, Cherkasy OblastUmanCherkasy Oblast

It was founded in 1796 by Count Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki, a noble Polish szlahtich. The park is named after his Greek wife Sofia and was built in It's one of the world famous garden-park art creations. There are many scenic areas in the park including waterfalls, fountains, ponds and a stone garden. It is one of the most famous examples of late 17th or early 18th century European landscape garden design that has been preserved to the present time.CountStanisław Szczęsny Potockiszlahtic

2. Kiev Pechersk Lavra2. Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) in KievKiev

Since its foundation as the cave monastery in 1015 the Lavra has been a prominent center of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe. Together with the Saint-Sophia Cathedral, it is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.cave monastery 1015Eastern Orthodox ChristianityEastern EuropeSaint-Sophia CathedralUNESCO World Heritage Site Currently, the jurisdiction over the site is divided between the state museum, National Kyiv- Pechersk Historic-Cultural Preserve, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as the site of the chief monastery of that Church and the residence of its leader, Metropolitan Volodymyr. Ukrainian Orthodox ChurchMetropolitan Volodymyr

3. Kamianets-Podilskyi Historical Complex3. Kamianets-Podilskyi Historical Complex in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast Kamianets-PodilskyiKhmelnytskyi Oblast

An old street in Kamianets-Podilskyi's old town quarter.

The Stephen Báthory Gate is part of the city's old fortification complex.Stephen Báthory

4. Khortytsia [8] 4. Khortytsia [8] in Zaporizhia, Zaporizhia OblastZaporizhia Zaporizhia Oblast

Nowadays, Khortysia is designated a national museum. The rural landscape of the island features the Zaporizhian Cossack Museum and a Cossack horse show. The museum building is modern, nestling low in the landscape with dramatic views of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station to the north.Zaporizhian CossackMuseumDnieper Hydroelectric Station The museum contains exhibits dating from the Stone Age through the Scythian period (c BC) down to the 20th century, including a model of the Pecheneg ambush which claimed the life of Svyatoslav in 972 and a panorama representing the Battle for Zaporizhia, fought during World War II on October 14, 1943.ScythianWorld War IIOctober

5. Chersonesos [9] 5. Chersonesos [9] in Sevastopol

Chersonesos was an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2500 years ago in the southwestern part of Crimea, known then as Taurica. The colony was established in the 6th century BC. Chersonesos' ancient ruins are presently located in one of Sevastopol's suburbs. The buildings mix influences of Greek, Roman and Byzantine culture. The defensive wall is hundreds of meters long. Buildings include Roman amphitheatre and a Greek temple.ancient GreekCrimea TauricaRomanByzantineamphitheatre

6. Saint Sophia Cathedral [10] 6. Saint Sophia Cathedral [10] in KievKiev

7. Khotyn Fortress [11] 7. Khotyn Fortress [11] in Khotyn, Chernivtsi Oblast KhotynChernivtsi Oblast

The Khotyn Fortress is a fortification complex located on the shores of the Dniester River in Khotyn, Chernivtsi Oblast of western Ukraine. Construction on the current fortress was started in 1325, while major improvements were made in the 1380s and in the 1460s.Dniester KhotynUkraine The fortress is a large tourist attraction for the area and Ukraine. It is also a National Ukrainian Architectural Preserve as of 2000.

Language  According to the Constitution, the state language of Ukraine is Ukrainian.Constitutionstate language  According to the 2001 census, 67.5 percent of the population declared Ukrainian as their native language and 29.6 percent declared Russian.  Most native Ukrainian speakers know Russian as a second language.  Ukrainian is mainly spoken in western and central Ukraine.  In central Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian are both equally used  In eastern and southern Ukraine, Russian is primarily used in cities, and surzhyk is used in rural areas.

Percentage of native Ukrainian speakers by subdivision

Demographics  According to the Ukrainian Census of 2001, ethnic Ukrainians make up 77.8% of the population.Ukrainian Census of 2001Ukrainians  Other significant ethnic groups are Russians (17.3%), Belarusians (0.6%), Moldovans (0.5%), Crimean Tatars (0.5%), Bulgarians (0.4%), Hungarians (0.3%), Romanians (0.3%), Poles (0.3%), Jews (0.2%), Armenians (0.2%), Greeks (0.2%) and Tatars (0.2%).RussiansBelarusiansMoldovansCrimean TatarsBulgariansHungariansRomaniansPolesJews ArmeniansGreeksTatars

 The industrial regions in the east and southeast are the most heavily populated, and about 67.2 percent of the population lives in urban areas.  Ukraine is considered to be in a demographic crisis due to its high death rate and a low birth rate.  A factor contributing to the relatively high death is a high mortality rate among working- age males from preventable causes such as alcohol poisoning and smoking.mortality rate alcohol poisoningsmoking

 To help mitigate these trends, the government continues to increase child support payments. Thus it provides one-time payments of 12,250 hryvnias for the first child, 25,000 hryvnias for the second and 50,000 hryvnias for the third and fourth, along with monthly payments of 154 hryvnias per child.ryvnias

Lilacs in the Central Botanical Garden, with Vydubychi Monastery and the Left Bank of Kiev in the background.Vydubychi Monastery

E40E40, the longest of all European routes, going through Kiev.European routes

General view of the Andriyivskyy Descent with the Castle of Richard Lionheart on the left and the St Andrew's Church in the background.Castle of Richard LionheartSt Andrew's Church

This ensemble of authentic windmills is the centrepiece of a 1.5 square kilometres (0.58 sq mi) open air Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukrainewindmillsopen air

Fire safety is a significant concern as most of the museum's structures are wooden, and many houses have thatched roofs.thatched roofs

View of the historic Old Town of Lviv.Old Town

A Lviv tram on a small cobblestone sidestreet in the Old Town.Lviv tramcobblestone

The Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre, an important cultural centre for residents and visitors.Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre

Lychakivskiy Cemetery, 2007

Kharkiv's Freedom Square.Freedom Square

Religion  The dominant religion in Ukraine is Eastern Orthodox ChristianityEastern Orthodox Christianity  A distant second by the number of the followers is the Eastern Rite Ukrainian Greek Catholic ChurchEastern RiteUkrainian Greek Catholic Church  Additionally, there are 863 Roman CatholicRoman Catholic  Protestant Christians also form around 2.19 percent of the population. Protestant Christians  Other groups include Calvinists, Lutherans, Methodists and Seventh-day Adventists. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) is also present.CalvinistsLutherans MethodistsSeventh-day AdventistsThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsMormon

The ruins of an ancient Greek theatre. Chersonesus, Sevastopol.Chersonesus

Ruins of Panticapaeum. 6th century BC (Kerch)

Yenikale fortressYenikale fortress. Built by the Turks in the 18th (Kerch)

The Massandra Palace near Yalta is one of the official residences of Ukraine.Massandra PalaceYaltaUkraine

Swallow's NestSwallow's Nest, a symbol of Crimea, one of the best-known, romantic castles near Yalta. It was built in 1912 in the Neo-Gothic style by the order of the German Baron Stengel. YaltaNeo-Gothic

The Hansaray, succession home of the Crimean Khans, in Bakhchisaray.Hansaray Crimean KhansBakhchisaray