Development of independent Ukraine ( ). Plan 1. Presidency of Leonid Kuchma and the problems of socio-economic development of Ukraine. 2. “Orange revolution” and its consequences. 3. Presidency of Viktor Yushchenko. Domestic and foreign policy of Ukraine.

 The opposition candidate was Viktor Yushchenko, leader of the Our Ukraine faction in the Ukrainian parliament, also a former Prime Minister (1999–2001). oppositionViktor YushchenkoOur UkraineUkrainian parliamentoppositionViktor YushchenkoOur UkraineUkrainian parliament  The election was held in a highly charged atmosphere, with the Yanukovych team using their control of the government for intimidation of Yushchenko and his supporters.  In September 2004, Yushchenko suffered dioxin poisoning under mysterious circumstances. dioxin

 Viktor Yanukovych was declared the winner of the presidential elections. Viktor Yanukovychpresidential elections Viktor Yanukovychpresidential elections  The results caused a public outcry in support of the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, who challenged the results and led the peaceful Orange Revolution. Viktor YushchenkoOrange RevolutionViktor YushchenkoOrange Revolution  Beginning on November 22, 2004, massive protests started in cities across Ukraine: the largest, in Kiev's Maidan Nezalezhnosti, attracted an estimated 500,000 participants. November Maidan NezalezhnostiNovember Maidan Nezalezhnosti

 At the same time, local officials in Eastern and Southern Ukraine, the stronghold of Viktor Yanukovych, started a series of actions alluding to the possibility of the breakup of Ukraine or an extra- constitutional federalization of the country, should their candidate's claimed victory not be recognized. Viktor Yanukovychfederalization Viktor Yanukovychfederalization  On December 3, 2004, Ukraine's Supreme Court ordered a revote of the run-off to be held on December 26, December 32004Ukraine's Supreme CourtDecember December 32004Ukraine's Supreme CourtDecember

 The December 26 revote was held under intense scrutiny of local and international observers.  The preliminary results, announced by the Central Election Commission on December 28, gave Yushchenko and Yanukovych 51.99% and 44.20% of the total vote, respectively. Central Election Commission Central Election Commission  This Election Commission announcement cleared the way for Yushchenko's inauguration as the President of Ukraine. inaugurationPresident of Ukraine inaugurationPresident of Ukraine

 In March 2006, the Verkhovna Rada elections took place and three months later the official government was formed by the "Anti-Crisis Coalition" among the Party of Regions, Communist, and Socialist parties. Verkhovna Rada electionsAnti-Crisis Coalition Party of RegionsCommunist SocialistVerkhovna Rada electionsAnti-Crisis Coalition Party of RegionsCommunist Socialist  The new coalition nominated Viktor Yanukovych for the post of Prime Minister.  On April 3, 2007, President Yushchenko dissolved the Supreme Rada and called for preterm elections.

 The new coalition nominated Yuliya Tymoshenko as Prime Minister; she was confirmed December 18,  So far, Prime Minister Tymoshenko and President Yushchenko are cooperating more constructively than they did in 2005 as they tackle an ambitious agenda of reforms and Euro-Atlantic integration.  Ukraine's stated national policy is Euro- Atlantic integration, including with both NATO and the European Union (EU).

Orange-clad demonstrators gather in the Independence Square in Kiev on 22 November, On some days, the number of protesters in the center of Kiev reached hundreds of thousands (one million by some estimates)Independence Square Kiev

Protesters at Independence Square on the first day of the Orange Revolution.Independence Square

Blue-clad miners rally in support of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in Kiev.

An orange ribbon, a symbol of the Ukrainian Orange Revolution. Ribbons are common symbols of non-violent protest.orange ribbon

Government and politics  Ukraine is a republic under a mixed semi- parliamentary semi-presidential system with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. republicsemi-presidential systemlegislativeexecutive judicialrepublicsemi-presidential systemlegislativeexecutive judicial  The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term and is the formal head of state. Presidenthead of statePresidenthead of state  Ukraine's legislative branch includes the 450-seat unicameral parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. unicameral Verkhovna Radaunicameral Verkhovna Rada

 The parliament is primarily responsible for the formation of the executive branch and the Cabinet of Ministers, which is headed by the Prime Minister. Cabinet of MinistersPrime MinisterCabinet of MinistersPrime Minister  The Supreme Court is the main body in the system of courts of general jurisdiction. Supreme CourtSupreme Court  The European Union offered an Association Agreement with Ukraine in September, The country is a potential candidate for future enlargement of the European Union. European Union Association Agreementfuture enlargement of the European UnionEuropean Union Association Agreementfuture enlargement of the European Union

Verkhovna RadaVerkhovna Rada, the Parliament of Ukraine

Administrative divisions  Ukraine is subdivided into twenty-four oblasts (provinces) and one autonomous republic, Crimea. oblastsprovincesautonomous republicCrimea oblastsprovincesautonomous republicCrimea  The 24 oblasts and Crimea are subdivided into 490 raions (districts), or second-level administrative units. CrimearaionsdistrictsCrimearaionsdistricts  n total, Ukraine has 457 cities, 176 of them are labeled oblast-class, 279 smaller raion-class cities, and two special legal status cities. These are followed by 886 urban-type settlements and 28,552 villages.

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 RepublicMadagascarsq 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 Francesecond 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 DonetsDniesterSouthern BuhBlack Sea of AzovsteppesDnieperSeversky DonetsDniesterSouthern BuhBlack Sea 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 Hoverlaftthose Crimean Carpathian MountainsHora Hoverlaftthose Crimean

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 economyplanned 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 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 AsiaCentral Asia

 The World Bank classifies Ukraine as a middle-income state. [ World Bank [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 pysankyEaster 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 UkraineCarpathian 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 languageConstitutionstate 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 2001UkrainiansUkrainian 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%). RussiansBelarusians MoldovansCrimean TatarsBulgariansHungariansRomaniansPoles JewsArmeniansGreeksTatars RussiansBelarusians MoldovansCrimean TatarsBulgariansHungariansRomaniansPoles JewsArmeniansGreeksTatars

 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 ratealcohol poisoning smokingmortality ratealcohol poisoning smoking

 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 Christianity Eastern Orthodox ChristianityEastern Orthodox Christianity  A distant second by the number of the followers is the Eastern Rite Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Eastern RiteUkrainian Greek Catholic ChurchEastern RiteUkrainian Greek Catholic Church  Additionally, there are 863 Roman Catholic Roman CatholicRoman Catholic  Protestant Christians also form around 2.19 percent of the population. Protestant Christians 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 SaintsMormonCalvinistsLutherans 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

The Greek colony of Chersonesos, Sevastopol.Chersonesos Sevastopol

Genoese fortress of Caffa in Feodosia

View of the Sevastopol port.

Bay of Sudak.Sudak

View of Yalta and the surrounding Crimean Mountains, as seen from the "Tsar's Path".Crimean Mountains

The front façade of the Livadia Palace, located in the town of Livadiya, used for the Yalta Conference during World War II.Livadia Palace LivadiyaYalta ConferenceWorld War II