Europe · The modern states
Ukraine
1991–present
Ukraine declared independence on 24 August 1991, confirmed by a December 1991 referendum, and inherited (then surrendered under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum) the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal in exchange for security assurances.
- Existed
- 1991–present
- Shown on the map
- 1992–2024
- Peak area
- 598k km²
- Region
- Europe
Overview
Ukraine declared independence on 24 August 1991, confirmed by a December 1991 referendum, and inherited (then surrendered under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum) the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal in exchange for security assurances. Post-Soviet politics oscillated between pro-Russian and pro-Western orientations, punctuated by the Orange Revolution (2004) against a rigged election and the Euromaidan/Revolution of Dignity (2013–14), which ousted President Viktor Yanukovych after he spurned an EU association agreement. Russia responded by annexing Crimea in March 2014 and fomenting war in the eastern Donbas via the self-proclaimed "Donetsk" and "Luhansk People's Republics."
Later history and present status
On 24 February 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion. Ukraine, under President Volodymyr Zelensky, repelled the assault on Kyiv and, with extensive Western military and financial support, fought Russia to a grinding war of attrition. This war remains ongoing and fast-moving as of September 2026. Multiple short-term truces (an Orthodox Easter truce of about 32 hours in April 2026 and a Victory Day pause of 9–11 May 2026) failed to become a durable settlement; US-mediated trilateral talks were suspended in February 2026, and as of 18 August 2026 Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) assessed that Russia showed no readiness for a genuine ceasefire, with no comprehensive peace agreement expected before the year's end. Because martial law has been in force continuously since February 2022, no wartime elections have been held; Zelensky's original five-year term expired on 20 May 2024, and under the Ukrainian constitution (Article 83) and the martial-law statute he continues in office pending a post-war vote — a point Russia exploits to question his legitimacy. Zelensky has repeatedly said (including on 9 December 2025) that he could hold elections within 60–90 days of a ceasefire and security guarantees. Ukraine became an EU candidate in 2022 and completed the screening of its alignment with EU law in 2025. All figures and frontlines in this conflict are volatile; consult live reporting.
Common questions
- What was Ukraine?
- Ukraine declared independence on 24 August 1991, confirmed by a December 1991 referendum, and inherited (then surrendered under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum) the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal in exchange for security assurances.
- When did Ukraine exist?
- Ukraine existed 1991–present. On this map it is drawn 1992–2024.
- How large was Ukraine?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Ukraine covered about 598,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- What is the present status of Ukraine?
- On 24 February 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion. Ukraine, under President Volodymyr Zelensky, repelled the assault on Kyiv and, with extensive Western military and financial support, fought Russia to a grinding war of attrition.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each state as the primary basis, cross-checked against Encyclopædia Britannica, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the ICTY and the 2004 Wiesel Commission for genocide and atrocity figures, and current news reporting (Reuters, AP, BBC, and others) for 2025–2026 political developments, which should be verified against live sources. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Ukraine en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
Further reading in Knowledge
- Empires & Dynasties Olga of Kiev: Revenge, Regency and Sainthood Olga of Kiev buried envoys alive and burned a city with birds, then became a saint. Here is what really happened and what the sources say.
- Empires & Dynasties Vladimir the Great: The Warlord Who Baptised Kievan Rus' Vladimir the Great seized Kiev with Viking help, then baptised Kievan Rus' in 988. Here is what the sources really say about his life and legacy.
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