Ukraine

After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 in Russia, the Ukraine declared its independence. In 1920 advancing Bolshevik armies took control of the country. In 1922 Communist representatives from the Ukraine helped in the creation of the USSR.

Between 1922 and 1939 the USSR took drastic steps to suppress Ukrainian nationalism. Forced collectivization of agriculture and expropriation of food resulted in a famine in 1932 and 1933. More than 7 million people starved to death.

After the Germans invaded Poland in Sept. 1939, the USSR seized Polish Galicia and incorporated it into the Ukrainian SSR. The Germans invaded the Ukraine in 1941 and Ukrainian nationalists hoped that they would set up an independent Ukrainian state under German protection. Instead, the Germans conquered and divided the country into Russian Ukraine in the east and Galicia in the West. The republic was reclaimed by the advancing Red Army in 1944. It joined the UN as a charter member in 1945.

The Ukraine gained its independence at the end of 1991, a few months after the collapse of Communism in the USSR. Since independence, Ukraine's strained relationship with Russia has been among the country's foremost concerns. Tensions have developed over the fate of the Crimea, the home of the former Soviet Navy's Black Sea Fleet.

The Crimea had a large Russian-speaking population and began a movement to secede. The Crimea declared independence but it was rescinded in May 1992. In 1995 Crimean officials threatened to hold a referendum on whether it should become part of Russia. The Ukraine retaliated by annulling the Crimean Constitution and abolishing the Crimean presidency. Separatist movements also arose in the Dorets'k and Luhans'k regions in the east. Both also had a large Russian-speaking population.

After several disputes over ownership of the Black Sea Fleet stationed at Sevastopol in the Crimea, the two countries agreed to split it evenly on June 1995. Ukraine sold all but 20% of its share to Russia. In Jan. 1994 President Pravchuk agreed to give part of the country's nuclear arsenal to Russia for disposal in exchange for nuclear fuel for power generation. In Feb. 1994 the U.S. doubled its amount of aid to Ukraine. The same month Ukraine joined the Partnership for Peace. In July Leonid Kuchma was elected president. In March Prime Minister Vitaliy Masol resigned and was replaced by Yevgeny Marchuk. Issues between Ukraine and Russia such as which country will control Savastopol and border disputes have still not been worked out.