Here is a brief timeline of important events that have shaped the country of Ukraine and its people; the focus here will be geared towards recent events (from 100 years ago or so), located towards the bottom, but we’ll begin with more ancient events first.
Timeline of Ukrainian History & Important Historical Events
882 CE – Kievan Rus’ begins with of Prince Oleg.
1569 – Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Ukraine falls under administration of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
1648 – Khmelnytsky Uprising, a Ukrainian Cossack rebellion.
1772-1795 – ‘Partitions of Poland.’ Western Ukraine falls under control of Austria-Hungary, the rest becomes part of Russian Empire.
Mid-18th Century – Ukrainian National Revival. Ukrainian nationality and identity to consider.
1917 – Rada Council. Central Rada (Council) forms in Kiev after collapse of Russian Empire.
1918 – Ukraine Declares Independence
1932 – Stalin’s Famine. Around 7 million killed during Stalin’s collectivization famine.
1941-1944 – Nazis Occupy
1944 – Tatars to Siberia. Stalin deports almost a quarter million Tatars from Crimea to Siberia.
1945 – WWII Ends. Western portion of Ukraine annexed into Soviet Union as WWII ends.
1986 – Chernobyl nuclear power station’s reactor explodes, causing infamous radioactive event.
1991 – Independence. Ukraine declares independence from USSR.
1996 – Hryvnia Currency Introduced
2004 – Orange Revolution
2014 – Russia Annexes Crimea
For even more on Ukraine, check these articles out:
At some time in the past some country tried to sail around the Ukraine to get to Russia. They bogged down. Where can I find this story?
Hi Ralph, thanks for writing in! Hmm, I’m not too familiar with that bit of Ukrainian history, is that something recent or more from centuries ago?