Notes

Ukraine's history, dates back to the 800s , when Viking settlers and local Slavs, established a powerful kingdom called Kievan-Rus.
Both Russia and Ukraine consider this kingdom to be their cultural inheritance. 700 years later, after a Moghul invasion, this region was passed between neighboring powers and was usually divided between a few. Fast forward to 1654, a short-lived Ukrainian Cossack state broke off from Poland in a violent revolt which included the brutal massacre of entire Jewish communities. This new state pledged its allegiance to Russia. Over the next 100 years, however, it became totally absorbed into it. In 1917, following the the Russian revolution and the overthrow of the Czar, it achieved an independence. However, this was shortlived as by 1922, it became part of the newly established USSR. From 1939 to 1945, during WWII Ukraine was conquered by Nazi Germany. Many Ukrainians cooperated with the Nazis in hope of achieving independence and some resisted the Nazis, but eventually they returned to be part of the USSR. In 1991 an overwhelming 90% of Ukrainian citizens voted to break off from the USSR which fortunately dissolved shortly after. While the majority of citizens turned towards Europe, Russia and a dominant Russian-ethnic minority in Ukraine pushed to maintain Russian dominance. In 2014, Russian military forces moved into the Crimean Peninsula and invaded it with the support of the local ethnic-Russian population. This move was declared illegal by Ukraine and most of the West. A group called Donetsk People's Republic has been established, electing a government in 16 May 2014 since Donetsk felt they had been oppressed by the main government for centuries. It receives humanitarian and military backing from Russia and Ukraine considered it as a terrorist group. Since 2014, about 10,000 people have died, including 3,000 civilians, and more than 1.7 million have been displaced. Aid agencies say that 4.4 million people have been directly affected by the continuing hostilities, while 3.8 million need urgent assistance. Ukraine and Russia's deeply intertwined history and economy make a long-lasting solution to this conflict much more difficult.