The territory of modern Ukraine (Україна) has been inhabited since 32,000 BC. In medieval times, Ukraine was a key centre of East Slavic culture. Reaching its height in the mid-11th century, the Kievan Rus’ federation gradually declined until its collapse from the Mongol invasion in the 13th century.

Over the next 600 years, the area was divided and ruled by a variety of powers.  In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, a Ukrainian national movement for self-determination emerged. The Ukrainian People’s Republic was formed on 23 June 1917 but only lasted until 1922 when the Bolsheviks forcibly reconstituted it into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, which became a founding member of the Soviet Union. Following its independence in 1991, Ukraine formed a unitary republic under a semi-presidential system.