r/europe • u/MarktpLatz Lower Saxony (Germany) • Apr 03 '17

What do you know about... Ukraine?

This is the eleventh part of our ongoing series about the countries of Europe. You can find an overview here.

Todays country:

Ukraine

Ukraine is the largest country that is completely on the european continent. The Ungarian people's republic was founded in 1917, the ukrainian state in 1918. It later became part of the soviet union and finally got independent in 1991. Currently, Ukraine is facing military combat with russia-backed rebels and the crimean peninsula was completely annexed by Russia. Ukraine will host the next eurovision song contest.

So, what do you know about Ukraine?

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u/[deleted] Apr 03 '17 edited Oct 06 '18

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u/trycatch1 Russia Apr 04 '17

There was one more referendum in Crimea, in 1991, Ukraine was a Socialist Republic in the USSR back then (Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union at August 24, 1991). Crimeans were asked if they wanted to restore Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and be a subject of the Soviet Union and the Soviet agreement. The answer was 93% YES with 81% turnout. Crimea indeed received Crimean ASSR status from the Ukrainian SSR, but it didn't get the second part -- upgrading Crimea to a subject of the Soviet Union. Then Crimea declared its sovereignty as part of Ukraine -- the declaration that was scrapped by Ukraine in 1994. There is an interesting article on these (in Russian) early Crimea topic by a lawyer in Novaya Gazeta (strongly anti-Putin media btw).

Would Yeltin's gang be more persuasive during the collapse of the Soviet Union, Crimea would gain its independence back then, and there would be no modern problem -- Ukraine never had any moral right on Crimea and its legal claims were dubious too. Instead Yeltsin decided to trample Chechnya (a predominantly Chechen region Russia had no particular interest in) into middle ages.

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u/orthoxerox Russia shall be free Apr 04 '17

Instead Yeltsin decided to trample Chechnya (a predominantly Chechen region Russia had no particular interest in) into middle ages

Judging by the latest news, he has succeeded splendidly.

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u/pipiska ☑️ Russian bot Apr 06 '17

His successor did...