History UsefulNotes / Ukraine

A notable recent event was the 2004 Orange Revolution, where peaceful demonstrations forced the re-run of a questionable election and changed the government from pro-Russian to pro-Western (later elections changed it back, but were more peaceful). Another event of note was Ukraine holding the Euro-2012 football championship, along with Poland, and preparations for the event were painstakingly made. The most notable event in Ukraine of the 2010s so far has been the semi-violent[[note]]By which we mean, there was shooting, but nothing resembling military operations, and the old leadership wasn't gunned down[[/note]] revolution of 2014 which overthrew the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych; this episode is called the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan Euromaidan]], i.e. "Europe Square" (because the triggering event was Yanukovych rejecting a deal with UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion to take a deal with the Russians) and is also known as "The Revolution of Dignity". In response, Russia annexed Crimea and started stirring up trouble in Eastern Ukraine; Wiki/TheOtherWiki has dubbed this [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Crimean_crisis the Crimean Crisis]]. For its part, Crimea seems indifferent or possibly happy to be part of Russia ([[EverythingExceptMostThings except for the Crimean Tatars]], who have terrible memories of Russian occupation; [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_of_the_Crimean_Tatars the last time they tried to rebel]], Stalin sent them all to Central Asia), while most surveys say that Eastern Ukraine is indifferent or possibly happy to remain a (prickly) part of Ukraine (protesters aside). Or rather they ''were''. After protesters took over several regions of Eastern Ukraine, a full-on undeclared war broke out (originally commonly known as the ATO for "Anti-Terrorist Operation" but since officially renamed "Joint Forces Operation") that only seems to have calmed down with the current Minsk treaty. Oh, and "calmed down" here means that the front line didn't move significantly in either direction, but the combat itself never ceased, and there's no end in sight, with reports of losses, shootings, assaults, etc arriving every day. Despite massive amounts of evidence to the contrary (not the least of which are the presence of Russian weapons in the hands of the "rebels" making the war possible in the first place, Russian [=IDs=] found on captured or killed soldiers[[note]]It should also be noted that the Russian government claims these Russian soldiers got lost or volunteered during their vacations, and fight without any orders from their commander-in-chief Vladimir Putin, putting them in direct violation of Russian laws on mercenaries, meaning they should be jailed on return to Russia, yet they aren't; Russian "news" channels encouraging the Russians to participate in the war should also find themselves in legal trouble for encouraging the transgression of this law, yet nothing of the sort happens[[/note]], overt communication with and subordination to UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin and his close ally Dmitry Kozak, and, as of 2021, flat-out admissions of the "rebels" being actively supported by Russian Department of Defense made by current and former participants[[note]]including high-profile figures like Igor Girkin and Zahar Prilepin[[/note]], Putin's allies[[note]]Sergey Markin[[/note]], and even, if one looks past the weasel words, Putin himself) , Russia claims to have no part in the conflict, instead pushing the narrative of the conflict being a "civil war" and attempting to position itself as a mediator. Currently, a half of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, including both titular cities, remain out of the central government's reach.

** Chairman of Parliament: Dmytro Razumkov

* ''Series/{{Chernobyl}}'', an Creator/{{HBO}} series about the lives of the staff and workers of the Chernobyl nuclear plant right up until the disaster in 1986.

* '''Taras Shevchenko''', 19th century poet, writer, artist, as well as folklorist, ethnographer and political figure. Saying that he is to modern Ukrainian language what Creator/WilliamShakespeare is for English language or Creator/{{Moliere}} for French language would be an {{Understatement}}. His influence on Ukrainian culture has been so immense that even during Soviet times, the official position was to downplay the strong Ukrainian nationalism expressed in his poetry, suppressing any mention of it, and to put an emphasis on the social and anti-Tsarist aspects of his legacy.

* Ukraine used to have one of the biggest Jewish populations in Europe, second only to UsefulNotes/{{Poland}}. Before World War II, it's estimated that the country hosted around 2.7 million Jews. The Holocaust wiped out about 70% of that and the UsefulNotes/HoleInFlag did the rest. The community is now about 71,500 to 400,000 strong depending on estimates. The country's current president, comedian-turned-politician Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish. In the past, Ukraine also had a Jewish prime minister, Volodymyr Grossman (2016-2019).

The problem is even bigger in Western Ukraine. While Eastern Ukraine was part of Russia for many centuries, Western Ukraine had only been ruled by Russia since the late 18th century at the very earliest. Until then it had been ruled mostly by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - though in the case of Galicia and Transcarpatia, which were previously part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Russian rule only came in the 1940s. This makes Western Ukraine very culturally distinct from the rest of Ukraine, it being considered generally more "European" in everything - from architecture to religion (Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Ternopil Oblasts are more than 50% Catholic). This divide is dramatically illustrated by typical Ukrainian voting results, with the country being split exactly down the middle: the east voting for the pro-Russia candidate and the west voting for the pro-Europe candidate.

During Soviet times, Soviet planners wanted to prevent ''any'' one region from establishing totally independent arms production, and a lot of defence and aerospace plants (such as Antonov and Yangel) ended up in Ukraine. When the USSR collapsed, the Russian Federation found itself in the unenviable position of having the vendors of many of its equipment and weapons systems in a foreign country and often they weren't very cooperative. Ukraine is sitting on top of a lot of old Soviet industrial bases, needless to say. Also for a while they inherited all the nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles the Soviets had stationed in Ukraine, but they decided to give them up, as did Belarus and UsefulNotes/{{Kazakhstan}}, which had found themselves in similar positions.

* Ukraine used to have one of the biggest Jewish population in Europe, second only to UsefulNotes/{{Poland}}. Before World War II, it's estimated that the country hosted around 2.7 million Jews. The Holocaust wiped out about 70% of that and the UsefulNotes/HoleInFlag did the rest. The community is now about 50,000 strong. The country's current president, comedian-turned-politician Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish.

* During the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, Ukraine had its own representative in the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations, with the entire USSR and Belarus having representatives as well. Initially, Stalin attempted to have each of the sixteen Soviet republics to get a vote, under the reasoning that each was still sovereign. However, UsefulNotes/HarrySTruman pointed out that with this logic, each of the 48 (at the time) American states should be given a vote as well. However, Ukraine and Belarus were still given votes because Stalin made some changes to the Soviet, Ukrainian, and Belarusian constitutions that nominally made them autonomous (they really weren’t) and America was willing to humor him and the Soviet Union had far fewer allies than the West.

The problem is even bigger in Western Ukraine. While Eastern Ukraine was part of Russia for many centuries, Western Ukraine had only been ruled by Russia since the late 18th century. Until then it had been ruled mostly by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This makes Western Ukraine very culturally distinct from the rest of Ukraine, it being considered generally more "European" in everything - from architecture to religion (Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Ternopil Oblasts are more than 50% Catholic). This divide is dramatically illustrated by typical Ukrainian voting results, with the country being split exactly down the middle: the east voting for the pro-Russia candidate and the west voting for the pro-Europe candidate.

A notable recent event was the 2004 Orange Revolution, where peaceful demonstrations forced the re-run of a questionable election and changed the government from pro-Russian to pro-Western (later elections changed it back, but were more peaceful). Another event of note was Ukraine holding the Euro-2012 football championship, along with Poland, and preparations for the event were painstakingly made. The most notable event in Ukraine of the 2010s so far has been the semi-violent[[note]]By which we mean, there was shooting, but nothing resembling military operations, and the old leadership wasn't gunned down[[/note]] revolution of 2014 which overthrew the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych; this episode is called the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan Euromaidan]], i.e. "Europe Square" (because the triggering event was Yanukovych rejecting a deal with UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion to take a deal with the Russians) and is also known as "The Revolution of Dignity". In response, Russia annexed Crimea and started stirring up trouble in Eastern Ukraine; Wiki/TheOtherWiki has dubbed this [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Crimean_crisis the Crimean Crisis]]. For its part, Crimea seems indifferent or possibly happy to be part of Russia ([[EverythingExceptMostThings except for the Crimean Tatars]], who have terrible memories of Russian occupation; [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_of_the_Crimean_Tatars the last time they tried to rebel]], Stalin sent them all to Central Asia), while most surveys say that Eastern Ukraine is indifferent or possibly happy to remain a (prickly) part of Ukraine (protesters aside). Or rather they ''were''. After protesters took over several regions of Eastern Ukraine, a full-on undeclared war broke out (originally commonly known as the ATO for "Anti-Terrorist Operation" but since officially renamed "Joint Forces Operation") that only seems to have calmed down with the current Minsk treaty. Oh, and "calmed down" here means that the front line didn't move significantly in either direction, but the combat itself never ceased, and there's no end in sight, with reports of losses, shootings, assaults, etc arriving every day. Despite massive amounts of evidence to the contrary, not the least of which are the presence of Russian weapons in the hands of the "rebels" making the war possible in the first place, Russian [=IDs=] found on captured or killed soldiers[[note]]It should also be noted that the Russian government claims these Russian soldiers got lost or volunteered during their vacations, and fight without any orders from their commander-in-chief Vladimir Putin, putting them in direct violation of Russian laws on mercenaries, meaning they should be jailed on return to Russia, yet they aren't; Russian "news" channels encouraging the Russians to participate in the war should also find themselves in legal trouble for encouraging the transgression of this law, yet nothing of the sort happens[[/note]], overt communication with and subordination to UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin and his close ally Dmitry Kozak, and, as of 2021, flat-out admissions of the "rebels" being actively supported by Russian Department of Defense made by current and former participants[[note]]including high-profile figures like Igor Girkin and Zahar Prilepin[[/note]], Putin's allies[[note]]Sergey Markin[[/note]], and even, if one looks past the weasel words, Putin himself, Russia claims to have no part in the conflict, instead pushing the narrative of the conflict being a "civil war" and attempting to position itself as a mediator. Currently, a half of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, including both titular cities, remain out of the central government's reach.

A notable recent event was the 2004 Orange Revolution, where peaceful demonstrations forced the re-run of a questionable election and changed the government from pro-Russian to pro-Western (later elections changed it back, but were more peaceful). Another event of note was Ukraine holding the Euro-2012 football championship, along with Poland, and preparations for the event were painstakingly made. The most notable event in Ukraine of the 2010s so far has been the semi-violent[[note]]By which we mean, there was shooting, but nothing resembling military operations, and the old leadership wasn't gunned down[[/note]] revolution of 2014 which overthrew the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych; this episode is called the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan Euromaidan]], i.e. "Europe Square" (because the triggering event was Yanukovych rejecting a deal with UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion to take a deal with the Russians) and is also known as "The Revolution of Dignity". In response, Russia annexed Crimea and started stirring up trouble in Eastern Ukraine; Wiki/TheOtherWiki has dubbed this [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Crimean_crisis the Crimean Crisis]]. For its part, Crimea seems indifferent or possibly happy to be part of Russia ([[EverythingExceptMostThings except for the Crimean Tatars]], who have terrible memories of Russian occupation; [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_of_the_Crimean_Tatars the last time they tried to rebel]], Stalin sent them all to Central Asia), while most surveys say that Eastern Ukraine is indifferent or possibly happy to remain a (prickly) part of Ukraine (protesters aside). Or rather they ''were''. After protesters took over several regions of Eastern Ukraine, a full-on undeclared war broke out (originally commonly known as the ATO for "Anti-Terrorist Operation" but since officially renamed "Joint Forces Operation") that only seems to have calmed down with the current Minsk treaty. Oh, and "calmed down" here means that the front line didn't move significantly in either direction, but the combat itself never ceased, and there's no end in sight, with reports of losses, shootings, assaults, etc arriving every day. Despite massive amounts of evidence to the contrary, not the least of which are the presence of Russian weapons in the hands of the "rebels" making the war possible in the first place, Russian [=IDs=] found on captured or killed soldiers[[note]]It should also be noted that the Russian government claims these Russian soldiers got lost or volunteered during their vacations, and fight without any orders from their commander-in-chief Vladimir Putin, putting them in direct violation of Russian laws on mercenaries, meaning they should be jailed on return to Russia, yet they aren't; Russian "news" channels encouraging the Russians to participate in the war should also find themselves in legal trouble for encouraging the transgression of this law, yet nothing of the sort happens[[/note]], and the fact that their leaders publicly support UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin and report to Putin's close ally Dmitry Kozak, Russia claims to have no part in the conflict, instead pushing the narrative of it being a "civil war" and attempting to position itself as a mediator. Currently, a half of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, including both titular cities, remain out of the central government's reach.

* During the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, Ukraine had its own representative in the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations, with the entire USSR and Belarus having representatives as well. Initially, Stalin attempted to have each of the sixteen Soviet republics to get a vote, under the reasoning that each was still sovereign country. However, UsefulNotes/HarrySTruman pointed out that with this logic, each of the 48 (at the time) American states should be given a vote as well. However, Ukraine and Belarus were still given votes because America was feeling nice and the Soviet Union had far fewer allies than the West.

'''Ukraine''' (''Україна'', pronounced ''oo-kra-yee-na'' in Ukrainian) is an Eastern European state that declared its independence in 1991, after the collapse of [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn the Soviet Union]].

* Although it is associated with the Russians and is present in the kitchen of all by all the Eastern Slavs, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borscht Borscht]] originated in Ukraine. They also have their own national kind of vodka, called Horilka.

Despite historically close political and cultural ties, Ukraine was never Russified to the same extent as Belarus (where Belarusian is by now only commonly spoken by 10% of the population). The War in Donbass is only the latest in a string of grievances going back centuries, starting with who can claim the mantle of the old Kievan Rus'. While Eastern Ukraine was ruled by Russia for many centuries and the Tsars attempted to impress on them the idea of being part of an All-Russian Brotherhood, many Ukrainians never quite shook the feeling that they were being ruled by a foreign power. Another issue is the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor Holodomor ("death by hunger")]], a famine which lasted from 1932-33 due to Soviet crop seizures and agricultural policies, killing around 4 million Ukrainians. Many Ukrainians consider this little less than a Soviet holocaust, while many Russians claim the famine was due to factors outside of human control. Though it should be noted that although the Holodomor is widely regarded as a crime by both sides (at least one of negligence), the real matter of heated controversy is whether it should be seen as a crime specifically of UsefulNotes/JosephStalin's regime against its people or as a crime of Russia against Ukraine.

Despite historically close political and cultural ties, Ukraine was never Russified to the same extent as Belarus (where Belarusian is by now only commonly spoken by 10% of the population). The War in Donbass is only the latest in a string of grievances going back centuries, starting with who can claim the mantle of the old Kievan Rus'. While Eastern Ukraine was ruled by Russia for many centuries and the Tsars attempted to impress on them the idea of being part of an All-Russian Brotherhood, many Ukrainians never quite shook the feeling that they were being ruled by a foreign power. Another issue is the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor Holodomor ("death by hunger")]], a famine which lasted from 1932-33 due to Soviet crop seizures and agricultural policies, killing around 4 million Ukrainians. Many Ukrainians consider this little less than a Soviet holocaust, while many Russians claim the famine was due to factors outside of human control. Though it should be noted that Holodomor is unanimously regarded as a crime, the real matter of heated controversy is whether it should be seen as "a crime of UsefulNotes/JosephStalin's regime against its people" or "a crime of Russia against Ukraine".

Despite historically close political and cultural ties, Ukraine was never Russified to the same extent as Belarus (where Belarusian is by now only commonly spoken by 10% of the population). The War in Donbass is only the latest in a string of grievances going back centuries, starting with who can claim the mantle of the old Kievan Rus'. While Eastern Ukraine was ruled by Russia for many centuries and the Tsars attempted to impress on them the idea of being part of an All-Russian Brotherhood, many Ukrainians never quite shook the feeling that they were being ruled by a foreign power. Another issue is the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor Holodomor ("death by hunger")]], a famine which lasted from 1932-33 due to Soviet crop seizures and agricultural policies, killing around 4 million Ukrainians. Many Ukrainians consider this little less than a Soviet holocaust, while many Russians claim the famine was due to factors outside of human control. Though it should be noted that Holodomor is unanimously regarded as crime (it is, at the very least, a crime of negligence; both Russian and Ukrainian authorities agree on this); the real matter of heated controversy is whether it should be seen as "a crime of UsefulNotes/JosephStalin's regime against its people" or "a crime of Russia against Ukraine".

* There's a [[CoolBigSis sweet]] and tearful MoeAnthropomorphism of Ukraine in ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia''.

Before Crimea was annexed by Russia, the Russians used to lease a naval base there in Sevastopol. The Ukrainian parliament used to have one brawl per year (a ''[[BloodOnTheDebateFloor literal brawl]]'', with fists flying and things being thrown) over whether to let them stay. The Ukrainian parliament usually has additional brawls each year over other issues; it's that kind of government. Now that Russia controls the entire peninsula, it's a moot point.

Another controversy is the spelling of the capital. "Kiev" is the romanization of the ''Russian'' spelling, while "Kyiv" is the Ukrainian spelling (due to the use of slightly different alphabets). Since independence, Ukrainians have made it a point, even ''passing a law,'' that English-speakers should write it as "Kyiv." Accordingly most political organizations, such as the US government and the United Nations, as well as a lot of media, including Wikipedia, spell it as "Kyiv" on official documents, but the old spelling of "Kiev" remains in wide colloquial use among English-speakers. This applies to many other names as well: "Kharkhiv" vs "Kharkov", or "Dnipro" vs "Dnieper."

Another controversy is the spelling of the capital. "Kiev" is the romanization of the ''Russian'' spelling, while "Kyiv" is the Ukrainian spelling (due to the use of slightly different alphabets). Since independence, Ukrainians have made it a point, even ''passing a law,'' that English-speakers should write it as "Kyiv." Accordingly most political organizations, such as the US government and the United Nations, spell it as "Kyiv" on official documents, but the old spelling of "Kiev" remains in wide colloquial use among English-speakers. This applies to many other names as well: "Kharkhiv" vs "Kharkov", or "Dnipro" vs "Dnieper."

* The Klitschko brothers, Vitali and Wladimir, some of the greatest heavyweight boxers ever and very well known ones in that sport -- Vitali mainly held the WBC belt, and Wladimir the IBF, WBO, IBO and Ring Magazine ones. They promised their mother they would never fight, hence a single one of them never unified the belts. Vitali became a politician, taking a seat in Parliament, and was a major leader of the Euromaidan, and briefly ran for president in 2014 before withdrawing and endorsing Petro Poroshenko for the post. Vitali is currently the Mayor of Kiev. Wladimir focused more fully on his boxing career, and broke several records, including the most opponents beaten in title matches and the longest heavyweight champion reign. Wladimir retired from boxing at the end of 2017, following a fantastic (though losing) effort against current unified champion Anthony Joshua at the age of 41.

* The 1929 experimental Soviet film ''Film/ManWithAMovieCamera'', a visual collage of urban life in Stalin's Soviet Union, was shot exclusively in Ukraine. Footage was taken in Kiev, Kharkov, and Odessa.

* The final mission of ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter: The Omega Strain'' takes place in Kiev where Chechen terrorists have set up shop.

* ''Film/{{Earth}}'' is a Soviet propaganda film from 1930, presenting a highly inaccurate version of collectivization of farming, in one Ukrainian village.

* Soviet director Alexander Dovzhenko (''Film/{{Earth}}''), born in Sosnytsia.

Another controversy is the spelling of the capital. "Kiev" is the romanization of the ''Russian'' spelling, while "Kyiv" is the Ukrainian spelling (due to the use of slightly different alphabets). Since independence, Ukrainians have made it a point, even ''passing a law,'' that English-speakers should write it as "Kyiv." Accordingly most political organizations, such as the US government and the United Nations, spell it as "Kyiv" on official documents, but the old spelling of "Kiev" remains in wide colloquial use among English-speakers. This applies to many other names as well: "Kharkhiv" vs "Kharkov", or "Dniepro" vs "Dnieper."

Another controversy is the spelling of the capital. "Kiev" is the romanization of the ''Russian'' spelling, while "Kyiv" is the Ukrainian spelling (due to the use of slightly different alphabets). Since independence, Ukrainians have made it a point, even ''passing a law,'' that English-speakers should write it as "Kyiv." Accordingly most political organizations, such as the US government and the United Nations, spell it as "Kyiv" on official documents, but the old spelling of "Kiev" remains in wide colloquial use among English-speakers. This technically applies to many place names as well, because in Soviet times the only official language was Russian. "Kharkhiv", for example, is sometimes known as "Kharkov", its Russian spelling.

The name "Ukraine" is derived from ''krai'', which in Eastern Slavic can mean both "edge" or "borderland", though some scholars have argued that it can also mean "country" or, somewhat poetically, "homeland". Historically, the country was sometimes referred to as "the Ukraine", but this is considered incorrect or even offensive in modern times. This is mostly attributed to grammar problem. In Eastern Slavic, the preposition "на" (pronounced "na") is used to refer to regions or areas, while "в" (pronounced "v") is used to refer to proper nouns or definite locations. Until independence it was considered correct to refer to Ukraine using "na," but now many Ukrainians have switched to "v." Russians, however, have stubbornly continued on using "na." This is a problem, because to Ukrainians this signifies that the speaker doesn't consider Ukraine a "real" country, although it is still possible to find Ukrainians who use "на" either out of habit or they just don't see it as a big issue.

A notable recent event was the 2004 Orange Revolution, where peaceful demonstrations forced the re-run of a questionable election and changed the government from pro-Russian to pro-Western (later elections changed it back, but were more peaceful). Another event of note was Ukraine holding the Euro-2012 football championship, along with Poland, and preparations for the event were painstakingly made. The most notable event in Ukraine of the 2010s so far has been the semi-violent[[note]]By which we mean, there was shooting, but nothing resembling military operations, and the old leadership wasn't gunned down[[/note]] revolution of 2014 which overthrew the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych; this episode is called the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan Euromaidan]], i.e. "Europe Square" (because the triggering event was Yanukovych rejecting a deal with UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion to take a deal with the Russians) and is also known as "The Revolution of Dignity". In response, Russia annexed Crimea and started stirring up trouble in Eastern Ukraine; Wiki/TheOtherWiki has dubbed this [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Crimean_crisis the Crimean Crisis]]. For its part, Crimea seems indifferent or possibly happy to be part of Russia ([[EverythingExceptMostThings except for the Crimean Tatars]], who have terrible memories of Russian occupation; [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_of_the_Crimean_Tatars the last time they tried to rebel]], Stalin sent them all to Central Asia), while most surveys say that Eastern Ukraine is indifferent or possibly happy to remain a (prickly) part of Ukraine (protesters aside). Or rather they ''were''. After protesters took over several regions of Eastern Ukraine, a full-on undeclared war broke out, commonly called by the Ukrainians "the ATO" (for "Anti-Terrorist Operation") , that only seems to have calmed down with the current Minsk treaty. Oh, and "calmed down" here means that the front line didn't move significantly in either direction, but the combat itself never ceased, and there's no end in sight, with reports of losses, shootings, assaults, etc arriving every day. Despite massive amounts of evidence to the contrary, not the least of which are the presence of Russian weapons in the hands of the "rebels" making the war possible in the first place, Russian [=IDs=] found on captured or killed soldiers[[note]]It should also be noted that the Russian government claims these Russian soldiers got lost or volunteered during their vacations, and fight without any orders from their commander-in-chief Vladimir Putin, putting them in direct violation of Russian laws on mercenaries, meaning they should be jailed on return to Russia, yet they aren't; Russian "news" channels encouraging the Russians to participate in the war should also find themselves in legal trouble for encouraging the transgression of this law, yet nothing of the sort happens[[/note]], and the fact that their leaders publicly support UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin and report to a Russian politician Vladislav Surkov, Russia claims to have no part in the conflict, calling the ATO a "civil war" and chiding Ukraine for "murdering their own people" and "not wanting peace". Currently, a half of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, including both titular cities, remain out of the central government's reach.

** Chairman of Parliament: Dmytro Razumkovthe