Ukraine

Ukraine is not vweak. THIS PAGE IS A PART OF THE WARSAW PACT 2 CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT IT! ||
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**History**-
====Human settlement dates back to 32,000 BCE. The Rus' then moved to Kiev in about 880. The Kievan Rus' included Ukraine, Belarus and part of Russia. During the 10th and 11th centuries it became the most powerful state in Europe. Over the next 100s of years, they were invaded often by the Polish and various Eastern European states. From 1657 to 1686 "The Ruin" happened, a devastating 30 year war between Russia, Turkey, Poland, and the Cossacks(eastern Slavs) over the control of Ukraine.During WW1, they fought divided 3.5 million with the Russian Imperial Army, and 250,000 with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Then, in 1922 They became a member state of the Soviet Union. In WW2 the German Army controlled Ukraine, but it was later taken back by the Red Army, which most Ukrainians fought along with. After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine face severe economic inflation from 1991 to 1999. However, the Ukraine's economy has steadily risen with their new currency introduced in 1996, the hryvnia.====

**Economy**-
====Ukraine is an emerging free market economy. They were greatly impacted by the 2008 recession and a 15.1% decrease in their GDP took place. However, their GDP growth in 2010 on has been helped by neighboring Russia, which is Ukraine's largest trading partner and export market. They are rich in mineral deposits, however oil and natural gas reserves are largely exhausted. They have all the making of a major European economy, with rich farmlands, a well- developed industrial base, highly trained labor and a good education system. They are among the top 10 arms exporters.====

The President holds a five year term and is the formal head of state. Their legislative branch is a 450 seat unicameral parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Their current president is Viktor Yanukovych.
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