Ukraine Historical Timeline

Historical Background

The Ukrainian people have experienced great hardships in the collective history. Many foreign invaders and conquers have swept through the country. Three great tragedies have greatly set back the growth of the Ukrainian Rus culture. Without these tragedies, one would have a difficult time imagining a Medieval Europe without including the Kyvian Rus state. At a time when Western Europe was slowly emerging from the Dark Ages, the Kyvian Rus state was a shining light in Europe. We tend to think of the Russian culture growing from Moscow to cover Eastern Europe and Northern Asia but hundreds of years before the rise of Moscow, Kiev was the Nexus of the Rus culture.

The conquest, deportation, and massacre of the population of Kiev by the Mongol (Taters) in 1240 brought the death knoll to the largest and most culturally advanced state in Europe. This led to subjection of the populous for a hundred years. Also this led to a massive de-populating of the country.

The subsequent artificial famines created by the Communist government in the early 1920’s and early 1930’s, this added to the invasions by the Germans in World War I and World War II greatly reduced the population, forestation, and livestock of the country, forced a slower rebuilding or mustering of Ukraine’s strengths to pre-World War I levels. While the technology age, dawned and took wings in the West, Ukraine was still recovering her to her former strength. Of course, this led to a further falling behind the West, during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Here is a brief timeline in the history of the Ukrainian people.

482	Archaeologists tell that there were people living in the Kiev area as far back as 20,000 years ago. According to the chronicles the city was founded in 482 by the brothers Kiy, Schchek, Khoriv and their sister Lybed. The city name came from the eldest brother Kiy. The successors of Kiy were in control of the city until the 9th century.
882	882-912. The Varangian Prince Oleg arrived from Novgorad to rule and turn the city into a large state connected with the lands of Novgorod, after killing the rulers of the city, Askold and Dir. Olegs words about Kiev became proverbial "Here will be the mother of Rus cities." This was the beginning of the Kievan Rus' state which lasted until the year 1240 when the Mongols (Tatars) invaded. Oleg also was entrusted by Rurik to look after his son Igor (Ingvar) who became Olegs successor.
1240	Capture of the city by Batu Khans horde, the Tatars (Mongols). The siege lasted for several weeks and finally their efforts destroyed the fortifications near the Lysadskiy Gate. (Situated at the present day Independence Square.) From inside the city Batu Khans horde also destroyed the heavily fortified entrance of The Golden Gate. Desiatinnaya Cathedral gets destroyed on December 6th.
1362	Annexation of Kiev to Lithuania
1569	Lublin Union, Kiev comes under Polish rule.
1793	Transfer of the right bank Ukraine from Poland to the Russian Empire.
1917	Tsarist empire was overthrown and Mikhail Grushevsky is voted as the president of the Ukrainian Central Council (UCC) The UCC held power from 1917 to 1918.
1986	April 26th, 1986. Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Many of the fire fighters that travelled from Kiev to the disaster site got killed from radiation exposure. The radiation level found today is minimal compared to 1986 and so there is nothing really to worry about. The reactor site is approximately 60 miles north of Kiev.
1991	On August 24th, Ukraine has independence and on December the 1st an all Ukrainian referendum expresses a 93 percent support for independence. First presidential elections lead to Leonid Makatovich Kravchuk being voted as the first president of Ukraine.
2005	In May Ukraine allows visa free travel for countries of the European Union and United States for up to a 90 day stay. Also the Eurovision Song Contest is held in Kiev. On the 22nd November President Yuschenko Celebrates 1 year of The Orange Revolution.

Climate

The climate in Ukraine is temperate continental. It is mainly characterized by plentiful precipitation and cloudiness in winter and fall. Winters are usually long and cold. Summers are short but can be pretty hot. The average temperature in winter is 17-35 degrees F (-8 to +1 C), in summer - 65-80 degrees F (+18 to +27 C). In winter heavyweight clothing is recommended; lightweight clothing is good for summer.

Electricity

The electrical current in Ukraine is 220V AC. The plug-and-socket connection is different from one used in the United States. If you take appliances from your home, do not forget to take a converter and a plug adapter in order you could use your electrical appliance in Ukraine. For valuable equipment, it is recommended that you bring a surge protector to keep your electrical appliance safe. Note that devices not rated for 50 Hz will hardly operate properly.

Water

Tap water is chemically safe in Ukraine, but it is recommended to boil water before drinking it. It is even better to use bottled purified water available almost in every shop. However, we recommend that you buy water in supermarkets, so you can be assured that the water is not spurious. Note that hot water can be turned off for about one month during the summer time. Most hotels provide electrical heating facilities in a bathroom, so you will not face such problems.