ALBAWABA - Ukraine celebrates its 33rd independence anniversary on August 24, 2024, while fighting Russia over acquired regions. Ukrainian actions in Kursk have escalated the battle, which began with Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine gained independence from the USSR on August 24, 1991, after a historic parliamentary decision and a referendum with 90% support. Before Leonid Kuchma became president in June 1994, Leonid Kravchuk led the country through substantial political reforms.
Mass demonstrations after disputed presidential elections sparked the 2004 “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine. Viktor Yushchenko won a re-run, but pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych won in 2010. In 2013, protests against Yanukovych's stalling of an EU Association Agreement ousted him and installed pro-Western politicians.
In February 2014, pro-Russian riots in Crimea culminated to Russia's unlawful annexation of the peninsula after a dubious referendum. This move exacerbated the Ukraine-Russia crisis and was denounced worldwide.
After Yanukovych's May 2014 ouster, Petro Poroshenko cut military relations with Russia and signed an EU trade deal. In 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected president, continuing his pro-Western foreign policy.
Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, alleging persecution of Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the east, changed the scenario. Russian armies quickly sieged Kyiv and occupied Snake Island, which Ukraine retook in June 2022.
Ukrainian soldiers counterattacked Kherson in August 2022. Russian soldiers left the city center by November, but combat in Donetsk and Kharkiv continues. Ukraine claims authority over major communities and territories in Kursk.
In June 2024, Switzerland hosted the first Ukraine Peace Summit to resolve the war. The meeting addressed nuclear dangers, food security, and prisoner releases. Russia rejected the summit's ideas and demanded additional talks.
Ukraine has $38 billion in defense deals with 23 nations. The conflict has reduced economic activity by 30% and increased the budget deficit from $600 million to $5 billion monthly. The hryvnia has depreciated 36% versus the dollar, and the war has displaced almost 6 million people, affecting the labor.
