How old is Ukraine? How old is Ukraine an independent country?

How old is Ukraine? This question has many times been the subject of discussions between scientists and historians. All of them call different figures, counting the Ukrainian statehood from different historical events.

The territory of modern Ukraine: from ancient times to the first rudiments of statehood

How many years is Ukraine independent? To try to answer this difficult question, you need to delve into the history of this country.

The first homo sapiens began to settle on the lands of modern Ukraine 30-40 thousand years ago. They were Cro-Magnon people. The remains of one of their centers were discovered by archaeologists in the unique historical reserve "Stone Tomb" in the Zaporozhye region.

In the era of the Eneolithic (IV-III millennium BC), the central culture in the territory of modern Ukraine (as well as Moldova and parts of Romania) is the Trypillia. The bearers of this culture achieved significant success in engineering, culture and agriculture, built the first prototypes, and developed their own sign system.

In VII-III century BC on the lands of the southern part of Ukraine there was a state formation of the Scythians. Approximately at the same time in the Crimea and the Northern Black Sea region Greek colonies are emerging.

At the end of the ninth century AD, the most powerful (at that time) public education in all of Europe - Kievan Rus - began to form.

How old is Ukraine? Let's try to answer this question further.

How many years of Ukraine: different approaches - different versions

There are several versions in assessing the age of Ukrainian statehood. Some researchers have been counting since the formation of the Old Russian state with its center in Kiev. By the way, it was during the existence of Kievan Rus in the Ipatiev Chronicle (1187) that the name of this country was first encountered. True, in the original text it sounds like "Oukraina".

Other historians suggest starting to count the Ukrainian statehood from 1649, when the Hetman power of Bogdan Khmelnitsky was founded after the liberation of the territories from the Poles. By the way, in the Treaty of Pereyaslav in 1654, Russia entered into an agreement with Ukraine.

Many historians believe that the year of "birth" of the state of Ukraine can be considered 1918, when in Kiev was officially proclaimed UPR (Ukrainian People's Republic). True, it lasted only three years.

How many years of Ukraine's independence?

2014 is the year in which independent Ukraine turned 23 years old. And if we talk about the official age of this state, then this figure should be called.

On August 24, 1991 the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted. It was after the adoption of this historic document by the Verkhovna Rada that a new sovereign state officially appeared on the map of Europe. Today, August 24 in Ukraine is celebrated as the Independence Day of the country.

According to Ukrainian legislation, Ukraine is the legal successor of the Ukrainian SSR.

In December 1991, a referendum took place in a young country, where about 90% of Ukrainians voted for Ukraine's independence. By the way, all leading Ukrainian politicians of that time did not expect to receive such a result. Even Vyacheslav Chernovol (leader of "Rukh") before this referendum said the following: "We should get at least 50% + 1 vote!"

Finally...

So, how old is Ukraine really?

Some start counting Ukrainian statehood since the days of Kievan Rus or even the era of Trypillian culture. Others believe that Ukraine as a state arose in 1649. However, if we talk about the age of the independent state of Ukraine in its present-day limits, this country has fulfilled (in 2014) only 23 years.