The history of Ukraine dates back to the times of Kyivan Rus, which was one of the largest states in Europe back in the 9th-13th centuries. The capital of this state was Kyiv, while Moscow was not founded until year 1147.

The Medieval history of Ukraine is associated with Kyivan Rus and Kyiv as the capital of a large and prosperous state, spreading from the Carpathian Mountains to the Volha River, and from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea.

Kyivan Rus, the first state to arise among the Eastern Slavs in the 9th century, took its name from the city of Kyiv, which was founded in 482. From 882, the Rus was ruled by the Riurykide dynasty. The sign of the Riuryk family was a trident, which was then depicted on the first coins, and which is the national symbol and official coat of arms of Ukraine now.

During this time, Kyiv became the capital of the newly-established and rapidly rising state. The apogee of power and territorial expansion that the Kyivan Rus reached during the reign of Volodymyr the Great and his son Yaroslav the Wise in the years 980–1054.

After the collapse of Kyivan Rus, the Grand Duchy of Moscow developed independently and dreamed of reviving Rus under its patronage. Starting from Cossack times, especially from 1654, when the liberation Cossack movement of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi took place, Russia tried to transform Ukraine into an ‘imperial suburb’ and destroy Ukrainian identity.

Bohdan Khmelnytskyi strengthened in the Zaporozhian Host in Central Ukraine, inhabited by Cossacks, and gave them supreme power in the new Ukrainian state. For over a century, the Zaporozhian Host with Cossacks was a solid political and military force that challenged the authority of Poland-Lithuania, the Ottoman Empire, the Crimean Khanate, and the Tsardom of Russia. After Khmelnytsky’s death in 1687, Ivan Mazepa was elected as a new leader, who tried to unite Ukraine. However, the Battle of Poltava was won by Russia in 1709, and Cossack Hetmanate became an autonomous state of the Tsardom of Russia.

The general trend for a long time was the destruction by the tsarist regime of any manifestations of Ukrainian individuality and national identity. For three centuries, Moscow went out of their way to destroy Ukraine as a separate nationality, and the attempts are still ongoing.

Firstly, the termination of the Cossack Hetmanate’s existence (1764): Russia liquidated the Hetmanate and incorporated Ukrainian lands into its state.

Secondly, Catherine II destroyed Zaporozhian Host (1775): Russian troops disarmed the Cossacks and confiscated the treasury archives of Cossack kleinods.

Then, during the reigns of Alexander I (1801–1825) and Nicholas I (1825–1855), the Russian centralised administrative system covered all of Ukraine. Even the name "Ukraine" practically ceased to be used: Left-bank Ukraine was called Little Russia, Right-bank - South-Western Territory, and Southern Ukraine – Novorossia.

Lastly, the Emsky degree of Oleksandr II (1876): the ban of the Ukrainian language, liquidation of communities, and dismissal of professors.

In 1922, Ukraine became a part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. As Soviet soldiers gained power in Ukraine, they forcefully integrated Ukrainian territories into it.

The structures of the totalitarian system were increasingly strengthened, and new waves of repression began. Captured by the bolsheviks, Ukraine experienced an extremely difficult situation: the collapse of industrial production, a drop in productivity, a lack of fuel, food, clothing, shoes, and unemployment became a characteristic feature of economic life.

Totalitarianism in Ukraine means repressions and murders; suppression of centrist or opposition forces; the main incentive to work was fear; free labour through the Gulag system; atmosphere of mutual mistrust and search for enemies.

Holodomor and Executed Renaissance (1932 – 1933) - an artificial famine was organised to suppress the Ukrainian nation. The imprisonment and execution of Ukrainian intellectuals aimed to destroy their identity.

In general, all this created a depressing atmosphere and gave rise to anxious forebodings of a new round of repressions in society. But on March 5, 1953, I. Stalin died. The moral and political climate in the country slowly began to soften.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Ukraine was challenged with a contradictory political course. The fifth presidential election forced Ukrainians to choose between candidates with opposite programmes: Victor Yanukovych had an openly pro-Russian position, while V. Yushchenko declared intentions to move the country towards the EU and NATO membership. Thus, according to the announced official results, the second round of the 2004 presidential elections was won by the pro-Russian Victor Yanukovych.

That led to mass protests with appeals to cancel the results of the fabricated election. Since the colour of Yushchenko’s election campaign was orange, the Ukrainian revolution was called “Orange”, which ended with re-voting and the victory of pro-Western Victor Yushchenko.

President elections of 2004 and the Orange Revolution in Ukraine were the major determining factors for the pro-European choice of all Ukrainians. It was the first sign of neglecting The Soviet past and movement toward a Western world with its values and respect for all nations and cultures. Ukrainian independence was on the rise together with the Ukrainian language, culture and freedom of speech.

Pro-Kremlin opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych won the presidential elections in 2010 and implemented a pro-Russia policy within his term.

In November 2013, V. Yanukovych decided to suspend the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU. Such decision was a part of the abrupt policy shift from a pro-European to a pro-Russian vector of development and forced the thousands of demonstrators, predominantly young students, to go out on the streets.

On November 30, 2013, the protests were severely suppressed by an authoritarian regime. However, the protest did not stop and led to a thousand new protestors at Independence Square in Kyiv, and the chain of events that are known as Euromaidan, or Revolution of Dignity, started. The rapid and dramatic expansion of the civil resistance was based on people’s extremely critical attitude towards the policies being implemented by the Yanukovych regime, as well as the authoritarian use of power.

Major Goals of the Revolution of Dignity: signing of Association Agreement and Free Trade Agreement with the EU; impeachment of President V. Yanukovych; re-adoption of the 2004 amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine.