988★★★★★
Christianization of Kievan Rus'
Grand Prince Vladimir I of Kiev is baptized and makes Byzantine Orthodox Christianity the religion of the Rus'.
Religion· Ukraine, Russia, Belarus
Countries / Europe
History of Ukraine
13 notable historical events in Ukraine, in chronological order.
10th century
13th century
- 1237 – 1240★★★★★
Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'
Mongol armies under Batu devastate the Rus' principalities and take Kiev in 1240, beginning over two centuries of Golden Horde domination.
War· Russia, Ukraine
18th century
- July 8, 1709★★★★★
Battle of Poltava
Peter the Great's Russian army crushes the Swedish army of Charles XII, ending Sweden's great-power status and raising Russia's standing in Eastern Europe.
War· Ukraine, Russia, Sweden
19th century
- 1853 – 1856★★★★★
Crimean War
An alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France and Sardinia defeats Russia, with fighting centred on the siege of Sevastopol in Crimea.
War· Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Ukraine
20th century
- 1917 – 1922★★★★★
Russian Civil War
The Bolshevik Red Army fights the White movement and other forces after the October Revolution; the Bolsheviks emerge victorious.
WarRevolution· Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan - December 30, 1922★★★★★
Founding of the Soviet Union
The Treaty on the Creation of the USSR unites Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian Federation into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Politics· Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan - 1941 – 1945★★★★★
The Holocaust
Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murder some six million European Jews, along with millions of other victims.
WarDeath· Germany, Poland, Austria, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Czechia, Netherlands, France - June 22, 1941★★★★★
Operation Barbarossa: Germany invades the Soviet Union
Nazi Germany and its allies launch a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, opening the Eastern Front, the largest theatre of the Second World War.
War· Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia - February 4, 1945 – February 11, 1945★★★★★
Yalta Conference
Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meet at Yalta to discuss the post-war reorganisation of Europe and the world.
PoliticsTreaty· Ukraine, United States, United Kingdom, Russia - April 26, 1986★★★★★
Chernobyl disaster
Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine explodes, spreading radioactive material across Europe in the worst nuclear accident in history.
DisasterTechnology· Ukraine, Belarus, Russia - December 26, 1991★★★★★
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The Supreme Soviet formally dissolves the USSR, a day after Gorbachev's resignation.
Politics· Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan
21st century
- March 18, 2014★★★★★
Russia annexes Crimea
After seizing the peninsula and holding an internationally unrecognised referendum, Russia annexes Ukraine's Crimea.
PoliticsWar· Ukraine, Russia - February 24, 2022★★★★★
Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Russia launches a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, starting the largest war in Europe since the Second World War and displacing millions of people.
War· Ukraine, Russia