Ukraine

UKRAINE is a former-Soviet country located in Eastern Europe, bordering 7 countries: Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Slovakia. The country also borders the Black Sea. Jutting out into the Black Sea, the Crimean Peninsula separates the Sea of Azov — a mostly enclosed water feature to the east — from the larger Black Sea. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Ukraine’s population in the year 2020 was about 44,237,000 and was ranked 31st among populations of the whole world’s countries, dependencies, and territories. The capital and most-populated city is Kiev (Kyïv or Kyyiv). The currency is the Hryvnia, and its ISO 4217 currency code is UAH.

Crimea Annexation and Dispute
After Russia militarily took over the Crimea peninsula and autonomous republic starting in February 2014, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea's government instituted a March 2014 referendum to find out if Crimean residents wanted to still live in Ukraine or have Crimea secede to Russia. Allegedly, most Crimeans voted for Russia to proceed with annexation of their territory. Due to Russia's military presence in Crimea, various officials and international-relations scholars argue that the referendum was biased and/or pressured Crimeans to vote to secede to prevent an escalation of Russian force. A United Nations' General Assembly resolution in March 2014 declared the Crimean referendum and Russia's annexation as non-legitimate, thereby supporting Crimea remaining as a Ukrainian territory. A majority of UN member states — 100 out of 193 — approved the UN resolution, while 58 abstained from voting. Meanwhile, Eleven member states voted against this resolution — these countries are Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.