Editing Ukraine (section)

== History ==
Kyiv formerly served as the capital city of "Kievan Rus" (a Slavic state, the largest at that time, from which Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine later developed). Over the years, the government weakened, and the country was conquered several times by various princes from Poland and other countries. The conquests by different people led to the division of Ukraine among several princes who converted the religion of the inhabitants according to their religious practices.

In 5329 (1569), most of Ukraine's territory was united with Poland and Lithuania, which received the name "Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth," and the government forced the inhabitants to convert their religion to the way of life of the nobles. However, Polish serfdom emphasized that the commonwealth's economy was based on the forceful exploitation of Ukrainian farmers.

The Cossacks, who despised the forced conversion and felt humiliated by the harsh and degrading serfdom, decided to rebel against the government and established an (unofficial) state, "Zaporozhian Sich." As a result, the Cossacks raised their heads, and under the leadership of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, started a rebellion against the central government and conducted pogroms against Jews and Poles, including the infamous Gezeiros Tach V'Tat (1648-1649 decrees). Their movement led to the incorporation of Eastern Ukraine into Russia, while most of Western Ukraine joined Russia as part of the partition of Poland only in 5556 (1796).

==== The Period of the Russian Empire and Communist Rule ====
During World War I, Ukraine declared its independence as the "People's Republic of Ukraine," but opposition forces did not allow this situation to survive for long. On Ukrainian soil, a fierce struggle took place between supporters of an independent Ukraine and its opponents. At that time, Jews suffered greatly from pogroms by gangs.

In 5679 (1919), Stalin conceived the "Five-Year Plan," during which agricultural work was centered around cooperative farms belonging to the Soviet government. The plan dispossessed millions of people from their lands and caused some of the worst years of famine in the world. During the famine years, about 10,000,000 people died (one-third of the country's population).

==== World War II Until the Dissolution of the Soviet Union ====
During [[World War II]], Ukraine was completely conquered by the Germans and subjected to Nazi rule. Ghettos were established on its territory, and its Jews were killed en masse in pits by firing squads and Ukrainian collaborators. Many Ukrainians welcomed the German conquerors as "liberators," collaborated with them, and participated in the persecution of Jews and also in their extermination. In total, according to estimates, about 1.5 million Jews were murdered on Ukrainian soil (out of 2.7 million Ukrainian Jews during the Holocaust), one of the most infamous places is Babi Yar, on the outskirts of Kyiv. In 5704 (1944), toward the end of the war, most of Ukraine's territory was liberated by the Soviet Army. During the war, about 5 to 8 million civilians lost their lives. This number includes the Jews of Ukraine and about 2.7 million fighters in the Red Army.

==== After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union ====
During the late 5740s (1980s), the demand for independence grew, following the Chernobyl disaster and the fall of the Berlin Wall (which symbolized the end of the Communist era), all of which gave a strong push to the nationalist movements of Western Ukraine. In 5751 (1991), with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine gained full independence.

In Adar I 5782 (February 2022), the Russian army invaded Ukraine and conquered cities and large parts of it. The war is still ongoing and is claiming many casualties. The shluchim remained in place to care for the local Jews until they managed to smuggle them out of the country around Purim. Subsequently, some of the shluchim returned to their cities of shlichus.

==== Ukrainian Jewry ====
Ukraine was the main residence of the Jews in the Pale of Settlement, but as a result of pogroms, many Jews emigrated from Ukraine.

Until World War II, the Jewish population was about 5% of the population. Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Jewish population in Ukraine numbered about half a million. Today, as a result of negative migration, the number has dropped to about 200,000. Most of Ukrainian Jewry emigrated in the 5700s (1940s) to Eretz Yisrael.

Today, the number of Jews stands at less than one percent (0.2%). On the other hand, at the end of the second decade of the 21st century, both the president of the country and the prime minister of Ukraine are Jewish.