1. Ukraine is a democracy, however, Russian President Vladimir Putin does not see it that way. Putin considers the rejection of former President Viktor Yanukovych a coup d’etat, The Washington Post reported.
But it does technically qualify as a democracy as the country’s president is chosen by popular election. There is a legislature that is made up of single-seat and popular representation with the prime minister chosen from the legislative majority. The prime minister is the government’s head. There is also a Supreme Court which is appointed by the president after being nominated by the Supreme Council of Justice, the Post reported.
Freedom House, a nonpartisan think tank, calls Ukraine a “traditional or hybrid regime” and “partly free,” the Post reported.
Ukraine is more of a democracy than Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. But it is not as much of a democracy as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all of which are members of the European Union, the Post reported.
2. Ukraine had a population of 44 million in 2020, according to the World Bank, which the country joined in 1992. That makes it about half the population of Germany and larger than that of Poland.
3. The country has had economic challenges since the first uprising in February 2014. The government responded by introducing reforms such as consolidation of money, creating a flexible exchange rate, reforming of energy tariffs and transparency in how it operates. One of the biggest challenges remains the public’s trust of the government
4. Ukraine was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had said to avoid travel to the region because of the pandemic, saying that it had a “very high level of COVID-19.”
Reuters reported that it had 388 infections per 100,000 people in the last seven days with the number of cases falling. The country had seen more than 4.8 million infections with 105,505 COVID-19-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Ukraine had dispensed at least 31.683 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, estimating that about 35.7% of the population has received two doses of shot.
5. The worldwide pandemic hit the country hard when it comes to jobs. The first quarter of 2021 had seen an unemployment rate of over 10%, but it did start to rebound through the year, according to the World Bank and Trading Economics.
Inflation had remained flat at 10.2% year to year as of August 2021, but that was double the 5% target, with food and gas prices the main cause. The country also saw a 27% minimum wage increase. Inflation had started to ease due to a stronger currency and adjustments of financial rates by the central bank.
6. The U.S. State Department has issued a “do not travel” advisory for Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. Officials said that any U.S. citizen in the country should leave as soon as they are able to by any means available. The Department of State had ordered the departure of employees from the embassy in Kyiv earlier this month.
1 of 25
Photos: Russian forces push toward Kyiv, Ukraine Natali Sevriukova reacts next to her house following a rocket attack the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Photos: Russian forces push toward Kyiv, Ukraine People look at the damage following a rocket attack the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Photos: Russian forces push toward Kyiv, Ukraine A man inspects the damage at a building following a rocket attack on the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Photos: Russian forces push toward Kyiv, Ukraine Firefighters try to extinguish a blaze at a damaged residential building at Koshytsa Street, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, early Friday, the second day of Russia's military intervention on February 25, 2022. (Ukraine Emergency Ministry/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Photos: Russian forces push toward Kyiv, Ukraine People take shelter at a building basement while the sirens sound announcing new attacks in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Photos: Russian forces push toward Kyiv, Ukraine People hide in a bomb shelter in Kyiv in the early hours of February 25, 2022. (SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Russian forces push toward Kyiv, Ukraine This video still provided Feb. 25, 2022, shows Ukrainian border guards who were serving at Chongar crossing point on the Russian-Ukrainian border and have laid down their arms. (FSB\TASS via Getty Images)
Photos: Russian forces push toward Kyiv, Ukraine A man inspects the damage at a building following a rocket attack on the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Photos: Russian forces push toward Kyiv, Ukraine View of a building damaged following a rocket attack the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Russia attack A damaged car is seen from a hole of a damaged apartment building following a rocket attack on the city of Mariupol, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Russian troops are bearing down on Ukraine's capital, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter. The invasion of a democratic country has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)
Russia attack People fleeing the conflict from neighboring Ukraine meet with members of their family at the border crossing in Medyka, southeastern Poland, on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. U.N. officials said that 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes and estimated up to 4 million could flee if the fighting escalates. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)
Russia attack People take photos of still smoldering destroyed Russian military vehicles on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Russian troops bore down on Ukraine's capital Friday, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter, in an invasion of a democratic country that has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) (VADIM GHIRDA/AP)
Russia attack A Ukrainian servicemen opens the door of a deactivated Russian military multiple rocket launcher on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Russian troops bore down on Ukraine's capital Friday, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter, in an invasion of a democratic country that has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) (VADIM GHIRDA/AP)
Russia attack People rest in the Kyiv subway, using it as a shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
Russia attack People sleep in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. In Ukraine's capital, many residents hurried underground for safety overnight Thursday and Friday as Russian forces fired on the city and moved closer. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) (Emilio Morenatti/AP)
Russia attack A family sit in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. In Ukraine's capital, many residents hurried underground for safety overnight Thursday and Friday as Russian forces fired on the city and moved closer. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) (Emilio Morenatti/AP)
Russia attack A couple stand and embrace during a gathering in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Shocked Russians turned out by the thousands Thursday to decry their country's invasion of Ukraine as emotional calls for protests grew on social media. Some 1,745 people in 54 Russian cities were detained, at least 957 of them in Moscow. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP)
Russia attack A man takes a photo of a damaged school building in Horlivka, eastern Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, following Ukrainian shelling in the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants. The Russian military is pressing its invasion of Ukraine to the outskirts of the capital. The advancement came after Russia unleashed airstrikes on cities and military bases and sent in troops and tanks from three sides in an attack that could rewrite the global post-Cold War security order. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov) (Alexei Alexandrov/AP)
Russia attack Two women sweep up broken glass at a school building in Horlivka, following Ukrainian shelling in the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, eastern Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. The Russian military is pressing its invasion of Ukraine to the outskirts of the capital. The advancement came after Russia unleashed airstrikes on cities and military bases and sent in troops and tanks from three sides in an attack that could rewrite the global post-Cold War security order. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov) (Alexei Alexandrov/AP)
Russia attack People run to take shelter while the sirens sound announcing new attacks in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) (Emilio Morenatti/AP)
Russia attack Demonstrators shout slogans in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Shocked Russians turned out by the thousands Thursday to decry their country's invasion of Ukraine as emotional calls for protests grew on social media. Some 1,745 people in 54 Russian cities were detained, at least 957 of them in Moscow. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP)
