Leaving Ukraine Where would you go if fighting broke out in your country How would you know who to trust to keep you safe Ukraine is a country in eastern Europe Since 2014 the eastern part of the country has been a battleground Ukrainian government troops are fighting forces that support its neighbor Russia Thousands of people have been killed or have gone missing in the conflict Russia has taken control of land that used to belong to Ukraine This region is called Crimea Part of a Ukrainian region in eastern Ukraine called Donetsk Oblast has broken away from the country It has declared itself independent Belarus Ukraine borders many countries and the Black Sea Kiev is its capital Donetsk is a city in the region of Donetsk Oblast Russia Poland Slovakia Hungary 4 Romania Kiev Ukraine Moldova Crimea Black Sea Turkey Donetsk Donetsk Oblast
UN Rights of the Child Every child has rights Rights are privileges and freedoms that are protected by law Refugees have the right to special protection and help The United Nations UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is a document that lists the rights of children all over the world Think about these rights as you read this book As part of its training the Ukraine army practices martial arts Many people have left eastern Ukraine because of the fighting They fear for their lives Most have become internally displaced persons IDPs This means they have moved to safer areas of the same country Others have left Ukraine to live in Russia or other neighboring countries They are refugees Refugees are people who flee their homeland because of unsafe conditions Refugees are different from immigrants Immigrants choose to leave to look for better opportunities in another country This is the flag of the Donetsk region which is now called the Donetsk People’s Republic 5
My Homeland Ukraine Ukraine is a country of differences It is both old and new and it is a mix of Eastern and Western cultures Ukraine’s landscape includes mountains in the west plains in the middle and sea coast in the south It is the second-largest country in Europe It shares borders with seven countries Moldova Romania Hungary Slovakia Poland Belarus and Russia Ukraine has been home to different cultures and peoples for thousands of years Its land was often invaded by groups from the west and east In the late 1700s it became part of the Russian Empire In 1922 Ukraine became part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics USSR Kiev is the capital of Ukraine Kiev Dnieper River Ukraine’s Story in Numbers 44.3 million people live in Ukraine 6
In 2004 Ukrainians protested against the government They believed the election was rigged or that its outcome was unfair The Donetsk People’s Republic DPR has its own army After the breakup of the USSR in 1991 Ukraine again became an independent country The new country had years of problems There were major protests against the government Parts of Ukraine did not want to belong to Russia or Ukraine In 2013 to 2014 there was a revolution The president was removed from office Russia took control of Crimea a part of southern Ukraine Pro-Russian groups in eastern Ukraine also took control of different areas Part of Donetsk Oblast declared independence Militia groups announced that the new country would be called the Donetsk People’s Republic DPR Ukrainian troops have been fighting the militias since 2014 7 The gold of the Ukrainian flag represents its fields of wheat The blue represents its sky mountains and streams
