Which country does Ukraine belong to? (Is it a big country or a small country?)

Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe and is the largest country in Europe after Russia.

According to Wikipedia, Ukraine has an area of ??approximately 603,700 square kilometers and a population of 41 million.

In comparison, Germany has an area of ??about 357,000 square kilometers and France has an area of ??about 550,000 square kilometers.

Historically, Ukraine has a splendid civilization.

Around the 9th century AD, the East Slavs established a country called "Kiev Rus", with Kiev as its capital. At its peak, it covered an area of ??1.3 million square kilometers and controlled 56 vassal states.

It was not until the 13th century, after the Mongols destroyed Kievan Rus, that the three major ethnic groups of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus gradually evolved.

Therefore, for these three ethnic groups, Ukraine and the capital city of Kiev have special significance, which is equivalent to the birthplace of the nation.

During the Soviet period, Ukraine was a "key training target" and obtained a member state seat in the United Nations without becoming independent.

The capital, Kiev, was the third largest city in the Soviet Union and became an important industrial, scientific, cultural and educational center in Eastern Europe.

In addition, the Soviet Union helped Ukraine establish a complete industrial system, including the nuclear industry, aerospace industry, shipbuilding industry, military industry, machinery manufacturing, chemical industry, metallurgical industry, etc.

It is worth mentioning that Ukraine’s agricultural foundation is also very good and the land is very fertile.

According to Wikipedia data, more than 40% of the world's black soil is located in Ukraine, which can be said to be "God's blessing".

Ukrainian President Zelensky When the Soviet Union disintegrated in the early 1990s, Ukraine inherited wealth from the Soviet Union, second only to Russia, including a large number of troops, weapons and equipment and strategic reserves of the former Soviet army, as well as a large number of nuclear weapons and modern equipment.

Of course, some friends will say that what the Soviet Union left behind was a "mess."

This sentence is correct. Ukraine was faced with many difficulties at the end of the Soviet Union. Especially after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, economic problems were very prominent.

However, the weapons and equipment, industrial systems, etc. left by the Soviet Union are definitely not "mess".

If Ukraine can reform and utilize these resources after independence and become a regional power, there will be no problem.

Unfortunately, post-independence Ukraine has been mired in the whirlpool of geopolitics, while the domestic oligarchic forces have grown stronger and stronger, able to "cover the sky with one hand" in both political and business circles and plunder the people's assets at will.

Against this backdrop, Ukraine’s economy has had its ups and downs.

The data in the chart below comes from the World Bank, showing changes in Ukraine's annual GDP growth rate from 2000 to 2020.

We can see that Ukraine's economy has always been unstable. It once fell by 15%, and the latest data in 2020 is a negative growth of close to 5%.

In addition, according to the latest 2021 data from the International Monetary Fund, Ukraine's per capita GDP is only about US$3,984, ranking last among all European countries and even lagging behind many African countries.

From this perspective, Ukraine is definitely not up to the standards of a major country.

Commentary believes that Ukraine is like an old elephant. At first glance, we will be frightened by its huge back.

But in fact, this elephant has already lost its former vitality and has become vulnerable.

What's worse is that the elephant's body is covered with lice and fleas. Its long trunk wants to scratch it, but it can't.

Around it are hungry lions and wolves, and vultures hover overhead.

All eyes are watching eagerly, waiting for its fall.

Therefore, based on its own strength, Ukraine is a small country.

It was once a regional power and has a chance to revive again.

However, Ukraine failed to seize the opportunity and became what people call the "uterus of Europe" and a "third-rate country."