Thirty-four years ago today, on August 24, 1991 (July 15, 1991 in the lunar calendar), Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union. Ukraine is a country located in the plain of Eastern Europe, also known as Little Russia, Rosenia. It is the center of medieval East Slavic culture. Kievan Rus, the common ancestor of modern Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, developed from Kiev. In the future, the historical ties between Ukraine and Russia and Belarus were very close. Around the 14th century AD, Ukraine gradually formed the modern Ukrainian nation. After that, Ukraine and Russia merged several times, until the October Revolution occurred in Russia in 1917. From 1917 to 1921, after Ukraine experienced a short period of independence, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Transcaucasia formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, referred to as the Soviet Union, and became the founding republic of the Soviet Union. In 1941, the Soviet-German War broke out, and the entire territory of Ukraine was occupied by Germany. In 1944, the Soviet army liberated the entire territory of Ukraine and transferred Western Ukraine, which was originally Polish territory, to Ukraine. In 1954, Russia ceded Crimea to Ukraine, forming the territory of modern Ukraine. On August 24, 1991, Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union and became a sovereign state. Comment: It turns out that Ukraine did not belong to Russia at first.