2010 Edition

Background

Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to achieve a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in parliamentary elections and become prime minister in August of 2006. An early legislative election, brought on by a political crisis in the spring of 2007, saw Yuliya TYMOSHENKO, as head of an "Orange" coalition, installed as a new prime minister in December 2007. Viktor YANUKOVUYCH was elected president in a February 2010 run-off election that observers assessed as meeting most international standards. The following month, the Rada approved a vote of no-confidence prompting Yuliya TYMOSHENKO to resign from her post as prime minister.

Area

land

579,330 sq km

total

603,550 sq km

water

24,220 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Texas

Climate

temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south

Coastline

2,782 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

lowest point

Black Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

807 cu m/yr (2000)

total

37.53 cu km/yr (12%/35%/52%)

Geographic coordinates

49 00 N, 32 00 E

Geography - note

strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe

Irrigated land

22,080 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 940 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (south) 176 km, Romania (southwest) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km

total

4,566 km

Land use

arable land

53.8%

other

44.7% (2005)

permanent crops

1.5%

Location

Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200 m or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land

Terrain

most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south

Total renewable water resources

139.5 cu km (1997)

Age structure

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 3,238,280/female 3,066,594) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 15,399,488/female 16,742,612) 65 years and over: 15.9% (male 2,422,311/female 4,831,110) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

9.62 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

15.7 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

5.3% of GDP (2007)

Ethnic groups

Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.6% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

19,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

440,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

6.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

10.95 deaths/1,000 live births

total

8.73 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, other 9% (includes small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities)

Life expectancy at birth

female

74.74 years (2010 est.)

male

62.56 years

total population

68.46 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

99.2% (2001 census)

male

99.7%

total population

99.4%

Median age

female

42.9 years (2010 est.)

male

36.5 years

total

39.7 years

Nationality

adjective

Ukrainian

noun

Ukrainian(s)

Net migration rate

-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

45,415,596 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.619% (2010 est.)

Religions

Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 50.4%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 26.1%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 8%, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 7.2%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, Protestant 2.2%, Jewish 0.6%, other 3.2% (2006 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

15 years (2008)

male

14 years

total

15 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.065 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female

total population

0.85 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.27 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

-0.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

68% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k, Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy, Kirovohrad, Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

50 26 N, 30 31 E

name

Kyiv (Kiev) note: pronounced KAY-yiv

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

adopted 28 June 1996

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Ukraine

former

Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

local long form

none

local short form

Ukrayina

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador John F. TEFFT

embassy

10 Yurii Kotsiubynsky Street, 01901 Kyiv

FAX

[380] (44) 490-4085

mailing address

5850 Kyiv Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850

telephone

[380] (44) 490-4000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Oleksandr MOTSYK

consulate(s) general

Chicago, New York, San Francisco

FAX

[1] (202) 333-0817

telephone

[1] (202) 333-0606

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the president and approved by the Rada (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Administration helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president

chief of state

President Viktor YANUKOVYCH (since 25 February 2010)

election results

Viktor YANUKOVYCH elected president; percent of vote - Viktor YANUKOVYCH 48.95%, Yuliya TYMOSHENKO 45.5%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 January 2010 with runoff on 7 February 2010 (next to be held in 2015)

head of government

Prime Minister Mykola AZAROV (since 11 March 2010); First Deputy Prime Minister Andriy KLYUYEV (since 11 March 2010); Deputy Prime Ministers Borys KOLESNIKOV, Serhiy TIHIPKO, Viktor TYKHONOV (all since 11 March 2010)

Flag description

two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grain fields under a blue sky

Government type

republic

Independence

24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

International organization participation

Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CE, CEI, CICA (observer), CIS (participating member, has not signed the 1993 CIS charter although it participates in meetings), EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Legal system

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; members allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or more of the national electoral vote; members to serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party/bloc - Party of Regions 34.4%, Block of Yuliya Tymoshenko 30.7%, Our Ukraine-People's Self Defense 14.2%, CPU 5.4%, Lytvyn Bloc 4%, other parties 11.3%; seats by party/bloc - Party of Regions 175, Block of Yuliya Tymoshenko 156, Our Ukraine-People's Self Defense 72, CPU 27, Lytvyn Bloc 20

elections

last held on 30 September 2007 (next must be held in 2012 or sooner if a ruling coalition cannot be formed in the Rada)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Paul CHUBYNSKYI/Mikhail VERBYTSKYI note: music adopted 1991, lyrics adopted 2003; the song was first performed in 1864 at the Ukraine Theatre in Lviv; the lyrics, originally written in 1862, were revised in 2003

name

"Sche ne vmerla Ukraina" (Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished)

National holiday

Independence Day, 24 August (1991); note - 22 January 1918, the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia) and the day the short-lived Western and Greater (Eastern) Ukrainian republics united (1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day

Political parties and leaders

Block of Yuliya Tymoshenko-Batkivshchyna (BYuT-Batkivshchyna) [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]; Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; European Party of Ukraine [Mykola KATERYNCHUK]; Forward Ukraine! [Viktor MUSIYAKA]; Front of Change [Arseniy YATSENYUK]; Lytvyn Bloc (composed of People's Party and Labor Party of Ukraine) [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; Our Ukraine [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; Party of Regions [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Party of the Defenders of the Fatherland [Yuriy KARMAZIN]; People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) [Borys TARASYUK]; People's Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; Peoples' Self-Defense [Yuriy LUTSENKO]; PORA! (It's Time!) party [Vladyslav KASKIV]; Progressive Socialist Party [Natalya VITRENKO]; Reforms and Order Party [Viktor PYNZENYK]; Sobor [Anatoliy MATVIYENKO]; Social Democratic Party [Yevhen KORNICHUK]; Social Democratic Party (United) or SDPU(o) [Yuriy ZAHORODNIY]; Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ]; Strong Ukraine [SERHIY TIHIPKO]; Ukrainian People's Party [Yuriy KOSTENKO]; United Center [Viktor BALOHA]; Viche [Inna BOHOSLOVSKA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Aleksandr CHERNENKO]; OPORA [Olha AIVAZOVSKA]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk

Central bank discount rate

10.25% (31 December 2009) 12% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

20.86% (31 December 2009 est.) 17.49% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

$603 million (2010 est.) -$1.732 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$97.5 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $94.3 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

31 (2006) 29 (1999)

Economy - overview

After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the former USSR. Shortly after independence in August 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of the 1991 level. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. Ukraine depends on imports to meet about three-fourths of its annual oil and natural gas requirements and 100% of its nuclear fuel needs. After a two-week dispute that saw gas supplies cutoff to Europe, Ukraine agreed to ten-year gas supply and transit contracts with Russia in January 2009 that brought gas prices to "world" levels. The strict terms of the contracts have further hobbled Ukraine's cash-strapped state gas company, Naftohaz. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms. Ukrainian Government officials eliminated most tax and customs privileges in a March 2005 budget law, bringing more economic activity out of Ukraine's large shadow economy, but more improvements are needed, including fighting corruption, developing capital markets, and improving the legislative framework. Ukraine's economy was buoyant despite political turmoil between the prime minister and president until mid-2008. Real GDP growth exceeded 7% in 2006-07, fueled by high global prices for steel - Ukraine's top export - and by strong domestic consumption, spurred by rising pensions and wages. Ukraine reached an agreement with the IMF for a $16.4 billion Stand-By Arrangement in November 2008 to deal with the economic crisis, but the Ukrainian Government's lack of progress in implementing reforms has twice delayed the release of IMF assistance funds. The drop in steel prices and Ukraine's exposure to the global financial crisis due to aggressive foreign borrowing lowered growth in 2008 and the economy contracted more than 15% in 2009, among the worst economic performances in the world; growth resumed in 2010, buoyed by exports. External conditions are likely to hamper efforts for economic recovery in 2011.

Electricity - consumption

134.6 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - exports

4 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - production

172.9 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Exchange rates

hryvnia (UAH) per US dollar - 7.9111 (2010), 7.7912 (2009), 4.9523 (2008), 5.05 (2007), 5.05 (2006)

Exports

$49.71 billion (2010 est.) $40.39 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products

Exports - partners

Russia 21.1%, Turkey 5.3%, China 3.8% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

9.8%

industry

32.3%

services

57.9% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$6,700 (2010 est.) $6,400 (2009 est.) $7,500 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

4.3% (2010 est.) -15.1% (2009 est.) 2.1% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$136.6 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$306.3 billion (2010 est.) $293.7 billion (2009 est.) $345.9 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 25.7% (2006)

Imports

$53.54 billion (2010 est.) $45.05 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners

Russia 28%, Germany 8.6%, China 6.1%, Kazakhstan 4.9%, Poland 4.9% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

8% (2010 est.)

Industries

coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.8% (2010 est.) 15.9% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

16.1% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

22.06 million (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

15.8%

industry

18.5%

services

65.7% (2008)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$16.79 billion (31 December 2009) $24.36 billion (31 December 2008) $111.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Natural gas - consumption

52 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - exports

5 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - imports

26.83 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - production

21.2 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

1.104 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

348,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

154,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - imports

147,600 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - production

99,930 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

395 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

35% (2009)

Public debt

38.4% of GDP (2010 est.) 30% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$32.91 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $26.51 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$73.91 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $62.22 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$2.327 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $2.067 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$52.31 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $46.81 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$110.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $103.9 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$34.97 billion (31 December 2010 est) $30 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

8.4% (2010 est.) 8.8% (2009 est.) note: officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers

Broadcast media

TV coverage is provided by Ukraine's state-controlled nationwide broadcast channel (UT1) and a number of privately-owned television broadcast networks; Russian television broadcasts have a small audience nationwide, but larger audiences in the eastern and southern regions; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; Ukraine's radio broadcast market, a mix of independent and state-owned networks, is comprised of some 300 stations (2007)

Internet country code

.ua

Internet hosts

1.098 million (2010)

Internet users

7.77 million (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is rising and the domestic trunk system is being improved; about one-third of Ukraine's networks are digital and a majority of regional centers now have digital switching stations; improvements in local networks and local exchanges continue to lag; the mobile-cellular telephone system's expansion has slowed, largely due to saturation of the market which has reached 120 mobile phones per 100 people

general assessment

Ukraine's telecommunication development plan emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile-cellular system

international

country code - 380; 2 new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and 3 Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by an unknown number of earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems

Telephones - main lines in use

13.026 million (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

55.333 million (2009)

Airports

425 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

189 over 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 97 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

236 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 214 (2010)

Heliports

7 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 4, cargo 123, chemical tanker 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 11, specialized tanker 2

foreign-owned

1 (Iran 1)

registered in other countries

197 (Belize 6, Cambodia 37, Comoros 10, Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Georgia 15, Liberia 16, Malta 30, Marshall Islands 1, Moldova 12, Mongolia 1, Panama 11, Russia 12, Saint Kitts and Nevis 10, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12, Sierra Leone 5, Slovakia 7, Tuvalu 1, Vanuatu 3, unknown 4) (2010)

total

160

Pipelines

gas 33,327 km; oil 4,514 km; refined products 4,211 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Feodosiya (Theodosia), Illichivsk, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Yuzhnyy

Railways

broad gauge

21,658 km 1.524-m gauge (9,729 km electrified) (2009)

total

21,658 km

Roadways

paved

165,820 km (includes 15 km of expressways)

total

169,495 km

unpaved

3,675 km (2009)

Waterways

2,150 km (most on Dnieper River) (2009)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 11,149,646 females age 16-49: 11,437,891 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 6,970,035 females age 16-49: 9,015,224 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

244,473 (2010 est.)

male

256,196

Military branches

Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (Viyskovo-Povitryani Syly, VPS) (2010)

Military expenditures

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army and Air Force, 18 months for Navy (2010)

Disputes - international

1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Belarus remains un-ratified due to unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducing border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is complete with preparations for demarcation underway; the dispute over the boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and ongoing expert-level discussions; Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria Region, which remains under OSCE supervision; the ICJ gave Ukraine until December 2006 to reply, and Romania until June 2007 to rejoin, in their dispute submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy/Serpilor (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea

Illicit drugs

limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF page last updated on January 20, 2011 ======================================================================