Volhynia in the context of Volhynian Governorate

The Right-bank Ukraine is a historical and territorial name for a part of modern Ukraine on the right (west) bank of the Dnieper River, corresponding to the modern-day oblasts of Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, as well as the western parts of Kyiv and Cherkasy. It was separated from the left bank during the Ruin.

Right-bank Ukraine is bordered by the historical regions of Volhynia and Podolia to the west, Moldavia to the southwest, Yedisan and Zaporizhzhia to the south, left-bank Ukraine to the east, and Polesia to the north.

Western Ukraine or West Ukraine (Ukrainian: Західна Україна, romanized: Zakhidna Ukraina, IPA: [ˈzɑxidnɐ ʊkrɐˈjinɐ]) refers to the western territories of Ukraine. There is no universally accepted definition of the territory's boundaries, but the contemporary Ukrainian administrative regions (oblasts) of Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Ternopil and Zakarpattia (which were part of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire) are typically included. In addition, Volyn and Rivne oblasts (parts of the territory annexed from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during its Third Partition) are also usually included. In modern sources, Khmelnytskyi Oblast is often included because of its geographical, linguistic and cultural association with Western Ukraine, although this cannot be confirmed from a historical and political point of view. It includes several historical regions such as Carpathian Ruthenia, Halychyna including Pokuttia (the eastern portion of Eastern Galicia), most of Volhynia, northern Bukovina and the Hertsa region, and Podolia. Western Ukraine is sometimes considered to include areas of eastern Volhynia, Podolia, and the small northern portion of Bessarabia.

The area of Western Ukraine was ruled by various polities, including the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which became part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, but also the Principality of Moldavia; it would then variously come under rule of the Austrian Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Second Polish Republic, the Kingdom of Romania, and finally the Soviet Union (via the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) in 1939 and 1940 following the invasion of Poland and the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, with the borders finalized after the end of World War II. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it became part of the independent Ukrainian state.

The Galicia–Volhynia Wars were several wars fought in the years 1340–1392 over the succession in the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, also known as Ruthenia. After Yuri II Boleslav was poisoned by local Ruthenian nobles in 1340, both the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland advanced claims over the kingdom. After a prolonged conflict, Galicia–Volhynia was partitioned between Poland (Galicia) and Lithuania (Volhynia) and Ruthenia ceased to exist as an independent state. Poland acquired a territory of approximately 52,000 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi) with 200,000 inhabitants.

Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (Ukrainian: Леонід Макарович Кравчук, IPA: [leoˈn⁽ʲ⁾id mɐˈkɑrowɪtʃ krɐu̯ˈtʃuk]; 10 January 1934 – 10 May 2022) was a Ukrainian politician who was the first president of Ukraine, serving from 5 December 1991 until 19 July 1994. Kravchuk's presidency was marked by Ukraine achieving independence from the Soviet Union, the handover of its post-Soviet nuclear arsenal and an economic crisis that ultimately resulted in him losing re-election. Prior to his presidency, he was Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. After leaving office, he served as a People's Deputy of Ukraine from the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united).

Born to a family of peasants in Volhynia, Kravchuk's early life was significantly impacted by World War II and the postwar nationalist insurgency. He joined the Communist Party of Ukraine in 1958 and rose through the ranks, working as a propagandist. He became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR in 1990, amidst the 1989–1991 Ukrainian revolution and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He opposed the 1991 Soviet coup attempt and subsequently led Ukraine to become independent from the Soviet Union.

Volhynia Governorate, also known as Volyn Governorate, was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire, established in the historical region of Volhynia. It consisted of an area of 71,736 square kilometres (27,697 sq mi) and a population of 2,989,482 inhabitants. The governorate bordered Grodno and Minsk Governorates to the north, Kiev Governorate to the east, Podolia Governorate to the south, Lublin and Siedlce Governorates, and after 1912, Kholm Governorate and Austria to the west. Its capital was in Novograd-Volynsky until 1804, and then Zhitomir. It corresponded to most of modern-day Volyn, Rivne and Zhytomyr Oblasts of Ukraine and some parts of Brest and Gomel Regions of Belarus.

It was created at the end of 1796 after the Third Partition of Poland from the territory of the short-lived Volhynian Vice-royalty and Wołyń Voivodeship. After the Peace of Riga, part of the governorate became the new Wołyń Voivodeship in the Second Polish Republic, while the other part stayed as a part of the Ukrainian SSR until 1925 when it was abolished on resolution of the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee and Counsel of People's Commissars.

The Principality of Volhynia (Ukrainian: Волинське князівство) was a western Kievan Rus' principality founded by the Rurikid prince Vsevolod in 987 centered in the region of Volhynia, straddling the borders of modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland. From 1069 to 1118, it belonged to the Izyaslavichi who primarily ruled from Turov (see Principality of Turov). After losing Turov to the Monomakhovichi in 1105, the descendants of Iziaslav Yaroslavovich for a few years continued to rule in Volhynia. From 1154 to 1199, the Principality was referred to as the Principality of Volodymyr (Latin: Lodomeria) when the Principality of Lutsk (1154–1228) was separated.

Khmelnytskyi Oblast (Ukrainian: Хмельницька область, romanized: Khmelnytska oblast), also known as Khmelnychchyna (Ukrainian: Хмельниччина), is an oblast (province) in western Ukraine covering portions of the historical regions of western Podolia and southern Volhynia. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Khmelnytskyi. The current estimated population is around 1,228,829 (2022 estimate).

Created in 1937 out of border okrugs of Vinnytsia Oblast, in 1941–44 it was under Nazi Germany occupation and part of the Reichskommissariat Ukraine (Wolhynien und Podolien general district). Following the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket in spring of 1944 as part of the Proskurov-Chernovtsy operation, Soviet troops removed the German occupation in the region. Until 4 February 1954 it was called Kamianets-Podilskyi Oblast (Ukrainian: Кам'янець-Подільська область, romanized: Kamianets-Podilska oblast) and was centered in Kamianets-Podilsky until 1941. The region rebranding took place after the official renaming of the region's administrative center to Khmelnytskyi.

Sviatoslav II Iaroslavich or Sviatoslav II Yaroslavich (Old East Slavic: Ст҃ославь Ӕрославичь; 1027 – 27 December 1076) was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1073 until his death in 1076. He was a younger son of Yaroslav the Wise, the grand prince of Kiev. He is the progenitor of the Sviatoslavichi branch of Rurikids.

He ruled the Principality of Vladimir in Volhynia in his father's lifetime (from around 1040 to 1054). Yaroslav the Wise, who divided the Kievan Rus' among his five sons in his testament, willed the Principality of Chernigov to Sviatoslav. Sviatoslav joined his brothers, Iziaslav of Kiev and Vsevolod of Pereyaslav, in forming a princely "triumvirate" that oversaw the affairs of Kievan Rus' until 1072. The three brothers together fought against their enemies, including the nomadic Oghuz Turks, and their distant relative, Prince Vseslav of Polotsk. The Cumans defeated their united force in the autumn of 1068, but Sviatoslav routed a Cuman band plundering his principality.

The Dulebes, Dulebs, Dudlebi or Dulibyh (Ukrainian: Дуліби) were one of the tribal unions of Early Slavs between the 6th and the 10th centuries. According to medieval sources they lived in Western Volhynia, as well as southern parts of the Duchy of Bohemia and the Middle Danube between Lake Balaton and the Mur River (a tributary of the Drava) in the Principality of Hungary, probably implying migrations from a single region.

Lodomeria is the Latinized name of Volodymyr (Old Slavic: Володимѣръ, Volodiměrŭ; Ukrainian: Лодомерія, Lodomeriia; Czech: Vladiměř; German: Lodomerien), a Ruthenian principality also referred to as the Principality of Volhynia, which was founded by the Rurik dynasty in 987 in the western parts of Kievan Rus'. It was centered on the region of Volhynia, straddling the borders of modern-day Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. The Principality of Volodymyr arose in the course of the 12th century along with the Principality of Halych.

"Vladimir" is the Russian form of the name of the city now called Volodymyr, which was the capital of the Principality.

Lutsk (Ukrainian: Луцьк, IPA: [lutsʲk] ; see below for other names) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of Lutsk Raion within the oblast. Lutsk has a population of 220,986 (2022 estimate).

A city with almost a thousand years of history, recorded in 1085, Lutsk historically served as an administrative, cultural and religious center in Volhynia. The city contains several landmarks in various styles, including Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical, the most known being the medieval Lubart's Castle.

Zviahel (Ukrainian: Звягель, IPA: [ˈzʲwʲɑɦelʲ]; Yiddish: זוויל, romanized: Zvil) is a city in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. The city serves as the administrative center of Zviahel Raion (district). According to a 2025 estimate, its population was approximately 54,3 thousand inhabitants.

The city is located on the main route that links Lviv to Kyiv (E40). It is located on the Sluch River, which forms the eastern border of Volhynia.

Volodymyr (Ukrainian: Володимир, IPA: [woloˈdɪmɪr] ), previously known as Volodymyr-Volynskyi (Володимир-Волинський) from 1944 to 2021, is a small city in Volyn Oblast, northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Volodymyr Raion and the center of Volodymyr urban hromada. It is one of the oldest cities in Ukraine and the historic centre of the region of Volhynia; it served as the capital of the Principality of Volhynia and later as one of the capital cities of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia. Population: 37,910 (2022 estimate).

The medieval Latin name of the town "Lodomeria" became the namesake of the 19th century Austro-Hungarian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, of which the town itself was not a part. Five kilometres (three miles) south from Volodymyr is Zymne, where the oldest Orthodox monastery in Volhynia is located.

Ukraine has around 23,000 rivers, with most of the rivers draining into the Black Sea and Azov Sea and belonging to the larger Mediterranean basin. Those rivers mostly flow in a southerly direction, except for the Pripyat tributaries in Volhynia and Dniester tributaries in Prykarpattia. A few western Ukraine rivers drain to the north west through Poland to the Baltic Sea, as part of the Western Bug drainage basin. The most notable rivers of Ukraine include the Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Bug, and Siverskyi Donets. The longest river is the Dnieper, the longest tributary is the Dnieper's tributary Desna. Two of the Danube's tributaries in Ukraine, the Prut and the Tysa, are longer than the main river within Ukraine.

In 2013, in accordance with the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the territory of Ukraine has been divided into nine hydrographic zones (uk) according to major river basins, including the basins of the Vistula (Western Bug and San), Danube, Dniester, Southern Bug, Dnieper, Don, the rivers of the Black Sea littoral, the Sea of Azov littoral, and separately the rivers of Crimea. The biggest river basin by area is the Dnieper which is subdivided into the Pripyat basin, Desna basin, basin of Middle Dnieper, basin of Lower Dnieper. Beside Dnieper, basin of the Danube zoning is also subdivided into basin of Tysa, basin of Prut and Siret, and basin of the Lower Danube.

Ukraine operates four nuclear power plants with 15 reactors located in Volhynia and South Ukraine. The total installed nuclear power capacity is over 13 GWe, ranking 7th in the world in 2020. Energoatom, a Ukrainian state enterprise, operates all four active nuclear power stations in Ukraine.In 2019, nuclear power supplied over 20% of Ukraine's energy.

In 2021, Ukraine's nuclear reactors produced 81 TWh — over 55% of its total electricity generation, and the second-highest share in the world, behind only France. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, is in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Ukrainian: Українська повстанська армія, УПА, romanized: Ukrainska Povstanska Armiia, abbreviated UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist partisan formation founded by the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) on 14 October 1942. The UPA launched guerrilla warfare against Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and both the Polish Underground State and Polish Communists. The UPA carried out massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, which are recognized by Poland as a genocide. The goal of the OUN was to establish an independent Ukrainian state. This goal, according to the OUN founding declaration, "was to be achieved by a national revolution led by a dictatorship" that would drive out occupying powers and then establish a "government representing all regions and social groups"; OUN accepted violence as a political tool against enemies of their cause. In order to achieve this goal, a number of partisan units were formed, merged into a single structure in the form of the UPA, which was created on 14 October 1942. From February 1943, the organization fought against the Germans in Volhynia and Polesia. At the same time, its forces fought against the Polish resistance, during which the UPA carried out massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, resulting in the deaths of up to 100,000 Polish civilians. In 1944, as the German army was retreating, the UPA continued its war against them by attacking its rear and seizing its equipment, but at the end of July 1944 the UPA formed a united front with Nazi Germany, ceasing attacks on the withdrawing Wehrmacht and defending against the Soviets in exchange for military aid. Soviet NKVD units fought against the UPA, which engaged in armed resistance against Soviets until 1949. On the territory of Communist Poland, the UPA tried to prevent the forced deportation of Ukrainians from western Galicia to the Soviet Union until 1947.

The UPA was a decentralized movement widespread throughout Ukraine, divided into three operational regions; each region followed a somewhat different agenda, given the circumstances of a constantly moving front line and a double threat from both Soviet and Nazi forces. Not all UPA soldiers were members of the OUN or shared OUN's ideology.

Ukraine has around 23,000 rivers, with most of the rivers draining into the Black Sea and Azov Sea and belonging to the larger Mediterranean basin. Those rivers mostly flow in a southerly direction, except for the Pripyat tributaries in Volhynia and Dniester tributaries in Prykarpattia. A few western Ukraine rivers drain to the north west through Poland to the Baltic Sea, as part of the Western Bug drainage basin. The most notable rivers of Ukraine include the Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Bug, and Siverskyi Donets. The longest river is the Dnieper, the longest tributary is the Dnieper's tributary Desna. Two of the Danube's tributaries in Ukraine, the Prut and the Tysa, are longer than the main river within Ukraine.

In 2013, in accordance with the Water Framework Directive, the territory of Ukraine has been divided into nine hydrographic zones [uk] according to major river basins, including the basins of the Vistula (Western Bug and San), Danube, Dniester, Southern Bug, Dnieper, Don, the rivers of the Black Sea littoral, the Sea of Azov littoral, and separately the rivers of Crimea. The biggest river basin by area is the Dnieper which is subdivided into the Pripyat basin, Desna basin, basin of Middle Dnieper, basin of Lower Dnieper. Beside Dnieper, basin of the Danube zoning is also subdivided into basin of Tysa, basin of Prut and Siret, and basin of the Lower Danube.

Olesya (Russian: Олеся) is a novelette by Alexander Kuprin written in late 1897 – early 1898 and serialized in Kievlyanin newspaper from October 30 to November 17, 1898. Olesya, the most acclaimed piece of his Polesye cycle, did much to build Kuprin's literary reputation and warranted his move to Saint Petersburg.

According to the Kuprin scholar Nicholas Luker, "Olesya is the most charming of Kuprin's rural tales. Though meant at first to be only part of the Volhynia and Polesye cycle, this poetic story of the love between an urban intellectual and a beautiful country girl expanded into a full novelette of a significance far surpassing that of the other regional tales." The story was one of Kuprin's favorites. Referring once to both Olesya and his later work "The River of Life," he said: "There is life in it and freshness and... more of my soul than in my other tales."