Leonid Danylovich Kuchma
President

(pronounced "lee-a-NEED da-NEEL-o-vitch KOOCH-ma")

"The country needs a breakthrough towards new horizons as a gulp of fresh air."

Bounded by Poland, Romania, and Moldova to the west, the Black Sea to the south, Russia to the east, and Belarus to the north, Ukraine covers 603,700 sq km (233,100 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 48.4 million in 2002. The capital is the city of Kiev, which has 2.6 million inhabitants.

Its population is divided among several ethnic groups, with 77.8% Ukrainian, 17.3% Russian, and numerous other minorities. Ukrainian is the official language, similar to Russian in its use of the Cyrillic alphabet, although other languages can be used in official proceedings. Ukrainians profess a variety of religions, including Ukrainian Orthodox (both Moscow Patriarchate and Kiev Patriarchate), Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate), Protestant, and Jewish.

Long the breadbasket of the former...