Ukraine is not only war. Ukraine is a very large and diverse country, where there is a lot of interesting things. Here are just 10 facts that may interest you.

1. The largest in Europe

Within its constitutional borders, Ukraine is the largest state that is located entirely in Europe landmass . For example, France is larger than Ukraine only if you take into account its overseas possessions.

2. The center of Europe

In the village of Dilove, Rakhiv district, Transcarpathian region of Ukraine, the geographical center of Europe is located. This was established by Austrian topographers at the end of the 19th century.

3. Agrarian Eldorado

About 60% of the territory of Ukraine is consists of black soil - one of the most fertile and suitable for agriculture soils (a fifth of the world's black soil). Therefore, even during the war, Ukraine remains one of the most important exporters of various grains and products of its processing.

4. The largest wings – aviation giant with a tragic fate

The Ukrainian design bureau at the Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing enterprise manufactured the world's largest aircraft, the AN-225 Mriya (it was destroyed during the Russian invasion in early 2022).

5. Rocket and space state

Ukraine has an extensive rocket and space production. Once upon a time, Ukraine was the main missile forge of the USSR, where military and space launch vehicles were produced. In the 2000s, Ukraine cooperated with Latin American countries within the framework of the Sea Launch space project to launch commercial satellites.

Russian aggression against Ukraine has made adjustments and instead of space missiles, Ukraine is increasing the production of combat missiles. The Ukrainian anti-ship missile Neptune, which destroyed the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, has shown high efficiency.

6. Woman with a sword

The Motherland, located in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, is the largest monument in Europe and one of the largest in the world. The sculpture of a woman is 1.3 times taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York and more than twice as tall as Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.

7. Drone pilots

During the repulsion of Russian aggression, Ukrainian soldiers showed themselves to be unsurpassed masters of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles and boats. With their help, they destroyed targets not only at the front, but also deep behind enemy lines. (We will tell you about the military know-how and military achievements of Ukrainians separately).

8. Fast food from different angles

A variety of fast food restaurants and street food are very popular in Ukraine. Both Ukrainian and international cuisines are widely represented here. In the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, on Pryvokzalnaya Square, there is one of the 3 most visited McDonald's restaurants in the world.

9. The main meat of Ukraine

Ukraine is the leading producer and exporter of chicken meat in Europe. Ukrainian cuisine has a lot of chicken dishes, which are relatively cheap here (we will talk about meat dishes of Ukrainian cuisine separately). One of the most famous Ukrainian chicken dishes in the world is the crispy and juicy Kiev cutlet.

10. Borscht and the "battle" for it

Borscht is the main dish of Ukrainian cuisine and a kind of culinary calling card of Ukraine. Therefore, it is not surprising that Russians, who encroach on Ukrainian territories and Ukrainian identity, also tried to appropriate it. In 2019, the Russian authorities organized an information campaign in which they positioned borscht as a dish of Russian cuisine. But Ukrainians have convincingly proven that this is a uniquely Ukrainian dish. Therefore, UNESCO (the UN specialized agency for culture) recognized Ukrainian borscht as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. There are about a hundred recipes (half-jokingly they say that each housewife has her own recipe) and dozens of varieties of this dish. Be sure to try it and form your own impression of Ukrainian borscht.

Ukrainians will be hospitably happy and sincerely grateful to you, if in this difficult time for their country, you come and join the Defense Forces of Ukraine.