How Ukraine has Changed in 10 Years of War

Part Two | Read Part One here

Photo: Viacheslav Ratynskyi.

Ukraine’s Western integration after 2014

Before Ukraine pursued closer ties with the EU, it had long been closely aligned with Russia across various sectors. However, over time, the Ukrainian people’s growing aspirations for independence and European integration led to a gradual separation from the Kremlin. This shift was further accelerated after Russia’s initial invasion in 2014.

Advancing Ukraine-EU relations

The process of preparing to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union — the largest international legal document in Ukraine’s history — began in 2007. Over the following years, representatives from both sides held a series of meetings, which successfully concluded in the autumn of 2013. However, just days before the final signing, Ukraine’s government at the time, along with President Viktor Yanukovych, halted the preparation process and announced that the agreement with the EU would not be signed.

The refusal to sign the agreement sparked mass protests known as the Revolution of Dignity, which began in the autumn of 2013. Initially a peaceful movement in support of Ukraine’s European course, the protests quickly grew into a national demonstration against corruption and abuses of power by the pro-Russian government of the time. This ultimately led to President Viktor Yanukovych fleeing to Russia — a move the Kremlin used as a pretext for its invasion of Ukraine.

After the 2014 Revolution of Dignity and the flight of President Yanukovych, efforts to sign the EU Association Agreement were reignited. In the spring of 2014, Ukraine and the EU signed the political association and economic integration components of the agreement, which were ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament on 16 September. By March 2023, Ukraine had completed 72% of its obligations under the agreement. According to Olha Stefanyshyna, who was Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration at the time, the process of aligning Ukrainian legislation with EU standards has continued, even amidst the full-scale war.

Securing visa waiver agreements with the EU

The visa-free regime with the EU, adopted at the end of 2016, marked the next step in Ukraine’s cooperation with the European Union. It allowed Ukrainians to travel (for up to 90 days) to various EU countries without a visa for short-term visits. Despite the full-scale war in 2024, Ukraine’s foreign passport ranked 32nd in the global Passport Index by Henley & Partners. The country was among the top five nations with the most significant improvements in passport strength over the past decade.

Verifying EU candidate status

On 28 February 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed support for Ukraine’s accession to the EU. In April 2022, the Ukrainian government received a detailed questionnaire from the European Union, which was to be worked on as part of obtaining EU candidate status.

Two months later, in an official statement by the European Commission, Ukraine was recognised as a potential candidate for EU membership. To maintain this status, a number of specific reforms needed to be implemented, including: the reform of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, judicial, anti-oligarchic, and law enforcement reforms, anti-corruption measures, and the creation of laws on media and national communities. Ukraine continues to implement some of these changes to this day: as of November 2023, experts from the European Commission assessed that 4 out of 7 candidate requirements had been fulfilled.

Shortly after the European Commission’s recommendation, on 23 June 2022, the European Parliament passed a resolution supporting Ukraine’s EU candidacy. That same day, the European Council made the final decision to grant Ukraine candidate status. On 14 December 2023, the European Council officially launched negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.

International recognition of the Holodomor

The recognition of the Holodomor of 1932–33 — one of the most massive crimes of the Soviet regime — as an act of genocide became particularly urgent after 2014, as it was at this time that the international community began to delve deeper into the Ukrainian context and the underlying causes of the Russo-Ukrainian war. This recognition became a gesture of solidarity and support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russia.

The Holodomor, meaning “death by hunger”, was a man-made famine caused by the Soviet regime’s deliberate policy of collectivisation. According to estimates from Ukraine’s Institute of Demography and Social Studies, the forced confiscation of land and grain in Soviet Ukraine led to the deaths of 3.9 million people, the vast majority of whom were peasants.

The Soviet leadership channelled the resources gained from collectivisation into industrial development, helping to establish the USSR as one of the world’s largest economies. However, for Ukrainians, the Holodomor meant more than just the loss of economic potential; it devastated traditions and cultural identities, which were lost alongside the lives of countless men, women, and children.

In 2006, Ukraine officially recognised the Holodomor as a genocide.

In 2018, the United States Senate passed a resolution unanimously acknowledging it as such. Following the events of 2022, parliaments in Brazil, Ireland, Moldova, Germany, and the Czech Republic also recognised the Holodomor as genocide. In 2023, further recognition came from the parliaments of Bulgaria, Belgium, France, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, as well as Italy’s Senate. As of November 2023, a total of 30 countries worldwide had recognised the Holodomor as genocide at the parliamentary level.

During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, documenting Russia’s crimes became a top priority to ensure accountability for the aggressor state. In April 2022, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada adopted the “Declaration on the Commission of Genocide by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, No. 2188-IX”, urging international organisations and the parliaments of other countries to recognise Russia’s actions in the war against Ukraine as genocidal.

Izium. Photo by Viktoriia Yakymenko.

This call was backed by the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Ireland, and Canada, as well as the EU and NATO Parliamentary Assemblies. In addition, the EU Parliamentary Assembly, along with Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, officially designated Russia as a terrorist state. In June 2022, the EU, joined by 43 other countries, issued a Joint Statement supporting Ukraine’s case against Russia at the UN International Court of Justice under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Izium. Photo by Viktoriia Yakymenko.

Ukraine’s NATO accession

Ukraine officially applied for the NATO Membership Action Plan in 2008. At the Brussels summit in June 2021, NATO leaders reaffirmed their decision to recognise Ukraine as a US Major Non-NATO Ally. On 30 September 2022, amid the ongoing full-scale war, Ukraine formally submitted an application for an expedited path to NATO membership.

To enhance cooperation between Ukraine and NATO, particularly in cybersecurity, intelligence sharing, defence reform, and military training, the NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) was established. This body facilitates political dialogue and coordinates the reforms required for Ukraine’s eventual NATO membership.

Vilnius NATO Summit 2023. Photo source: Nato.int.

The NUC also provides the political framework for the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), also known as the Ramstein Group. This alliance, consisting of NATO member states and its partner nations, coordinates the ongoing donation of military aid through monthly meetings. The first meeting was held on 26 April 2022 at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the largest US Air Base in Europe. Since then, the Ramstein Group has become a key platform for aligning international support. This assistance has been crucial in halting the Russian advance and driving them back. By April 2024, representatives from 50 countries had pledged a total of $95 billion in support.

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The 1007th day of a ten-year invasion that has been going on for centuries.

One day closer to victory.

🇺🇦 HEROIAM SLAVA! 🇺🇦