Ukraine is a multinational country with over 130 nationalities, national groups and ethnic associations residing on its territory. Ethnic Ukrainians make up 77.8 percent (over 37 million) of the population.   Forming of national composition (History)   The ancestors of the Ukrainians were the Trypilia tribe that populated the region between the rivers Dnistro, Southern Buh and Dnipro from 3500 to 2000 BC and of early Slavs that inhabited the territory and pre-Carpathian region afterward. The Slavonic tribes (i.e., Duliby, Poliany, Drevliany, Siveriany, Tyvertsi, Ukichi) made the basis of the Ukrainian people. During the centuries, in spite of incessant raids by nomads and the adoption of other cultures traits, Ukrainians managed to preserve their identity as shown in their language, mentality and behavior as well as material and spiritual heritage.   Concurrently, due to powerful migratory movements, many different peoples settled on the territory of modern Ukraine. A substantial portion of the land was peopled during the so-called “resettlement colonization” during the 16th to 19th centuries that in addition to ethnic Ukrainians also involved Russians, Germans, Armenian, Jews, Greeks, Bulgarians, etc. Polish, and partial Hungarian and Romanian colonization of Ukrainian lands also considerably affected the polyethnic composition of the present-day nation. Thus, virtually all the ethnic groups of Ukraine naturally consider this region as their homeland.    The number of Ukrainians in Ukraine was continuously influenced not only by natural factors but also by the politics of the Czarist government and later continued by the Soviet state, and which manifested in the deliberate restricting of social and cultural development  of the Ukrainian people. Also, the migratory policy sharply increased the number and share of Russians within the national composition of population. Under the Soviets, during the industrialization of Ukraine and especially the post-war decades the number of Russians increased thrice.   After Ukraine gained independence, changes occurred in its population’s national composition. The remigration of Ukrainians from the member-countries of the former USSR, repatriation of Crimean Tartars and Germans deported during the War lead to the increase of their number. Conversely,   the population of Jews decreased as many left for Israel, Europe and the USA.    Ukrainians and the national minorities   According to the results of the all-Ukrainian population census of 2001 Ukrainians are the largest population with 37,541,700 or 77.8 percent of the total. During the years that passed the previous census of 1989 the number of Ukrainians increased by 0.3 percent with their proportion among the inhabitants of Ukraine by 5.1 percent.   Russians are the largest minority in Ukraine, and, compared with the census report data of 1989, their number had decreased by 26.6 percent, making up 8,334,100 persons at the time of the 2001 census. The portion of Russians in the total of the population had declined by 4.8 percent and amounts to 17.3 percent.   Every other ethnic minority makes less than 1% of the total population; standing  put among them are Byelorussians (0.6 %), Moldovians (0.5 %), Crimean Tatars (0.5 %), Bulgarians (0.4 %), Hungarians (0.3 %), Romanians (0.3 %), Poles (0.3 %), Jews (0.2 %), Armenians (0.2 %), Greeks (0.2 %), Romas (Gypsies) (0.1 %), Georgians (0.1%), Gagauz (0.1%) and so on.   In Ukraine, the settlement of ethnic groups is distinctively regional.  The Central and North-Western Ukraine is historically the basic regions of ethnic Ukrainians settlement the least ethnically diluted. The largest share of Ukrainians in the population is in Ternopil (6.8 %) and Volyn (94.6 %) regions, while the lowest shows in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (25.8 %), Lugansk (51.9 %), Donetsk (50.9 %), and Odessa (54.6 %) oblasts.   Most of all Russians reside in the Donetsk, Lugansk, and Kharkov regions, as well as in the South of Ukraine. Moreover, they make up absolute majority in Crimea.   Practically all the Crimean Tatars repatriated have settled in Crimea in their historical homeland. Their increase in the number is being accompanied by the population growth of other turkiphonic peoples.   Protecting Rights of National Minorities   According to its ethnic and national policy, the Ukrainian government guarantees respect and equal participation of persons belonging to different ethnic associations in all spheres of life of Ukrainian society, and assists them in removal obstacles that may be encountered on their way.   The Ukrainian legislation and Constitution of Ukraine allows for the all basic rights and freedoms of all national minorities. The rights of existence, of applying their cultural achievements and of using their language, including the right to obtain education, are guaranteed by the Articles 10, 11, 22, 53 and 119 of the Constitution, the Laws “On the Languages” and  “On the National Minorities”. The right of Representation is guaranteed in part by the Article 14 of the Law “On the National Minorities” and Article 22 of the Constitution concerning prevention of narrowing of the form and extent of the existing rights and freedoms.   The Verkhovna Rada ratified the framework on the protection of national minorities in December 1997 and in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine it became part of the national legislation.  The next step towards the introduction of international standards in the sphere of protection of the minorities’ rights should be the ratification of the European Charter on the regional languages or languages of minorities’, which draft have been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for consideration.    Articles concerning protection of minorities’ rights have become integral part of all the treaties on good neighborhood, friendly relations and cooperation signed by Ukraine with the neighbor-countries.   Ethnic and National Policy   The national minorities participate actively in the state building process in Ukraine. Ethnic Russians occupy over 20 percent of top positions in the Ukrainian political life and in government; this meets the percentage of the Russian population in the country. To reinforce interaction of the minorities’ public organizations with the central executive organs and that of the local self-government the Rada (Council) of the minorities’ public organizations was set with the President of Ukraine.   The Ukrainian state is actively instrumental in satisfying ethno-cultural needs of national minorities: revival of their customs and traditions, all-round development of language and education, amateur and professional art, protection and preservation of historical and cultural monuments, foundation of periodicals, etc.   Two million children study in the languages of national minorities in Ukraine. This country is one of the few  that provide opportunity for minorities to obtain full secondary education in all the subjects in their native tongue (as a rule, national minorities in European countries are taught only the native speech, history and humanities). Currently being considered is the issue of introducing mother-tongue preschool education. According to the Ministry of Education and Science, there are 1880 schools teaching in Russian, 94 in Romanian, 69 in Hungarian, 12 in the language of Crimean Tatars, 4 in Polish, and 9 in Moldavian, as well as 2242 schools with two or more languages of instruction. For cases of non-compact residence of minorities, special classes are allowed to be set for five or more children at ordinary schools.   169 publications are published in the languages of national minorities with 46 of them nationally distributed. As supplements to parliamentary paper Holos Ukrayiny (The Voice of Ukraine) Roden Krai for Bulgarians, Dzennil Kiyovsky for Poles, Conkordia for Romanians, Aragats for Armenians, Yevreiski Visti for Jews and Golos Kryma for Crimean Tatars are released. The national and cultural associations are also founders of the joint periodicals Nasha Batkivschyna (Our Fatherland) and Forum Natsiy (Forum of Nations).   Today, close to 600 public national minorities associations are operating with thirty of them on the national scale. Some of these are: The Association of the National and Cultural Unions of Ukraine; The Ukrainian Association of Russian Culture Rus’; The Jewish Council of Ukraine; The Association of Koreans of Ukraine; The Association of Jewish Organizations and Societies of Ukraine; The Union of Poles of Ukraine; The Democratic Union of Hungarians of Ukraine; The all-Ukrainian National Cultural and Educational Association Russkoye Sobraniye; The Federation of Greek Organizations in Ukraine; The Union of Bulgarian National-Cultural Associations.   The State organizationally and financially assists in marking Culture Days of national minorities, remembrance dates, religious and ritual holidays. Such cultural-artistic actions are held annually: The forum of national cultures “We are all your children, Ukraine”; the all-Ukrainian festival “We are of Ukraine”; International Roma festival Akmala; and numerous regional festivals of Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Korean, Moldavian and Greek culture that gained recognition in Ukraine and beyond its borders.   National minorities together with the Ukrainians are building the independent and democratic state.