| Ukrainian Republic Український республікаа |
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| Motto: “Ukraine's Glory Will Not Perish" | ||||||
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| Capital | Kiev | |||||
| Largest city | Kiev | |||||
| Official languages | Ukrainian | |||||
| Demonym | Ukrainian | |||||
| Government | Puppet government | |||||
| - | Prime Minister | Stepan Bandera | ||||
| Legislature | Verkhovna Rada | |||||
| Established | ||||||
| - | Declaration | 29 June 1941 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | estimate | 27,000,000 | ||||
| Currency | Ruble | |||||
The Ukrainian State (Ukrainian: Українська держава) was a government established by Nazi Germany in the territory of most of the former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, in June 1941. After Operation Barbarossa led to the successful conquest of most of Ukraine within weeks, a Ukrainian nationalist named Stepan Bandera and his organization was put into power by Heinrich Himmler's orders. The Ukrainian government had no real power at first, and was mainly used to maintain order (to some extent) and to help German troops commit genocide against civilians and Jews. The Ukrainian State was given more independence after the Soviet Union's capitulation in an effort to give it legitimacy in the eyes of the population.
It was geographically located in the center of Eastern Europe, bordering the Russian Republic (also a Nazi puppet state), Belarusian Republic (another Nazi puppet regime), Nazi Germany, and Romania. In mid 1944, Bandera officially created a paramilitary force from the Ukrainian volunteer battalions in the Wehrmacht, the Ukrainian National Guard. They were regarded as thugs by much of the population. Hitler got angry with Bandera's brutality, as many ethnic Ukrainians fled the country with Russians and other minorities, going to other Slavic states like Belarus, Serbia, and Montenegro.
After World War II ended with an Axis victory, Ukraine wanted to become a full member of the Axis Powers, though was declined by Hitler since everyone regarded it as a puppet state. Ukrainian volunteers also fought in Africa against the remnants of the Allies.