Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe, after Russia. The country is rather flat and includes the autonomous region of Crimea in the south. Most of the Crimean Tatars were forcibly moved to Central Asia in 1944 to suppress their nationalist intentions. The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian; one of the three East Slavic languages, closely related to Russian and Belorussian. Tatar Mongols invaded the area in the 13th century but the western Ukrainian principality of Galicia, founded in the 12th century, suffered less from the Mongol invasion. Annexed by Poland in the 14th century, although the Ukrainian Cossacks allied themselves with Russia. The partitions of Poland saw much of the land handed over to Russia in 1667, while Galicia became a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1772 to 1919. The Cave monastery, Perchersky, was founded in the early 11th century and is one of the most sacred buildings of the Russian Orthodox church. The ruins of the Golden Gate also date from the same period and was once the main entrance to the city. Kiev was the centre of the Rus principality in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, and it is still known as the Mother of Russian Cities. It’s easy to travel by train from London to Ukraine. It’s also safe, comfortable, affordable and (unlike yet another flight) an adventure. Eurostar and German Railways link London with Berlin, then there are daily sleeper trains from Berlin and Warsaw to Kiev. There’s even direct sleeping-cars several times each week from Berlin to Odessa and Simferopol in the Crimea. This page will tell you train times, approximate fares, and how to book. loans online