The history of Ukrainians in the United Kingdom to 2021
The period covered by this site consists of three phases (see Ukrainians in the United Kingdom):
- up to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, when only small numbers of Ukrainians lived in the country;
- from 1939 to Ukraine’s declaration of independence in 1991, when the first large-scale immigration of Ukrainians to the UK took place as a result of the Second World War and a vibrant community was established;
- from 1991 to 2021, when large numbers of citizens of independent Ukraine came to the UK for temporary residence or settled permanently in the country.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine which began in February 2022 led to the opening of a new phase in the history of Ukrainians in the UK which, for the time being, lies outside the scope of this site (see After February 2022).