Editing History of Ukraine (section)

==== Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' ====
{{Main|Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'}}

[[File:Siege_of_Kiev_(1240).png|left|thumb|Imaginative portrayal of the 1240 Siege of Kiev in the 16th-century ''[[Facial Chronicle]]'']]
In 1222, a new wave of nomads—the warlike [[Mongols]]—arrived in the [[Black Sea]] steppes and defeated the [[Cumans|Polovtsians]] as part of the [[Mongol Empire]]'s westward expansion. The Polovtsians, who had family ties with the Rus' princes, turned to Rus' for help. A joint Rus'-Polovtsian force marched into the steppes, where the [[Battle of the Kalka River]] took place in 1223. Following the battle, the Mongols retreated eastward for approximately 15 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://resource.history.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?&I21DBN=EIU&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=Kalka_bytva_1223|title=КАЛКА, БИТВА НА РІЧЦІ 1223|website=resource.history.org.ua|access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref>

In the late 1230s, the Mongols returned with significantly larger forces under the leadership of [[Batu Khan]] and his general [[Subutai]]. The Mongols first attacked the eastern regions of the state, using superior siege tactics to overwhelm local defenses. Between 1239 and 1240, the Mongols shifted their focus to the southern territories. In 1240, they laid [[Siege of Kiev (1240)|siege to Kiev]], which ultimately fell after a brutal assault, marking the final collapse of Kievan Rus' as a unified political entity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Plokhy |first=Serhii |title=The gates of Europe: A history of Ukraine. |publisher=Basic Books |year=2015 |isbn=9780465050918 |location=New York |pages=48–52}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Rusland §2. Het Rijk van Kiëv |encyclopedia=Encarta Encyclopedie Winkler Prins |date=2002 |publisher=Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum |language=nl}}</ref>

As a result of this invasion, Kievan Rus' was extensively destroyed, depopulated, and fragmented. Following their conquest, the Mongols established dominion over the region through the [[Golden Horde]], transforming most of the Rus' principalities into tributary states. Under Mongol rule, the Rus' were required to pay heavy taxes and submit to Mongol authority. The invasion severely stunted the region's political, cultural, and economic development, and the effects of Mongol domination reverberated for centuries. Despite its devastation, the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] played an important role in preserving cultural identity during Mongol rule.<ref name="Mongol Conquests">McEvedy, Colin (1978). [http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat0.htm#Mongol "Mongol Conquests"] ''Atlas of World Population History''</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=26 August 2011 |title=Археологические исследования показали, что Свислочь в 100 км юго-восточнее Минска была подвергнута монгольскому нашествию 1237—1240 годов. |trans-title=Archaeological studies have shown that Svisloch, 100 km southeast of Minsk, was subjected to the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240. |url=http://news.tut.by/society/244031.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826032555/http://news.tut.by/society/244031.html |archive-date=26 August 2011 |access-date=7 April 2023 |website=}}</ref>