Ukraine is a classic shatterbelt component as it is trapped between the geostrategic interests of major rivals. Shatterbelt components include multiple choke points, irredentism, weak governance, natural resources, and ethnic separatism.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine became an independent state, formalised with a referendum in December 1991. On 21 January 1990, over 300,000 Ukrainians organized a human chain for Ukrainian independence between Kiev and Lviv.