How Ukraine Became Ukraine

The Washington Post has a pretty good map series titled "How Ukraine became Ukraine"

Unlike some of their previous 40 Maps articles, this one explains the history of the region without the clickbait.

Russian claims begin with the settlement of the Rus people in and around Kiev. Their trade routes with the near east went through the Crimean peninsula. Control of parts of the area has continuously shifted among the Mongols, Russians, Swedes, Turks, Hungarians, Slovaks and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Under Soviet rule, much of the rural population was displaced or starved to death, Their settlements were replaced with native Russians, complicating the ethnic picture of the region. The complete text and map set can be seen here.