Ukrainian (украї́нська мо́ва, ukrayins'ka mova) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a Cyrillic alphabet. The language shares some vocabulary with the languages of the neighbouring Slavic nations, most notably with Polish, Slovak, in the West and Belarusian and Russian to the North.
The Ukrainian language traces its origins to the Old Slavic language of early medieval state of Kievan Rus'. In its earlier stages it was called Ruthenian. "Ukrainian is a lineal descendant of the colloquial language used in Kievan Rus" (10th–13th century).
The language has persisted despite several periods of bans and/or discouragement throughout centuries as it has always maintained a sufficient base among the people of Ukraine, its folklore songs, itinerant musicians, and prominent authors.
Source - Wikipeadia.com