The claim is false. Ukraine is an internationally recognized sovereign state.

Reasoning:

• Ukraine declared political independence on August 24, 1991, and this was confirmed by a nationwide referendum on December 1, 1991, with over 92% support; Russia formally recognized Ukraine's independence on December 5, 1991¹.
• Ukraine is a member state of the United Nations, and the UN Charter affirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states; senior UN officials have repeatedly reaffirmed that Ukraine's sovereignty is paramount and must be respected in any peace settlement²³.
• Ukraine is listed in the international community's roster of sovereign states, and it was one of the original 51 founding members of the UN in 1945 (as the Ukrainian SSR), subsequently reaffirming its independent membership in 1992⁴⁵.
• International law scholars and government authorities describe Russia's invasion as an act of aggression against an "independent, sovereign State," confirming that Ukraine's legal status as sovereign is not invalidated by military conflict or occupation of portions of its territory⁶.
• The United States has explicitly stated that "Ukraine is a sovereign, independent country" and that Russia's war is an illegal violation of the UN Charter³.
• While verified records note that Ukraine retained certain economic and cultural dependencies on Russia after 1991, this lack of "total autonomy" in trade and energy did not negate its internationally recognized political sovereignty⁷¹.

Overall validity: 0%

1. Ukraine did not establish total autonomy from the Russian Federation in 1991, including from Russian business

2. [International law issues raised by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

   – Parliament of Australia](https://www.aph.gov.au/about_parliament/parliamentary_departments/parliamentary_library/research/flagpost/2022/march/russia_ukraine_and_international_law)

3. Sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine paramount, Security Council hears | UN News
4. List of sovereign states
5. Ukraine-Belarus | The Most Unusual UN Members
6. The war in Ukraine in light of international law in: Hungarian Journal of Legal Studies Volume 64 Issue 4 (2024)
7. Ukraine did not achieve full cultural-informational and financial-business autonomy from Russia in 1991