The history of the functioning of the Ukrainian state during the years of Kievan Rus’, the period of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, the period of the liberation war of 1648–1654, and the chronological boundaries of the non-state life of the Ukrainian people are described. The content of the III Universal of the Ukrainian Central Rada was analyzed, according to which the proclamation of the formation of the Ukrainian People’s Republic was proclaimed, which became a natural event in the centuries-old history of Ukrainian state-building.