Historically, Ukrainian statehood has arisen since the formation of Kievan Rus’ in the age of Medieval international law, one of the institutes of which was the law of the sea. At all stages of the development of its statehood, Ukraine was active in maritime activity and in varying degrees possessed the status of a maritime state. The collapse of the USSR and the restoration of independent Ukraine marked a new way of historical development of Ukraine as a full rights subject of modern international law of the sea.