Ukrainians and Russians are not “fraternal” peoples

Are Ukrainians indeed “one people” with Russians?

Published

24.10.2024

Ukrainians and Russians are different peoples, and each of them has its own language, culture, history, and identity.

The vast majority of Ukrainian citizens identify themselves as Ukrainians and do not consider themselves to be “one people” with Russians. The poll conducted by the Sociological Group “Rating” on April 6, 2022 showed that 91% of Ukrainians do not support the statement that “Russians and Ukrainians are one people”. By denying the existence of Ukrainians, the Kremlin/Putin’s regime de facto practices gaslighting at the state level. The reproduction of this statement means the support of Russian psychological (and more) violence.

The presence of Ukrainian identity (both ethnic and civilian) in dozens of millions of people is an already sufficient argument for refuting the propaganda narrative about “one people”. Ukrainians are a modern political nation which shares the values of freedom and democracy and is clearly aware of its difference from the others.

The Kremlin needs the narrative about “one people” for just the same purpose as a similar narrative about “fraternal peoples” – to justify its own expansionism and imperialism, deny the right of Ukrainians to their own statehood, the war of aggression against Ukraine, and genocide.

To promote the “one people” narrative, Russian propaganda mostly uses a “common history” as an argument, meaning the long time of Ukraine being under the power of the Russian Empire and the USSR. The Russian Empire was a multi-ethnic empire ruled by the Romanov dynasty (and not a Russian nation state), and it was populated with hundreds of peoples with different languages, cultures, and religions.

It is important to note that being a part of an empire does not mean that its subjects automatically become one people (even despite the harsh policy of assimilation). Turks, Greeks, Armenians, and Arabs in the Ottoman Empire did not become one people. Austrians, Hungarians, Italians, Czechs, Poles, Ukrainians in the Austrian Empire did not become one people. Koreans and Japanese in the Empire of Japan did not become one people. The same is the case of Ukrainians (as well as Finns, Lithuanians, Poles, Georgians, Armenians, and other peoples) who did not become one people with Russians in the times of the Russian Empire.

Also, Russian propaganda manipulates the language issue and automatically attributes Russian citizenship to the citizens of Ukraine who speak Russian in everyday life. The spread of the Russian language in Ukraine (mainly in the East and South) is a result of the policy of assimilation that was implemented in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.

In fact, the vast majority of Ukrainians consider Ukrainian to be their native language and almost all citizens of Ukraine know it to some degree. According to the Razumkov Center’s poll, which was conducted in June 2024, 78% of respondents said Ukrainian was their native language, 6% – Russian, 13% – both languages, and 0.5% said they did not know Ukrainian at all.

Importantly, the use of the Russian language does not make Ukrainians one people with Russians. Just as the use of the English language does not make Irish one people with British, and the use of the French language does not make Belgians (Walloons) one people with French, and so on.

Are Ukrainian and Russian the same languages?

Published

29.05.2024

No, they are not. Ukrainian and Russian are different languages belonging to the same group of Slavic languages. These two languages are not even the most similar to each other. The Belarusian, Polish and Slovak languages are closer to Ukrainian in terms of vocabulary and phonetics than Russian. However, Ukrainians understand Russian well because of Ukraine’s colonial past and the Russification and assimilation policies enforced by Russia. At the same time, Russians either poorly understand the Ukrainian language or do not understand it at all.

There are languages that are much closer to Ukrainian than Russian. The closest to Ukrainian is the Belarusian language – these two languages have as much as 84% of common words. We also have 70% of common words with Polish and 68% with Slovak. The Russian language ranks only fourth as it has only 62% of common vocabulary with Ukrainian. As for phonetics and grammar, Ukrainian has more than 20 features in common with the Czech, Slovak, Polish, Croatian, and Bulgarian languages. Ukrainian has 29 features in common with the Belarusian language, as well as literally the same pronunciation of many words, especially those related to family and daily vocabulary.

Ukrainians understand Russian because they were subject to colonization and Russification for centuries and learning Russian was a must.

There were a lot of attempts to ban the Ukrainian language during history. In 1863, the Valuev Circular was adopted to prohibit the publication of religious, educational literature and textbooks in the Ukrainian language. In 1876, Russia issued another infamous decree for Ukrainians – the Ems Ukaz. That year, the Ukrainian language was banned in publishing, education, art, music, and public use. Hundreds of writers who wrote in Ukrainian were killed during the times of the Soviet Union. Russia killed people for using the Ukrainian language and continues to do so today. American historian Timothy Snyder, a professor at Yale University who specializes in the history of Eastern Europe, in particular Ukraine and Russia, said: “The Ukrainian language survived several centuries of real oppression when the Russian Empire forbade not just publishing the books in it, but also using Ukrainian at schools and in public life.”

What languages are used in Ukraine?

Published

31.10.2024

Ukrainian is the official language in Ukraine. Most of the country’s citizens speak this language, and the number of such people is constantly growing. However, Ukrainians also speak Russian and other minority languages, such as Belarusian, Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Polish, Crimean Tatar, etc. The prevalence of the Russian language in Ukraine is a consequence of Russia’s suppression and prohibition of using the Ukrainian language over the centuries. At the same time, communication in Russian, or any other language, is not banned in Ukraine.

Most Ukrainians speak Ukrainian and this number is growing. According to the results of a survey conducted by the Sociological Group “Rating” in February 2024, 59% of the polled respondents used Ukrainian, and 28% – both Ukrainian and Russian. Among those who at the time of the survey spoke only Ukrainian, 9% purposefully switched to it recently, and 91% have been speaking Ukrainian for a long time.

In June 2024, a new survey showed that 70.5% of polled Ukrainians speak Ukrainian. At the same time, only or mostly Russian was spoken at home by 11% of respondents.

In 2015, 50% of Ukrainians spoke Ukrainian, and in 2006 – 46%. Twenty-four percent spoke only or mostly Russian at home, and in 2006 – 38%. The trend of switching to the Ukrainian language is absolutely clear and unambiguous. The parents and/or grandparents of most of today’s Russian-speaking Ukrainians spoke Ukrainian. Even ten years ago, a situation was common when Ukrainian was used in family communication, but outside (at school, at work, in the service sector, etc.) a person used Russian. Therefore, the Ukrainian language is not foreign even to those Ukrainians who speak mainly Russian.

In addition to Ukrainian and Russian, residents of Ukraine also speak the languages of ten other national minorities: Belarusian, Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Polish, Crimean Tatar, Jewish, Gagauz, Greek, and Slovak.

According to KIIS, the majority of Ukrainians back certain restrictions on the Russian language and do not believe that there is oppression of the Russian language in Ukraine. In particular, 66% of the respondents are in favor of removing Russian from the sphere of official communication in Ukraine. Eighty-four percent of respondents do not see oppression of the Russian language.

The prevalence of the Russian language in Ukraine is the result of Russia’s imperial policy and systematic Russification. Ukrainians know Russian because they had been colonized and Russified for centuries, and learning Russian was mandatory. The Ukrainian language, on the other hand, was artificially restricted or completely supplanted in many areas

Russia still uses language as a weapon. In particular, the idea of “suppression of the Russian language in Ukraine” is widespread in the media landscape and it is one of the “reasons” the Kremlin uses to justify its invasion of Ukraine. But this is nothing but another Russian propaganda. The Russian language in Ukraine is not oppressed, even after the invasion. Instead, a lot of people voluntarily switch to the Ukrainian language, clearly associating Russian with the language of the invaders. This happens even in the eastern regions, where the Russian language is widespread.

Why is Ukraine not a historical land of Russia?

Published

26.06.2024

In fact, only such notions as internationally recognized borders of countries and the principle of their inviolability matter. And no matter how often Russian propaganda calls some of Ukraine’s territories – by the way, it changes their borders depending on the circumstances – Russia’s historical lands, these are no more than its fiction and absolute nonsense. The statehood existed here, on the territory of Ukraine, long before Russia, or even its predecessor Moscovia, was actually created.

Russia still cannot decide which Ukrainian territories should be called “originally Russian.” They say that either Crimea or the entire South of Ukraine along with Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Mariupol, or almost the entire territory of Ukraine, except for Halychyna (Galicia), are gifts from the Moscow tsars and Lenin. And they even draw relevant maps. Putin either says on February 24, 2022 that “Ukraine was created by Lenin” or speculates later that “Ukraine was invented by the Austrian General Staff.”

First of all, this is absolute nonsense. Because when Volodymyr the Great baptized Rus in Kyiv, which at that time was considered a great European state, neither Russia nor the Tsardom of Muscovy existed. At least from the 10th to the 13th century, modern Russia’s lands were subordinated to Kyiv or symbolically tended towards the main city of Rus, which is the capital of Ukraine today. Meanwhile, the Principality of Moscow, which was created in the 13th century, is just a piece of the state with the capital in Kyiv – Kievan Rus. So, it is vice versa. In order to lay the least legitimate claims to this land in the eyes of the international community at the time, its rulers simply used the Greek translation of the word “Rus” (all the same Russia) to name their tsardom.

Secondly, even if in theory some territories of Ukraine could be considered “the historical lands of Russia,” this still cannot be used as a reason for Russia’s invasion and encroachment on our sovereignty. It is because there are such notions as internationally recognized borders and the principle of their inviolability enshrined in international law.

Is it true that Ukraine did not exist some time ago?

Published

24.10.2024

Both Russian propagandists and Putin himself have stated many times that “Ukraine never existed,” “did not exist before 1991,” “Ukraine was invented by Lenin,” etc. These statements contradict each other: Ukraine exists as an independent state, therefore the allegation “it never existed” contradicts the objective reality. And if it “did not exist before 1991,” then how could it be “invented” by Lenin, who had died in 1924.

These propaganda manipulations are based on the following facts:

–        Ukraine was deprived of statehood for a long time, and it spent a long time being a part of the Russian and Austrian empires in the 18th and at the beginning of the 20th centuries, and a part of the Soviet Union, which was perceived by many people in the world simply as “Russia”;

–        for a long time, Ukraine, its history and culture remained a “blind spot” for foreigners (and remains today in many respects): Russia invested and is investing tremendous resources in the promotion of Russian culture (“great Russian culture,” “mysterious Russian soul”), speaking on behalf of all peoples of the empire and the Soviet Union, depriving them of the right to vote and self-presentation.

In fact, the Ukrainian people has not only rich and self-contained culture, ethnic territory and its own identity, but also a huge experience in state-building and statehood.

The modern state of Ukraine and the Russian Federation are peers. Both appeared on the political map of the world after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, RSFSR) proclaimed the Declaration of State Sovereignty on July 12, and Ukraine (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR) – on July 16. On September 24, 1991, Ukraine declared its independence. On December 1, 1991, the all-Ukrainian referendum was held, and 90.32% (with an 84.18% voter turnout) voted in favor of the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. On December 8, then leaders of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, Kravchuk, Shushkevich, and Yeltsin, signed the Belovezha Accords to seize the existence of the Soviet Union. These very three republics (Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus) concluded the Treaty on Creation of the Soviet Union in 1922, and they as the founding states dissolved it.

Ukraine was a part of the USSR as a constituent republic – the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian SSR) – and it had a constitutional right to withdraw from the Soviet Union (the republics used this right in 1990-1991). The Ukrainian SSR had its own parliament, government, legislation (the Constitution and the laws of the USSR), its representation in the UN, and the status of UN Founding Member.

The creation of the Ukrainian SSR (in 1919-1936 – Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic) was a forced step for the Bolsheviks and a response to the powerful Ukrainian national movement and the insurgent movement of the 1917-1920s. In 1917, during the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) was proclaimed with the capital in Kyiv. The UPR was an independent state with all the signs of sovereignty, and it was recognized by other European states. As early as 1917, the UPR was subjected to armed aggression by Soviet Russia and until 1921 it waged an armed struggle for independence. In 1918, during the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the West Ukrainian People’s Republic (WUPR) was proclaimed with the capital in Lviv. In 1919, the UPR and WUPR united.

In the 18th century – the beginning of the 19th century, Ukrainians did not have their own state. Ukrainian territories were part of the Russian and Austrian (Austro-Hungarian) empires. In the 19th – the beginning of the 20th century, Ukrainian political parties emerged in the empires to participate in political life, promote the ideas of Ukrainian sovereignty and the revival of Ukrainian statehood. Ukrainians went through the same processes as the Czechs, Croats, Lithuanians and other stateless peoples of Europe at that time. However, Russian propaganda denies the existence of Ukrainians and Ukraine.

In the 17th-18th centuries, the Ukrainian state existed in the format of the Cossack state – the Zaporozhian Host. It was founded by Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky. In 1654, the Zaporozhian Host concluded a military alliance with the Tsardom of Muscovy, which led to the gradual expansion of Moscow’s influence on the Cossack state and the narrowing of its autonomy. The Ukrainian Cossack state (Hetmanate) existed for more than 100 years and was abolished by the Russian Empress Catherine the Great. The Hetmanate had its own army, legislation, judicial, financial, tax, and customs systems. Ukrainian hetmans repeatedly tried to release the Hetmanate from the political influence of Moscow.

From the 14th century, Ukrainian lands were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Rus and Samogitia. In 1569, it united with the Kingdom of Poland into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Republic). The Ukrainian aristocracy (nobility) had a great political influence in both the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cities of Ukraine had Magdeburg rights, and the traditions of self-government were developing.

In the 9th-13th century, there was a medieval state of Rus (the “office” term Kyivan Rus is also used) with its center in Kyiv. The Galicia-Volhynia Principality (also known as the Kingdom of Rus) and, to a large extent, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Rus and Samogitia can be considered a continuation of the state-building tradition of Rus.

Importantly, Rus is not Russia, and the inhabitants of Rus were not ancient “Russians” as it is presented not only by Russian propaganda, but also to a large extent by Russian historiography. Russians speculate on the kinship of these terms and declare themselves sole descendants of the heritage of Rus, claiming that Russia has a “thousand-year history.”

But the key events in the history of Rus took place precisely on the territory of modern Ukraine, and the future Russia (Rostov-Suzdal, Vladimir-Suzdal principalities) were the periphery of Rus and actually independent from Kyiv. The Novgorod Republic (Lord Veliky Novgorod) was an independent state. In the 15th century, Novgorod was conquered by the Tsardom of Muscovy. The conquest was accompanied by mass murders, deportations, and the replacement of the local Novgorod population by people from Moscow.

Russians also speculate that the term “Ukraine” is younger than the term “Rus” (and claim that Rus is supposedly the same as Russia). The first mention of the term “Ukraine” in a written source dates back to 1187 (Kyiv Chronicle).

From the 17th century, Ukraine is a commonly used term on European maps (maps by Guillaume Levasseur de Beauplan, Johannes Janssonius, Wilhelm Pfann, etc.). At that time, the terms “Rus” and “Ukraine” were used in parallel and were synonymous. Instead, the future Russia – the Tsardom of Muscovy – was marked on maps as Muscovy. Only in 1721 was the Russian Empire proclaimed, and the name “Russia” became widely used and dominant. This name (Russia is the Greek version of the name “Rus”) was chosen in order for Russia to declare itself the heir of Rus.

Why do some Ukrainian refugees speak Russian?

Published

15.04.2024

Historically, Ukraine went through hard times of extermination and forced Russification. However, it is important to realize that Russian-speaking Ukrainians are not Russians and not pro-Russian people. And the transition to using the Ukrainian language in everyday life is actually a mass practice, although this process is uneasy due to permanent stress caused by the war.

Russia had been Russifying Ukrainians by force for centuries. This process began in the early 18th century when Russian took control over a major part of Ukraine. In 1876, Russia issued the Ems Ukaz which banned the use of the Ukrainian language in publishing, education, art, music, and public use.

The prevalence of the Russian language in Ukraine was a result of a systematic oppression and repression policy, as well as the settlement of Ukrainian territories by Russians. In the same way the Russian language was made widespread almost in all post-Soviet countries.

Timothy Snyder, an American historian and Professor at Yale University, laconically and clearly described the process of Russification of Ukrainians: “The Ukrainian language survived several centuries of real oppression when the Russian Empire forbade not just publishing the books in it, but also using Ukrainian at schools and in public life. Plus, Russian remained a language of prestige in both the Russian Empire and USSR. That’s why many Ukrainians have been Russified for several generations.”

More than half of Ukrainians have switched to the Ukrainian language in their everyday life. In 2021, 46% of the population of Ukraine spoke Ukrainian in everyday life. In December 2023, already 65% used Ukrainian in everyday life. The war made Ukrainians to realize faster that Russian is the aggressor’s language. According to a poll conducted in March 2022, 76% of residents of Ukraine considered Ukrainian as their native language.

The war trauma is complicating the transition to Ukrainian. The hormones of stress kill the neurons in the hippocampus, a part of the brain which is responsible for learning and memory. Robert Sapolsky, a neurobiologist and Professor at Stanford University, said this. Therefore, the process of switching to a new system of language is especially difficult and even protracted for those who have been affected by the war or suffered chronic stress.