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Near the end of War, the entire population of [[Crimean Tatars]] (numbering up to a quarter of a million people) was expelled from their homeland in [[Crimea]] to [[Central Asia]], under accusations of collaborations with Germans. <ref>[http://www.euronet.nl/users/sota/statshist.html The Stalinist Penal System: A Statistical History of Soviet Repression and Terror]</ref><ref>[http://www.euronet.nl/users/sota/pohlethnic.htm Ethnic Cleansing in the USSR, 1937-1949]</ref>. After the [[ethnic cleansing]] a new influx of Russian and Ukrainian settlers started, thus increasing the ethnic Russian population of Crimea from 47.7% in 1937 to 61.6% in 1993 and ethnic Ukrainian population doubled from 12.8% in 1937 to 23.6%<ref>Directory of resources on minority human rights and related problems of the transition period in Eastern and Central Europe. Demographic Balance and Migration Processes in Crimea. [http://www.minelres.lv/reports/ukraine/Article_16.htm Retrieved] June 3, 2007 </ref>
Near the end of War, the entire population of [[Crimean Tatars]] (numbering up to a quarter of a million people) was expelled from their homeland in [[Crimea]] to [[Central Asia]], under accusations of collaborations with Germans. <ref>[http://www.euronet.nl/users/sota/statshist.html The Stalinist Penal System: A Statistical History of Soviet Repression and Terror]</ref><ref>[http://www.euronet.nl/users/sota/pohlethnic.htm Ethnic Cleansing in the USSR, 1937-1949]</ref>. After the [[ethnic cleansing]] a new influx of Russian and Ukrainian settlers started, thus increasing the ethnic Russian population of Crimea from 47.7% in 1937 to 61.6% in 1993 and ethnic Ukrainian population doubled from 12.8% in 1937 to 23.6%<ref>Directory of resources on minority human rights and related problems of the transition period in Eastern and Central Europe. Demographic Balance and Migration Processes in Crimea. [http://www.minelres.lv/reports/ukraine/Article_16.htm Retrieved] June 3, 2007 </ref>


Although Ukrainian was given government support and was mandatory in schools, in government offices, media and television preference was given to the Russian language. At the same time, for example in [[1979]] only one in three ethnic Russians bothered to learn Ukrainian, the language of their neighbours <ref name="Subtelny"/>. The policy of [[Russification]] continued unabated until the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] in [[1991]].
<!-- Dubious and not neutral. Also irrelevant to the ethnic Russians. ---- Although Ukrainian was given government support and was mandatory in schools, in government offices, media and television preference was given to the Russian language. At the same time, for example in [[1979]] only one in three ethnic Russians bothered to learn Ukrainian, the language of their neighbours <ref name="Subtelny"/>. The policy of [[Russification]] continued unabated until the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] in [[1991]].
-->

In [[1954]], [[Nikita Khrushchev]], in a controversial and legally questionable<ref>Our Security Predicament, Vladimir P. Lukin, Foreign Policy, No. 88 (Autumn, 1992), pp. 57-75</ref><ref>[http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/briefing/daily_briefings/1992/9205/081.html US Department of State Daily Briefing #81: Friday, 5/22/92]</ref> decree, transferred [[Crimea]] from the [[Russian SFSR]] to Ukraine, increasing the ethnic Russian population of Ukraine by almost a million people. Controversies and legality of the transfer still remain a sore point in relations between Ukraine and Russia, and in particular between the internal politics in Crimea. However, in a 1997 treaty between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, Russia recognized Ukraine's borders, and accepted Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea <ref name = "Subtelny">Ukraine: A History. [[Orest Subtelny|Subtelny, Orest]] [[University of Toronto Press]] 2000, ISBN 0-8020-8390-0, 600</ref>
In [[1954]], [[Nikita Khrushchev]], in a controversial and legally questionable<ref>Our Security Predicament, Vladimir P. Lukin, Foreign Policy, No. 88 (Autumn, 1992), pp. 57-75</ref><ref>[http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/briefing/daily_briefings/1992/9205/081.html US Department of State Daily Briefing #81: Friday, 5/22/92]</ref> decree, transferred [[Crimea]] from the [[Russian SFSR]] to Ukraine, increasing the ethnic Russian population of Ukraine by almost a million people. Controversies and legality of the transfer still remain a sore point in relations between Ukraine and Russia, and in particular between the internal politics in Crimea. However, in a 1997 treaty between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, Russia recognized Ukraine's borders, and accepted Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea <ref name = "Subtelny">Ukraine: A History. [[Orest Subtelny|Subtelny, Orest]] [[University of Toronto Press]] 2000, ISBN 0-8020-8390-0, 600</ref>


Revision as of 09:40, 7 June 2007

Russians in Ukraine form the largest minority in that country, and the community forms the largest single Russian diaspora in the world. In the 2001 Ukrainian census, 8,334,100 identified themselves as ethnic Russians (17.3% of the total population), thereby making up the largest diaspora of the ethnic Russian population.[1]

Geography

Percentage of ethnic Russians in Ukraine by region in 2001

Historically the majority of ethnic Russian population is concentrated in the east and south-east of the country. Many urban areas in other parts of Ukraine have a sizeable Russian population. In all oblasts of the country, with the exception of Crimea ethnic Russians constitute a minority. Procentage of Russian population in regions tend to go higher further east in the country.

Historic Background

Growth of Ukrainian identity

Russians and Ukrainians are both Eastern Slavic peoples (as well as Belorussians) and share a common ancestry. Physically separated by different powers after the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus in 13th century, different identities began to develop as a result. Although the term Ruthenian continued to be used to refer to all three branches of Eastern Slavic peoples by the end of the 19th century, with the rise of the Zaporozhian Cossacks and the Liberation wars of 1648, a separate identity was formed. After their alliance with Tsardom of Russia after the Treaty of Pereyaslav and eventual incorporation of Left-Bank Ukraine into the Russian Empire, attempts were made to incorporate Ukrainians into the Russian nation. Muscovite Russia used the term Little Russia to refer to the Cossack Hetmanate of Left-bank Ukraine, when it fell under Russian protection. While there were successes in the assimilation drive, by and large the Ukrainian separate identity survived, transforming from Ruthenian into Ukrainian.

Other Ruthenian provinces that remained outside the Russian Empire, included Austrian Galicia, Transcarpathia and Bukovyna had a surge of Russophilia which lasted from late 18th century until the end of the 19th century. However, in the late 19th and 20th centuries the Ukrainian national sentiment grew in all territories populated by Ukrainians. With the creation of first Ukrainian People's Republic and then the Ukrainian SSR, Ukrainians achieved their statehood, albeit limited, and became the dominant ethnic group in their country.

New Russia

Main article: Novorossiya
A map of what was called as New Russia during the Russian Empire times.

The direct ancestors of modern ethnic Russians inhabited the notrhern part of Sumy oblast from the times of the Kievan Rus. More Russians settled in what is now Sumy, Kharkiv and Luhansk oblasts when the territory came from Lithuanian principality under the Russian control in 1500.[2].

In 1599 tsar Boris Godunov ordered to build Tsareborisov on the banks of Oskol river, the first city and the first fortress of Eastern Ukraine. To defend the terrains from Tatars` raid the Russians built the Belgorod defensive line (1635 - 1658), and the Ukrainians started fleding under its defense.

At the end of the 18th century, the Russian Empire captured large uninhabited steppe territories from the former Crimean Khanate. In order to keep them, a systematic colonization of land that became known as New Russia began. Migrants from many ethnic groups came to this area, a large portion came from Russia proper. At the same time the discovery of coal in the Donets Basin also began a large industrialization and an influx of workers from other parts of the Russian Empire.

Nearly all major cities of the south and easter Ukraine were established in this period: Zaporizhia (1770), Dnipropetrovsk (1776), Kherson and Mariupol (1778), Sevastopol (1783), Simferopol and Melitopol (1784), Mykolaiv (1789), Odessa (1794), Luhansk (foundation of Luhansk plant in 1795).

Both Russians and Ukrainians made the bulk of the migrants — 31.8% and 42.0 % respectively.[3] The population eventually became intermixed, and in the policy of Russification, the Russian identity dominated over mixed families and communities. The Russian Empire officially regarded Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians as Little, Great and White Russians, which, according to the Russian authorities belonged to a single Russian nation. These ethnic groups were considered members of the same nationality and as such, there were no restrictions placed on them, unlike on other ethnicities or nationalities, such as Jews and Poles

In the beginning of the 20th century the Russians were the largest ethnic group in the following cities: Kiev (54,2 %), Kharkiv (63,1 %), Odessa (49,09 %), Mykolaiv (66,33 %), Mariupol (63,22 %), Luhansk (68,16 %), Berdyansk (66,05 %), Kherson (47,21 %), Melitopol (42,8 %), Dnipropetrovsk (41,78 %), kirovohrad (34,64 %), Pavlohrad (34,36 %), Simferopol (45,64 %), Theodosia (46,84 %), Yalta (66,17 %), Kerch (57,8 %), Sevastopol (63,46 %), Chuhuiv (86 %)[4].

October Revolution and Ukrainian SSR

Ukraine was a battleground during the Russian Civil War (1918-1922). Although macroscopically Ukraine was fought over by several powers (Austro-Hungary, Germany, Poland); Ukrainian People's Republic, the Anarchist Black Army as well as the Red Army and the White Army. The population of New Russia by large, allied themselves only with the latter two [citation needed]. A large portion of men that made up the armies of Denikin and Wrangel came from New Russian volunteers (see Volunteer Army) [citation needed]. Nevertheless, most of the people in New Russia supported the Red Army and a big part supported the Black Army, because of most of the residents of the area being Peasants and Workers, classes that opposed to the Tsar's regime.

The first census of the Russian Empire, conducted in 1897 showed extensive usage (and in some cases dominance) of the Ukrainian language (termed by imperial authorities as Little Russian) [5] in the nine south-western Governorates and the Kuban Oblast. Thus when the Central Rada officials were oulining the future borders of the new Ukrainian state they took the results of the census in regards to the language and religion as determining factors. The ethnographic borders of Ukraine thus turned out to be almost twice as large as the original Cossack Hetmanate incorporated into Russia in the 17th century. [6].

The October Revolution also found its echo amongst the extensive working class and several Soviet Republics were formed by Bolsheviks of Ukraine: Ukainian People's Socialist Republic, Soviet Socialist Republic of Taurida, Odessa Soviet Republic[7] and the Donetsk-Krivoy Rog.

The Bolshevik government in Petrograd and later in Moscow supported military intervention against the Ukrainian People's Republic, which at different periods controlled most of the territory of the present-day Ukraine with the exception of Crimea [8]. Althought there were differencies between Ukrainian Bolsheviks initially [9], which resulted in proclamation of several Soviet Republics in 1917, later, due in large part to pressure from Lenin and other Bolshevik leaders, one Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed [10]. The UkSSR was de jure independent until the formation of the USSR in 1922 and survived until the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991. Lenin insisted that ignoring the national question in Ukraine was dangerous to their support among Ukrainian population and thus borders of the new UkSSR were established to the extent that the UNR was claiming in 1918 [8]. The new borders completely included New Russia, Donbass and other neighbouring provinces, which contained substantial number of ethnic Russians.

Early Soviet times

After the Red Army victory in 1923, Stalin identified two threats to the still weak Soviet state: Great Power Chauvinism (Russian chauvinism) and separatist nationalism. [11].

In Ukraine's case, both threats came, respectfully, from the south and the east, and the traditional Ukrainian centre and west. This initiated a policy of Ukrainization, to simultaneously break the remains of the Russian nationalist sentiment and to gain favour of the Ukrainian population, thus recognizing their rights and their dominance of the republic.[12]

Ukrainian language was mandatory for most jobs, and its teaching became compulsory in every school. By 1930 there were only three Russian language newspapers being printed in Ukraine and in places like Odessa where ethnic Ukrainian pupils made up only a third of school children, all schools taught in Ukrainian. Many communities of the Russian Orthodox Church were closed and transferred to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church [13].

By the end of 1930s attitudes towards the policy of Ukrainisation had changed within the Bolshevik party. Thus in 1933 Stalin declared Russian chauvinism not to be a threat anymore, but rather local nationalism [8]. This ushered a new era of Russification. Consequently, a lot of changes introduced during the Ukrainisation period were reversed, dramatically increased the number of Russian language schools, libraries and newspapers. All Ukrainian Orthodox churches were outlawed and the Russian Orthodox church remained the only legal Orthodox church in the Republic. During this period not only ethnic Russians were provided with all the means to develop their own culture and language, Russian language was being actively introduced in areas with predominantly Ukrainian population as well. At the same time, for example in 1979 only one in three ethnic Russians bothered to learn Ukrainian, the language of their neighbours [8]. The policy of Russification continued unabated until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Latter Soviet times

During the German occupation, almost entire Polish population of Volhynia was ethnically cleansed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. [14] This created a vacuum of workers and after Red Army's Liberation of Western Ukraine in 1944[15] , a new wave of migrants to integrate and Sovietize these territories was necessary.[16] This included a large portion of ethnic Russians who mostly settled around industrial bases and military garrisons.[17]

Both the famine, the rapid industrialization, and the rebuilding of the World War II destruction prompted a new wave of migrants from the rest of the Soviet Union to settle in the Southern and Eastern Ukraine, thus increasing the proportion of the Russian speaking population.

Near the end of War, the entire population of Crimean Tatars (numbering up to a quarter of a million people) was expelled from their homeland in Crimea to Central Asia, under accusations of collaborations with Germans. [18][19]. After the ethnic cleansing a new influx of Russian and Ukrainian settlers started, thus increasing the ethnic Russian population of Crimea from 47.7% in 1937 to 61.6% in 1993 and ethnic Ukrainian population doubled from 12.8% in 1937 to 23.6%[20]

In 1954, Nikita Khrushchev, in a controversial and legally questionable[21][22] decree, transferred Crimea from the Russian SFSR to Ukraine, increasing the ethnic Russian population of Ukraine by almost a million people. Controversies and legality of the transfer still remain a sore point in relations between Ukraine and Russia, and in particular between the internal politics in Crimea. However, in a 1997 treaty between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, Russia recognized Ukraine's borders, and accepted Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea [8]

Modern Ukraine

Russian scientific and cultural center in Kiev

During the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine became a separate state. As an independent country, Ukraine kept the borders of the Ukrainian SSR, with some regions featuring a large Russian population. Presently many ethnic Russians in Ukraine fell pressured, particularly from the new Ukrainization programme that is affecting regions such as Crimea. The return of Crimean Tatars has resulted in several high-profile clashes over land ownership and employment rights. Also one of the most controversial issues was the reduction of Russian schools in Ukraine, in 1989 there were 4633 of them, and by 2001 this fell to 2001 or 11.8% of the total in the country.[23]. Many regions such as Rivne Oblast have no Russian schools left, even though the amount of Russian population is above zero. Religiously, there was more success in preserving, despite the state-supproted attempt to introduce the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate, its support was absent in the Eastern and Southern Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has firm ground there.[24]

Politics

In several of Ukraine's elections, political parties that call for closer ties with Russia received higher percentage of votes in the areas, where ethic Russians and Russian-speaking population predominate. However, according to the census, of all the regions, only in Crimea do Russians make up more than 50% of the total population. Such parties like the Party of Regions, Communist Party of Ukraine and the Progressive Socialist Party are particularly popular in Crimea, Southern and Southeastern regions of Ukraine.

Culture

See article: Russian language in Ukraine

Famous Russians in Ukraine (from Ukraine)

Demographics

Census year Total population
of Ukraine		 Russians %
1922 29,018,187 2,677,166 9.2%
1939 30,946,218 4,175,299 13.4%
1959 41,869,046 7,090,813 16.9%
1970 47,126,517 9,126,331 19.3%
1979 49,609,333 10,471,602 21,1%
1989 51,452,034 11,355,582 22.1%
2001 48,457,000 8,334,100 17.2%

In general the population of ethnic Russians in Ukraine has shown a systematic decrease in all regions, both quantitatively and proportionally. Several factors have affected this - most Russians lived in urban centres in Soviet times and thus were hit the hardest by the economic hardships of the 1990s. Many chose to emigrate from Ukraine to (mostly) Russia or to the West. Finally some of those who were counted as Russians in Soviet times declared themselves Ukrainian during the last census [25].

The Russian population was also hit by the factors that affected all the population of Ukraine, such as low birth rate and high death rate.[26]


Footnotes and citations

  1. ^ "Results / General results of the census / National composition of population". 2001 Ukrainian Census. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ http://www.edrus.org/content/view/176/69/
  3. ^ Новороссия земля руссоукраинцев Игорь Гуров
  4. ^ Дністрянський М.С. Етнополітична географія України. Лівів Літопис, видавництво ЛНУ імені Івана Франка, 2006, page 342 isbn = 966-700760-4
  5. ^ 1897 Census on Demoscope.ru Retrieved on 20th May 2007.
  6. ^ Den - Imperia i my, by Stanislav Kulchitsky, Vol. 9, 26 Jan. 2006. Retrieved on 19 March 2007.
  7. ^ Odesskaya Olbast, World History Project Retrieved on May 19 2007.
  8. ^ a b c d e Ukraine: A History. Subtelny, Orest University of Toronto Press 2000, ISBN 0-8020-8390-0, 600
  9. ^ Dzerkalo Tyzhnya - Donetsk-Krivoy Rog Republic — illusions and practicals of nationalism, by Valeriy Soldatenko, 10 Dec. 2004. Retrieved on 19 March 2007.
  10. ^ Ukrainian (Soviet) People's Republic World History Project Retrieved on 19 May 2007
  11. ^ "National Factors in Party and State Affairs -- Theses for the Twelfth Congress of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks), Approved by the Central Committee of the Party," URL
  12. ^ For more information, see Ukrainization in the UkSSR (1923-1931)
  13. ^ Pravoslavie.ru History of the Lubensky schism by Vladislav Petrushko, 19 June 2002. Retrieved on 20 May 2007
  14. ^ Massacres of Poles in Volhynia
  15. ^ http://ukrstor.com/ukrstor/sokolov_lvovua.html
  16. ^ http://ukrstor.com/ukrstor/sokolov_lvovua.html
  17. ^ http://ukrstor.com/ukrstor/sokolov_lvovua.html
  18. ^ The Stalinist Penal System: A Statistical History of Soviet Repression and Terror
  19. ^ Ethnic Cleansing in the USSR, 1937-1949
  20. ^ Directory of resources on minority human rights and related problems of the transition period in Eastern and Central Europe. Demographic Balance and Migration Processes in Crimea. Retrieved June 3, 2007
  21. ^ Our Security Predicament, Vladimir P. Lukin, Foreign Policy, No. 88 (Autumn, 1992), pp. 57-75
  22. ^ US Department of State Daily Briefing #81: Friday, 5/22/92
  23. ^ A.Dokurcheva, E.Roberova, The use of Russian language in education in CIS and the Baltics Retrieved on 6th June 2007
  24. ^ History of Christianity in Ukraine
  25. ^ The Ukrainian Weekly. Oleh Wolowyna. 2001 Census results reveal information on nationalities and language in UkraineRetrieved May 30, 2007
  26. ^ Рождаемость в Украине самая низкая в Европе, Demoscope.ru, April 16-29, 2007 Template:Ru icon

See also

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Russians_in_Ukraine&oldid=136561922"