Language Research

From the 9th century AD, the northern Ukraine was part of Kievan Rus, the first significant East Slavic State, which succumbed to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. The Ukraine was for centuries thereafter under the rule of a succession of foreign powers, including Poland and the Russian Empire. In 1918 a Bolshevik (Communist) government was established in the Ukraine, and in 1922 the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) was one of the four founding republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The Ukraine's declaration of Independence, approved by a popular vote on December 1, 1991, was a major factor in the USSR's collapse later that month.

The Ukrainian people have always been native to the Ukraine and have lived on the territory for thousands of years. Ukrainians account for approximately 73% of the total population of Ukraine and dominate most regions of the country - with the exception of the autonomous Republic of Crimea. In certain areas, such as Volyn, Cherkasy, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Chernihiv and Ternopil, Ukrainians account for 90-96% of the total population. A large population of Ukrainians lives abroad (Russia, the USA, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Canada and Poland).

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Updated (June 2007)

THE RUSYNS HAVE FINALLY BEEN RECOGNIZED AS INDIGENOUS NATIONALITY OF THE TRANSCARPATHIAN OBLAST

After long-standing requests by local cultural and political organizations, the Transcarpathian Oblast Council in Ukraine has officially recognized Rusyn as a distinct indigenous nationality of the region.

The decision means that the Oblast must now provide funding for the needs of the Rusyn community in the field of language, culture, and education alongside its funding for other nationalities in the region, such as Hungarians, Romanians, Slovaks, Roma, and Germans.

Source: Mercator Newsletter No.31, Legislation News, June 2007 http://www.mercator-education.org/newsletter/MERCATORnewsletter31#ml6

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