![]() ![]() Russia’s seizure of Crimea was the first time since the Second World War that a European state annexed the territory of another. The overwhelming majority of the world considers Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 an unlawful occupation. Russian aggression and the subsequent introduction of Ukrainian language legislation have accelerated the switch to Ukrainian in all spheres of life. This began changing in the 2000s, with new generations going through the Ukrainian school system. Nevertheless, until recently most urban centres and industrial areas were predominantly Russophone, except for the solidly Ukrainian-speaking westernmost regions. Ukrainian is the only state language of independent Ukraine. But as a former Soviet republic, Ukraine has deep social, cultural, and economic ties with Russia. Ukraine and Russia are two independent countries, which emerged with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Crucially, Ukraine shares a border with Russia. Ukraine also has a borders with Belarus in the north and Moldova to the south. Ukraine is located in eastern Europe between Russia and the EU/Nato member states Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. In the mid-13th century, the loose federation of Rus principalities was easily conquered by the Mongol empire, but Russia and Ukraine still contest the glorious legacy of medieval Rus.Ī brief history of Ukraine Where is Ukraine? Instead, they spoke a host of East Slavic dialects from which the Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian languages would eventually develop. Few Rusyns read or spoke the literary language of the church and state, Old Church Slavonic. In 988, Grand Prince Volodimer (‘Volodymyr’ in Ukranian, ‘Vladimir’ in Russian), who died in 1015, accepted Christianity from Byzantium. The heart of the Rus state was present-day central Ukraine Moscow was established in the 12th century in what was then a far-flung northeastern frontier. The Norse elite soon assimilated into the local Slavic population, which began to refer to itself as the people of Rus, or Rusyns. ![]() Historians call this large medieval state Kyivan Rus. 9th century: Kyivan RusĪt some point in the late 9th century, a group of Norsemen calling themselves Rus (pronounced “Roos”) established control over the East Slavic communities in what is now Northwest Russia, then moved down the Dnieper River to make the city of Kyiv, in what is now Ukraine, their capital. ![]() Here, to put today’s Russia-Ukraine crisis into context, historian Serhy Yekelchyk charts nine milestone moments in the history of the relationship between the two countries… 1. The EU says Putin has started what could be the largest conflict in Europe since the Second World War. But today, Russia has begun a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine and demanded that the army in the country’s capital, Kyiv, lay down its weapons. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |