World Desk, AnyTV, Kiev/Moscow
Published by: Kirtivardhan Mishra
Updated Thu, 24 Feb 2022 05:02 PM IST
Summary
The heritage of both these countries is common in the historical background. The present-day capital of Ukraine, Kiev, was in the middle of Kievan Rus’, the first Slavic state that was then the birthplace of Ukraine and Russia. There are two important developments in the relationship between the two countries.
The shared heritage between Russia and Ukraine has a long history.
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Russia has attacked Ukraine. This is kind of the beginning of a war. Many questions are being raised whether this could have been avoided? What is the reason for the conflict between the two? Why did this war happen? The answer to every question is buried in history. In the history of the Soviet Union and then in the history of Ukraine. It is history that connects and divides these two countries.
How old is the relationship between these two countries?
The heritage of both these countries is common in the historical background. The capital of Ukraine, Kiev, is the place where once the first Slavic state was Kievan Rus. This state has become the birthplace of Ukraine and Russia. There are two important developments in the relationship between the two countries. In 988 AD, Prince Vladimir I of Kiev converted to Orthodox Christianity, and ten centuries later the statement of Russian President Vladimir Putin that the citizens of Ukraine and Russia were one and the same. Ukraine cannot be kept separate from Russia. The history between these two events has also worked to divide and connect the two countries.
What has been said is correct. The shared heritage of both the countries brings them closer. It is a different matter that the struggle for the occupation of Ukraine has been going on for ten centuries. In the 13th century, the Mongols conquered eastern Kievan Rus. Polish and Lithuanian armies infiltrated from the west in the 16th century. In the 17th century, there was war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Sword of Russia.
Only then came the Russian Empire’s rule over the eastern region of the Dniper River, which was called Left Bank Ukraine. The western part of the Dniper River was called the Right Bank, which was ruled by Poland. A century later, in 1793, Right Bank (West) Ukraine was annexed by the Russian Empire. The policy of Russification remained in force for many years. There were restrictions on studying in the Ukrainian language. There was pressure on the people to accept the Russian Orthodox religion. This is also a major reason for the differences.
What is the role of the Soviet Union in the current problem?
The Soviet Union has also sown the seeds of emotional division among the people of Ukraine. After the Communist Revolution of 1917, Ukraine was one of the countries that faced civil war. It joined the Soviet Union in 1922 and since then the country has seen many changes at the social level. In the 1930s, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin forced Ukrainian farmers into mass farming. Millions of Ukrainian citizens died of hunger when they protested. Stalin sent Ukrainian-speaking Russians and citizens living in other parts of the Soviet Union to Ukraine. This changed the proportion of the population.
Eastern Ukraine came under the Russian Empire before the western part. Due to this the relations of the people of the eastern region with Russia have been good. Leaders inclined towards Russia also flourished in this area. The western part was ruled by European powers, such as Poland and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This is the reason why the people of Western Ukraine feel connected with Western countries. The eastern population is Russian-speaking and Orthodox. In the western part, the majority of the population is Ukrainian and Catholic.
When did Ukraine become independent from the USSR?
Ukraine remained independent from 1918 to 1920, but parts of western Ukraine at that time were occupied by Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia before both world wars. Then Ukraine became part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR). When the Soviet Union began to break up in 1990-91, the Ukrainian S.S.R. declared sovereignty on 16 July 1990. Declared independence on 24 August 1991, which was recognized on 1 December 1991. In December 1991 the U.S.S.R. This country got complete independence after its breakup. The country was named Ukraine. It also played an important role in the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) of the countries that became independent from the Soviet Union.
What influenced Ukraine’s solidarity after independence from the Soviet Union?
Actually, it is a long story. Ukraine became an independent country after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, but uniting the country was a big challenge. The national sentiment towards Ukraine in the eastern part is weaker than in the western part. In such a situation, the shift towards democracy and capitalism was not easy. An atmosphere of anarchy also prevailed. Most people in eastern Ukraine still feel connected to Russian law and order.
This division was also clearly visible in the Orange Revolution of 2004. At that time, thousands of people from Ukraine took out marches to join Europe. If we look at the ecology, then the land in the southern and eastern parts is more fertile than the western and northern regions. You also saw the difference of opinion in the presidential elections of Ukraine in 2004 and 2010.