Ukraine is not Russia. Despite Western confusion on this point,
Ukraine's people, even those of Russian descent, are a distinct society and a
very different culture from that of Russia. Volodymyr Yesmolenko, Director of
Analytics, Internews Ukraine, and Editor-in-Chief, UkraineWorld, explains the
deep--and separate from Russia--history of Ukraine's identity,
"This distinct history has also produced a unique Ukrainian political culture
that is anti-tyrannical in its nature. For example, Kyivan Rus' existed as a
pluralistic polity for several centuries. Early modern Cossack statehood was
deeply influenced by Catholic education, German law and Polish contractual
politics. In 19th-century Ukraine, which existed within the borders of the
Russian and Habsburg empires, Ukrainian intellectuals were defending
decentralized and democratic politics, including poet Taras Shevchenko,
historian Mykola Kostomarov, and philosopher Mykhailo Drahomanov. This pluralist
political identity explains why today Ukraine is not governed by one person and
why Ukrainians have been rebelling whenever there have been attempts to
establish authoritarian rule. Domestic authoritarianism in Ukraine is difficult
to achieve and it has always been imported."
Yermolenko also explains where the
false Russian narrative of a pan-Slavic identity comes from,
"The "Russian World" is the construction of the new era, which to a large extent repeats the ideas
of the elites of the Russian Empire before the 1917 revolution. At that time,
Russian elites defined Ukrainians as "Little Russians", a part of the Russian
nation, which also included "Great Russians" and "Belarussians"...When the
Bolsheviks took power, they aimed strategically at "amalgamation of the
nations", which actually meant Russification of the lands that they controlled."
And, here is Yermolenko on
Ukrainian national identity
today (March 11) in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine.
Another excellent
discussion of
Russian colonialism
and Ukrainian identity is this Twitter thread by Volodymyr Sheiko, Director of
the Ukrainian Institute (courtesy of Olga Tokariuk).
In celebration of
Ukraine's cultural achievements
(Ukrainians Who Have Changed Ukraine and the World), here is an excellent
article by
Euromaidan Press (Euromaidan Press a
high-quality source for information on contemporary Ukraine).
