The Russia-Ukraine Conflict - A Harvard Scholar Explains

23/04/2015
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The Conflict in Ukraine: a Historical

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Post by Lauren McLaughlin
ThesituationinUkraineisconstantlyevolving.Andforabetterunderstandingthe
historicalrootsoftheconflictbetweenRussiaandUkraine,IturnedtoLubomyr
Hajda,theassociatedirectoroftheHarvardUkrainianInstitute.
Hajda, ahistorian, serves on the institutes executive committee and editorial board. His
research interests focus on early modern Ukrainian history and Ukrainian-Turkish relations.
Current events in Ukraine seem to change on a weekly, if not

daily basis. How did this crisis begin?
It began when the Ukrainian government
decided not to sign the agreement with the
European Union back in the fall of 2013.
This was not just a trade agreement, but
also a political agreement that committed
Ukraine to adhere to certain European
values and principles.
From there the crisis moved very quickly to
corruption and regime change. The
demonstrations happened in waves, and
started primarily in Kiev. Most of the
Image courtesy of snamess via flickr. Image was slightly

altered.
protestors were students and young

http://www.summer.harvard.edu/blognewsevents/conflictukrainehistoricalperspective
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people, although other regions were represented as well.

For these protestors, it was an opportunity to fight corruption.
Much of the current news has shifted focus to Russias presence

in Crimea. What is happening in the rest of Ukraine? Are people
still protesting?
The meetings in Kiev have continuedbut no longer as demonstrations. People have come out
to support the new government, but they also want to keep it in check. These activists dont
want to delegate all power to the politicians, but want their voices heard in the discussion.
Men are volunteering to enter military self-defense units.
In the western part of the country, things have quieted down. With the fall of President
Yanukovych, the East has become more disoriented, because he was their leader. There have
been a few deaths in the eastern cities during this conflict.
Ukraine has a history of political and cultural divide, with the

West leaning more toward Europe and the East leaning toward
Russia. Can you put this divide into historical context?
First of all, I would not
overemphasize the divide. There are
differences, but any large country
with diverse regions will have
differencesthis is only natural.
That said, there are many regions in
Ukraine. Scholars may divide them
differently, and some may organize
them into seven or eight regions (or
more).
Lets consider three basic regions:
Image courtesy of isriya via flickr. Image was slightly

altered.
1. The center, including Kiev.

This large swath is what one thinks of historically as Ukraine. Influences include
Christianity from the Byzantine Empire and the early Slavic alphabet, which are reference
points for Ukrainian identity.
Around the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this area was most affected by the
frontier military society called the Cossacks (eastern Slavs). This area was briefly under
the rule of Poland and Lithuania, and was gradually taken piecemeal by Russia by the end
of the eighteenth century.
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2. The west is a much smaller region. It shares many religious and linguistic influences
with the center. Yet for a long period of time (from the thirteenth to mid-eighteenth
centuries), it was controlled by Poland.
Instead of frontier-type development, it was influenced by Polish language, culture, and
Roman Catholicism. After Poland dissolved it was taken over by theAustrian Empire in
the nineteenth century, which meant one could travel to Italy without crossing any
international boundaries. This strengthened its connection to Europe.
3. The southeast is the third region. Asian nomads migrated to this Steppe, or flat
grassland, and the Slavs expanded into this area in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries. This region has very little in common with the West. In the nineteenth century,
industry developed widely and urbanizes the area, attracting Russians.
The lands natural features, plus the history and the economic development, all produce
these different layers. When you put all this together, you get a kaleidoscope of experiences.
So why did Russia recently annex Crimea?

This is a complex topic, and I will try to simplify without oversimplifying. Of course there are
variations in beliefs, and Russians dont all think the same way.
In general, though, Russian understanding is often shaped by nineteenth-century Russian
historiansbefore Ukraine became a modern nation. These historians created a model that
has Russian history beginning in Kiev. After all, many Ukrainians (except for those in the
West) came under the rule of Russia over the last few centuries.
For many Russians, Kiev is in a foreign country. Its a historical misunderstanding to have it
belong to Ukraine. Its a bizarre notion that the 1991 map shows Ukraine no longer in
Russia. So to many Russians, annexing Crimea is simply repairing a historical wrong.
Its very difficult for many Russians to disentangle their own history from Ukraines and
acknowledge the equality and legitimacy of the Ukrainian culture alongside their own.
Many Ukrainians have adopted this Russian mentality as their own too. They want to be
urban and sophisticated, learn Russian, and drop their Ukrainian accent.
There is a whole spectrum of attitudes, identities, and relationships among Ukrainians. Some
are fervent nationalists, and some feel they are somehow under the wrong influences and
would like to be Russians themselves. And of course there is everything in between.
What will happen next?

As always, there is no consensus about what will happen next. The population in Crimea is
mixed, with Tatars (Turkic ethnic groups), Ukrainians, and Russians all living together. It is
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unclear how Russia is going to handle Crimea, given the shifting demographics.
There is concern that Russia will move into eastern Ukraine (where there still exist
confrontations and provocations), though Putin has said he isnt interested. No one knows.
How does this crisis affect the rest of the world?

When Ukraine became independent in 1991, it inherited a nuclear arsenal from the Soviet
Union, which made it the fourth largest nuclear power in the world. After much persuasion
from western countries, in 1994 Ukraine gave up these weapons, and they were removed
from the country.
In return, Ukraine was reassured by the leaders of the United States, Russia, and the United
Kingdomof its security, sovereignty, and the inviolability of its borders. Russia has invaded
Crimea, but the United States and the United Kingdom are still committed to this promise.
Of course, promises may be broken without much reaction. But this may spark growing
concerns about countries not developing nuclear weapons, which may have grave
implications for global security.
The next steps are still unclearwe must wait and see.
Comments
Yuriy Melnyk, the former Harvard Summer School student replied:
Good afternoon, I have just read your article MR Hajda and I think you are quite right, but, to
my mind, there are more stronger reasons of Russian invasion to Crimea and further areas.
1. Russia is frightened that Ukraine will be a member of NATO and the future possibility of
NATO`s arm forces in Crimea. Currently Black see is a perfect place to locate Russian forces.
2. Secondly, Russians think that all events in the Independence square, are created with the
Americans help. It is absolutely wrong idea, but unfortunately it is impossible to prove
opposite to them! 3. They want to show the whole world, especially to Americans!, how
strong they`re arm forces are. As you know, now they are trying to capture Donetsk,
Lugansk and nearby areas - the main reason of this is not to protect Russian citizens, but to
control huge gas resources located in this area. This is the main reason! Thank you very
much, that students, due to your article, can understand the real situation that occurred in
Ukraine. Best regards, former Harvard summer school student Yuriy Melnyk June 12, 2014 at
5:13pm
reply
olga replied:
Also,we should remember the times in history when Ukraine was in a chokehold from the
Polish and Turkey. After Bogdan Hmelnitskiy asked Russia for help,Russia stepped in and
protected and basically saved Ukraine. Secondly,we all remember WWSecond,during
which some of western Ukrainians wanted to separate from Soviet Union,organised UPA Ukrainian partisan's (guerilla ) army and joined Nazi Germany . All that led to infamous
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Action Visla: Soviet Union,Stalin and Poland divided Ukraine and mass forced (!!)
Migrations of Ukrainians to Soviet Union and many to the west and then farther,like South
America,USA,Canada and ect.,took place. That's exactly how my mothers family ended up
in Lviv ( or Lvov) area,from polish territory during Action Visla. I have family members all
over Ukraine,East,West,South. Once upon a time there was Kievskaya Rus',one
country,one nation,by the way. In regards to Cremia : that region was never Ukrainian to
begin with,its Hrushiov who annexed Cremia to Ukraine all of a sudden. There is the
Russian navy base located there.But the problem is solved:people voted.The same thing
happened in the Donbass region after the military(!!) Overturn of the government in Kiev.
Donbass disagreed. So because of this Kiev's new government (just as corrupted as the
one before it,and the one before that!) moved their military forces to Donbass
(Lugansk,Donetsk.). People in that area had no choice but to fight back. I have a family in
Donetsk : my elderly uncle Bogdan Nikolaevich Kochmarchik,his family,wife and daughter
Irina and her family. New president of Ukraine Poroshenko desided to punish the civil
population of Lugansk and Donetsk and prohibited to pay pensions to elderlies.
Ukrainian forces bombarding the civilians and 2 and a half weeks ago my cousin Irina lost
her home because the bomb hit it. Kiev's military forces bombarded the long chain of
civilians that tryed to get out of the war zone. Then they held the memorial service in
Ukraine for the victims that perished and had an odasity to blame Russia,Putin and
"terrorists". And yes,that area has valuable pipelines that were build by Russia and belong
to Russia. New government of Ukraine and president Poroshenko and those who follow
them are shovinistic criminals! But the USA just has to support the side that is opposite
to Russia as always(like US did during Soviets in Afghanistan by supportng with weapons
those,who fought the soviets,like binladen--well known fact). Sanctions on Russia are
unjust ,so is demonizing Russia and president Putin. Looks to me there is some other
agenda here:to keep Russia away from its investments in Syria and Iraq,all the way to Iran
perhaps. There is the very old and famous saying: Kto k nam s mechiom pridiot,tot ot
mecha i pogibnet. Na tom stoyala i stoyat' budet velikaya Rus' !". Amen to that! Oh,one
more fact : the nuclear arsenal that Ukraine "gave up " was Russian by the way,so Ukraine
simply gave it back. February 15, 2015 at 6:51pm
reply
Paul replied:
Hi Olga, I am very sorry for your family living in the Donbass region. My God bless
them and the may the Blessed Theotokos save them. You seem to be very anti the
west becoming involved in this conflict. Let us not forget however that when the
Russian-backed rebels shot down MH-17, this became an international incident by
default. It was tantamount to an act of war against the west. This act alone justifies
the sanctions imposed on Russia. Again I am very sorry for your family. My wife is
from Ukraine and has family living there too and we are all praying for an end to this
horrific conflict. March 24, 2015 at 3:54pm
reply
Ukraine, Leave us alone replied:
It's about the time to admit the reality. We are living in the West, no need to rely on Ukrainian
propaganda. There was no invasion- Russia has not reached its allowed capacity of 25,000
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soldiers in Crimea. The Ukrainian military yielded to the wishes of the local population, aware
of Crimea's separatist moods, with the help of Russian soldiers. Crimean government held
the decades awaited Referendum. In fact, this was a repeat Referendum in Crimea and
Sevastopol, as the previous one took place in 1994, both similar in nature and results of the
votes. 1. "Around the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this area was most affected by
the frontier military society called the Cossacks (eastern Slavs)." The area affected by
Cossacks was very small, despite what we are made to believe by the new Ukrainian
historians. There were mostly peasants living in these areas, as the peasant identity has been
the most prevailing in the central region. Just like Ukrainian peasants have been the core of
Ukrainian national identity. Btw, there was no such word "Ukraine" before Lenin introduced it
in the 20th century. In fact, "okraina" is an archaic word for any region further away from
Moscow. 2. "In the nineteenth century, industry developed widely and urbanizes the area,
attracting Russians." Correction: some Russians brought industrialization but in general,
Russians have lived there longer than Ukrainians. Moreover, Luhansk was not even a part of
Novorossiya but was always part of Russia before 20th century. 3. "The population in Crimea
is mixed, with Tatars (Turkic ethnic groups), Ukrainians, and Russians all living together."
Why does it matter what the ethnic content is, if 90% of the population overwhelmingly,
including ethnic Tatars and Ukrainians voted to join Russia. Yes, there are problems waged
by a few Tatar oligarchic elite- Dzhamilev - but Russia is as multi-cultural federation, just like
Crimea itself. July 2, 2014 at 1:16am
reply
Anonymous replied:
good job, i agree with you September 23, 2014 at 3:56pm
reply
Anonymous replied:
Russia and Ukraine brothers forever! Yankee go home! October 7, 2014 at 4:24am
reply
Nick replied:
I appreciate Lubomyr's detailed history here, but I'm surprised that it omits the Holomodor the genocide of millions of ethnic Ukrainians by the Soviet government in the 1930's. Its
significant to the current conflict, because it weakened Ukrainian cohesiveness and helped
create the pro-Russian regions of Ukraine we see fighting in today. Before the Holomodor,
Ukraine had briefly enjoyed independence, until its forceful incorporation into the USSR in
the 1920s. During the rise of Stalin, the Ukrainian people were seen as a threat because of
their strong land-owning middle class, attachment to religious beliefs and rejection of state
atheism, and their ethnic identity. All of these characteristics led to their continued
opposition against the Soviet government, and for these reasons, they were singled out for
ethnic cleansing. Much of the killings were carried out through planned starvation, as
Ukrainian farmers were forced off their land and herded into areas where food and resources
were cut off by Soviet troops. Much Ukrainian property was redistributed to Russian settlers,
particularly in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. While these regions had concentrations of
Russian speakers and Russian settlers since Czarist times, the Holomodor genocide and
related population movements increased the Russian ethnic and cultural presence in Ukraine.
Combined with Russian cultural dominance, which encouraged ethnic Ukrainians to integrate
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into a larger Russian-Soviet culture and abandon Ukrainian identity, the killings and
displacement helped weaken Ukrainian ethnic and political cohesiveness. The country's
political gravity shifted eastward, towards the USSR's Russian core. Throughout the history of
the Soviet Union, Moscow used cultural displacement and genocide as a political tool to
weaken local populations and strengthen central control. Indigenous populations were
replaced in whole or part with loyal ethnic Russians, who helped cement outlying areas to the
Soviet core. This was done in the Baltic, Ukraine, Caucasia, Central Asia, Siberia, and inside
Russia itself. These displacements and replacements were carried out through both forced
migrations and outright killings, but the result was always the same - the small country or
region victimized was left more "diverse", but also more divided between its indigenous
inhabitants, who often favored independence or more autonomy, and Russians and Russianspeakers loyal to Moscow. We see the legacy of this historical pattern playing out in the
Ukraine conflict today. November 12, 2014 at 3:31am
reply
simon replied:
Thank you to put this context. Its so obvious, and nobody sees that. So sad. January 7,
2015 at 7:07am
reply
Stasia replied:
Thank you, it's nice to see something here that isn't a deeply depressing kremlin troll.
Some of the comments above ranting about Ukrainians as if they aren't real people are
just sickening. I don't blame Russians for this, they are victims of their government too.
And everyone knows the constant insane nationalist screeds appearing on all of these
articles is from putins program paying people to post this junk. Russians who try and
speak up for Ukrainians and against their government don't speak for long unfortunately.
If there are Russians reading this, please stop Putin. Your Russian speaking community is
being killed by him too. February 12, 2015 at 1:45am
reply
olga replied:
And Nick's history doesn't differentiate between Russians and Soviet Union during
Lenin,Stalin and Brush I of. February 15, 2015 at 7:56pm
reply
kelogs replied:
Nick, you just nailed the nail on its head. Very well explained. It is depressing to see how
masses are manipulated to serve the interrests of the few. Not that western world is less
manipulative - that could not be farther from truth - but at least the West has some
history (starting with Victorian age) where human lives are consistently treated way better
than in Russia. February 17, 2015 at 2:59am
reply
Rasputin replied:
How about American population in the Appalachian Region? I can tell you with a great
deal of certainty: American Government has long abandoned its own citizens (AKA
"hillbillies"). people in Appalachia still live in tar shacks, w/o ANY medical care, with
sanitation below any modern level... Go over there for a few days, Kelogs, and then
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return back to this page to discuss who treats the citizens better, Russia or America.
After the war in Afghanistan, the Russian soldiers returning home became heroes,
received support from the Government. ALL Soviet and Russian veterans are highly
regarded in the country and VERY WELL supported by the government programs. How
about American vets? Who cares about them? My father-in-law threw his 'Nam medals
in a trashcan realizing how the U.S. Gov. betrayed those soldiers who fought and died
in Vietnam. The retired people in Russia regularly receive their monthly retirement;
the Russian military has just received yet another adjustment in their salaries, their
living conditions were recently improved once again. How about the American
military? Do you know about their laughable pay? Don't make me laugh, Kelogs.
Travel around the world and see things for yourself, instead of reading the blog that
starts with nothing but propaganda. Read the darn history in many, MANY sources,
especially in the books that were published way before the Soviet Union appeared!
Read British historical sources, European... And then join in the discussion... Along
with many others who OBVIOUSLY have no knowledge of the Russian and Ukrainian
histories. As for the Harvard "specialist" who wrote the original article in this blog - I
am SOOOO disappointed with this fellow! Just like a very good politician (not a true
historian) he presented only the facts that suited his agenda. He criticized the
"Russian historians" for manipulation of the minds and changing the history. Yet he
never presented the "true history" of his own! How's that? Well, what else do you
expect from a Ukrainian historian if not Ukrainian propaganda? Just because a
Ukrainian works for a summer in Harvard, does not mean he is the most credible
source. A scientist should stay away from the politics: seems that Harvard forgot this
ancient truth! Shame on you, Harvard!!! March 9, 2015 at 2:34pm
reply
Anonymous replied:
And yet you offer absolutely zero historical context and fact of your own about
the region. Do you deny what is said about Holodomor? March 23, 2015 at
10:32am
reply
Paul replied:
I would point both you and Olga to the History of Crimea from both a political and
Ecclesiastical point of view. Russia most certainly has no more legitimate
historical claim to Crimea than Ukraine given that a Cossack and descendant of
Kievan Rus' was able to impose power over the Tartars in Crimea even before
Russia was recognised as a nation! (At the time it was called Moskovia, or
variations thereof in English): "The liberating vision of Karamzin demonstrates the
misunderstanding of the authentic continuity of Kievan Rus, which can be traced
throughout several periods of history: starting within the PolishLithuanian state,
then during the Cossack period from 1569 to the end of the 18th century, then
in a more hidden oral, religious and folkloric way - in the regions West of the
Dnieper under Austro-Hungarian and Polish domination and in the regions of
South and East Ukraine under the Russians; followed, in the modern period, with
the 1918 declaration of the Republic of Ukraine, Russias recognition in 1922 of a
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Ukrainian republic, and then in 1945 with Galicia, until the eventual emergence of
an independent Ukrainian republic on 1 December 1991. Karamzins history
shows above all the Russian desire for political domination as it became the older
brother of the little Russian and Belarusian peoples. However, this right of
primogeniture, so to speak, is historically contradicted by the simple fact that the
Church of the Patriarch of Moscow was not recognized by Constantinople as
autocephalous until the 16th century, whereas the autocephalous seat of Kiev can
be attested as far back as the 9th century. From an ecclesial perspective, the
Russian Church is therefore not the older brother but the younger daughter of
the Church of Kiev. This is why even today the Patriarchate of Constantinople only
recognizes de facto and not de jure the occupation of Crimea by the Russian
Church since the 1860s. In fact Crimea was part of the canonical territory of the
Orthodox Church of the Rus of Kiev, which was itself under the jurisdiction of the
Patriarch of Constantinople from 988 to the 19th century. The ecclesial
annexation of Crimea by Moscow has been noted but still has not been accepted
or recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch. Vladimir Putin went to Sebastopol on
several occasions, accompanied by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, to reaffirm that
Crimea has always belonged to the Russian world because Vladimir the Great
was baptized in 988 at Chersonesos, a suburb of Sebastopol. But both the
president and the patriarch carefully omitted to mention that in 988 neither the
Russian State nor the Patriarchate of Moscow even existed. Aware of the games of
memory, Vladimir Putin announced that he would celebrate the 9 May victory over
Nazi Germany by going to Sebastopol on that very date this year (2014). Most
likely he will be accompanied by officials from the Patriarchate of Moscow who
will thereby be able to appear, on this peninsula which has become Russian again,
as apparent heirs to this primitive Christian church. Let us now move to an
example from another symbolic period in Ukrainian identity, that of Cossack
sovereignty, the Hetmanate. This now brings us to the modern history of Ukraine.
It is worth noting here that the word Ukraine, attested to for the first time in
1187, means limit and according to Lebedynsky, certainly meant during the
period of the Rus, the border region of the nomads of the steppes and more
specifically, the region of Pereiaslav south of Kiev. During the Cossack period
(16th to 18th centuries) the Ruthenes referred to themselves as Ukrainians and
rejected the term Little Russians which had been applied to them by the Great
Russians. In actual fact this terminology is more likely to derive from Byzantine
vocabulary which drew a distinction between the centre and the periphery,
designated by the terms micro and megalo. Note that this is still relevant to the
present, since the new Russian power in Crimea toppled the statue of Petro
Sahaidatchnyi (1570- 1622) on 27 April 2014 in Sebastopol. The statue had been
erected in 2008 by Ihor Tenyokh, Minister of Defence of the Yatsenyuk
government. For the Ukrainians the Cossack leader Petro Sahaidatchnyi is clear
evidence that a free and powerful Rus of Kiev had lasted up into the modern era
and had been able to impose its power on the Tatars well before the imperial
policies of the Tsars and the conquest of Eastern Ukraine by Catherine II. Hetman
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Sahaidatchnyi was born in a village in Galicia and he was both political and civil
leader of Ukraine from 1614 to 1622. He had been a brilliant student of the
Ostrog Academy and managed to form a leet long before Peter the Great had
thought of asking the Netherlands for assistance to turn Russia into a naval
power. Sahaidatchnyis ships controlled not only the Dnieper River but also the
whole of the Black Sea. Many Russians are unaware of the fact that the Cossacks
ruled over the Tatars even in Crimea during the years 1614-1617. Sahaidatchnyi
defeated the Turks and the Tatars at Kaffa (Theodossia) in Crimea and liberated a
significant number of Christian prisoners. The Tatar and Cossack memorials in
Crimea were suppressed by Catherine II, who renamed Akhtiar using the Greek
form of Sebastopol. Although many Russians believe that the whole Orthodox
Church of Ukraine betrayed orthodoxy by uniting with the bishop of Rome
through the Union of Brest in 1596, this Hetman Cossack provides a counter
example. In fact Sahaidatchnyi even convinced the Patriarch Theophan III of
Jerusalem to reestablish the Orthodox hierarchy east of the Dnieper. The Greek
patriarch agreed to this request and appointed Iov Boretsky Metropolitan Bishop
of Kiev, together with five other bishops. He also helped to consolidate the
formation of Cossack elites within the Fraternity of the Epiphany at Kiev, which
was later changed into the Orthodox Academy by Metropolitan Petro Mohyla.
From a religious and political point of view Russians today should therefore be
grateful to Hetman Sahaidatchnyi. But Russian mythology has become exclusivist
and imperialist. It does not tolerate the reality of a Ukrainian State which draws its
legitimacy from its fidelity to the Rus of Kiev. Therefore it is simply preparing the
way for a revolt of the people of Crimea who have no wish to become a zone of
casinos as Vladimir Putin has proposed. Rather they wish to remain proud of their
Cossack past, heirs of the Rus of Kiev and, moreover, of ancient Greece and the
first Christian communities of Pontus. It was in fact to Crimea that, during the
Roman persecutions of the 2 nd century, Pope Saint Clement of Rome was sent
into exile where he died." Source: ANTOINE ARJAKOVSKY RUSSIA/UKRAINE: FROM
WAR TO PEACE? (2013-2015) - http://data.tsn.ua/files/Livre_en_anglaislibre.pdf
reply
March 26, 2015 at 7:32am
Lukachenko replied:
Parts of Ukraine should belong to Russia. December 2, 2014 at 4:08pm
reply
Kim Iannone replied:
We are left with the current situation. History provides us with understanding. The basic
question is: How can people live together? Unfortunately, there are two opposed versions of
history regarding the relationship of Ukraine, or, as Russian supremists would have it, Little
Russia, with Russia, which the Russian supremists called Great Russia throughout the
Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. Yeltsin and his government made a mistake in
1994 when they agreed to continue the Ukrainian domination over Crimea. All of you reading
this thread are aware that Crimea was "given" to Ukraine, as internal states of the Soviet
Union, by Khrushchev in 1954. It was a mistake. The Donbass has been Russian for hundreds
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of years. Until 1991, the people of the Donbass lived in a country in which the Russian
language was the main language. The same can be said for Crimea. Ukrainian supremicist
insistence on ownership of Eastern Ukraine and of Crimea is based on the internal state of
Ukraine, as state within a Russian country, asserting that its borders represent a Ukrainian
country -- a country of Ukrainians. in 1991, the Ukrainian supremists made the Ukrainian
language the one and only official language of the country, in the Ukrainian Constitution.
From 1992 to 2014, they forced Russian areas in Ukraine to use the Ukrainian language for
government purposes. They forced Russian universities and schools in Donbass and Crimea
to switch from the Russian language to Ukrainian. Russian language departments were
closed, and in their places Ukrainian language departments were founded. For examples, the
Tavridskiy National University, the Crimean University of the Humanities, and the Crimean
Medical Academy (now called a university) all were forced to adopt Ukrainian as their
institutional languages, in spite of the fact that in 1992 these universities had Russianlanguage majorities of students, faculty, and staff, were located in Russian-majority Crimea,
and had been founded as Russian-language institutions. (BTW, the Crimean Medical
University does offer degree studies in a foreign language -- English.) So, appeals to historic
justifications, to "official" borders, to international jurisprudence -- such appeals are
permanently disputable. The final, simple question is: How can people live together?
Regardless of the turgid analyses of the relationship between the Ukrainian language and the
Russian language, the fact is that some people say they are Ukrainian and not Russian, and
vice versa. The Russian supremicists in Ukraine will always consider themselves to be a
maligned minority. And the Ukrainian supremicists will always say that all of Ukraine within
the legal borders of the country should be Ukrainian. Unfortunately, there is no simple
method for a country deciding to split itself. January 31, 2015 at 3:35pm
reply
Ryan replied:
4 Questions: Why is America getting involved with affairs on the completely opposite
hemisphere of the world? Why does Putin deny sending troops into Ukraine when it is so
obvious as some have videos of it? Is this conflict more between Ukrainians and Ukrainians or
Ukrainians and Russians? How far has Russia gone in this? What aggressive steps, if any, has
Russia taken? February 2, 2015 at 9:33pm
reply
Jules replied:
There is a lot of debate as to the causes of the present 'war' and the article is indeed about
the historical perspective. However, similar problems of ethnic mixing and
occupation/migration exist all over the world and one could argue about the details of 'what
happened and why' forever. What seem to be missing are ideas for a way forward. War is
promoted by fear, and it is clear that Ukrainian 'Russians' are scared of the Nationalists and
vice-versa, and that the conflict will likely self-propagate because of this, even if other
nations don't interfere. It does strike me that both Russia and the Ukraine cannot afford a
war monetarily, and since by its nature war is expensive, it is possible the conflict will fade
out with impromptu borders becoming more permanent - which would not be the worst
result that could arise. What I think will really cause trouble is if the confused, power hungry
and aggressive USA and its now ridiculous 'politically correct but always ready to bomb
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people' ally Britain feed arms into the region, which will only serve to prolong the conflict, or
more probably escalate it. Both countries make a lot of money selling arms, of course. One
would have hoped that the US had learned something from Vietnam when it comes to
interfering far from home. Having had wonderful experiences in Russia and in the Ukraine I
only hope more people won't die fighting for some uncertain cause. Personally I just hope
'The West', leave it alone. February 10, 2015 at 12:18am
reply
olga replied:
First of all,the nuclear arsenal that Ukraine "gave up" was in fact Russian. So Ukraine gave it
back. Cremia was never Ukrainian to begin with. Hrushiov just desided to annex this region
to Ukraine all of a sudden.There is Russian naval base located there. But,thank you God,the
problem was solved and people voted. Students may benefit by studying the period of
history when there was Kievskaya Rus'-one country,one nation; another period when Ukraine
was in a chokehold between polish and Turkey, and Bogdan Hmelnitskiy appealed to Russian
Tsar for help, Russia stepped in,protected and basically saved Ukraine. Yet another period :
during WW Second,when Western Ukraine wanted to separate from USSR, organised UPA Ukrainian partisan army ( Stephan Bandera) and sided with the Nazi Germany; all that led to
the famous Action Visla ,when west of Ukraine has been divided between Poland and
USSR,and forced mass relocation of Ukrainians.That's exactly how my mother' s family ended
up in Lvov ( or Lviv ) from Krakow. This recent conflict began with the military overthrow of
one corrupted government that was replaced by another corrupted government in Kiev.The
people of Donbass region of Ukrain (Donetsk,Lugansk) disagreed with it and began
protesting. New president of Ukraine Poroshenko threw the police at them first and when
that didn't work he brought military forces there and the war began. Kiev's forces bombard
the civilians in Donetsk. My elderly uncle Bogdan,my cousin Irina and their family are trapped
there. Ukrainian forces opened fire on the chain of civilians that tried to escape the war zone.
My relatives there are left without home now because the bomb hit it. President Poroshenko
decided to punish the civilians even more : he prohibited to pay pension money to the
elderlies there. Some humanitarian help gets there,but it is from Russia. The cease fire
agreement has been broken already by Kiev's side,so hopefully the new one that was
proposed recently will last. The region of Dimness has mines and pipelines,most of which
belong to the Russian government. While Kiev's military targets civilians,they also hold
memorial services for the victims and blame Russia and Putin. And the USA,as
usually,supports the side that opposes Russia,demonizing the country and Putin. Also,Russia
has vsluble investments in Syria,in Iraq and has interests in Iran. Complex issue. February 15,
2015 at 7:53pm
reply
Anonymous replied:
You say that "humanitarian efforts get there but it is from Russia" but how do you explain
the guns and other weapons that have been found in the "food" trucks Putin sends in? Is
this humanitarian aid? And you say that the Ceasefire agreement has been broken by
Kiev's side but how do you explain the fact that the pro-Russian rebels have taken most
of Debaltseve AFTER the ceasefire was begun? February 17, 2015 at 11:07pm
reply
12/16
23/04/2015
Anonymous replied:
Putin won't go to the diplomatic solution. He trusts only in force of arms. It occupy part of
Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine. You forgot that Ukraine which has the third in the world after the
US and Russia nuclear potential, voluntary gave 5000 warheads and cruise missiles, destroys
launching silo, and 43 strategic Tu-160 and Tu-95 superbombers went to scrap metal.
The USA, United Kingdom and Russia default on the Budapest memorandum. Now none of
them wants to give the weapon to Ukraine. I think in our civilization now all understand that
only the weapons of mass destruction are capable to protect the nation. Here's a lesson for
the world: If you have nuclear weapons, NEVER give them up, no matter what assurances the
balding man with the bare chest gives you. February 19, 2015 at 3:24am
reply
Praying replied:
I have friends that live in Kiev, and to be honest, I've never been there, nor do I know the
history between Russia and Ukraine. However, I pray everyday that the people of both sides
stay safe and the people involved in this war somehow can come together and find a
peaceful solution. Death doesn't solve anything, it puts an end to someone's life and leaves
behind a memory, tears and a swell of emotions for those of us who are left in this world,
that can be so beautiful, if only we dare to be a better human race. February 27, 2015 at
4:46pm
reply
yoron replied:
You know, it's interesting reading you all. The real problem to me is the idea of expecting no
nuclear weapons getting involved in this stupidity. I call it a stupidity, and blame it on Stalins
view of sundering and rule, mass deportations and starvations. I won't blame it on a Russia
that is trying to go to a democracy though, no matter their taste in leadership etc. In a
democracy that must be solved internally, not by outside forces. Don't know any democracy
that has been 'forced' upon its citizens myself? When the USSR existed USA, and NATO,
would have been very very careful getting involved in Ukraine. As we all know historically
when it comes to how Russia solves its problems by overwhelming force. And they need to
be just as careful today I think. Because the main reason was the possibility of a conflict
getting nuclear. But USA have built bases around Russia, as in Kosovo , and somehow seems
to believe, as do NATO, that this possibility no longer exist. Most of us are born after
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so we don't remember, do we? March 11, 2015 at 12:38pm
reply
Bonar replied:
Thank You for is blog. March 24, 2015 at 1:31am
reply
getwisest replied:
Here's primer of typical Russian humor: "Germans go to supermarket by BMW and go abroad
by Mercedes; French go to supermarket by Renault and go abroad by Peugeot; Russians go
to supermarket by trolleybus and go abroad by tanks." from www.anekdot.ws March 24,
2015 at 11:25am
reply
Gilbert Arthur replied:
13/16
23/04/2015
Nice blog indeed but i wonder why in this modern era we still shed blood over power and
territory and allow a single individual because of his position to change the direction of the
world. Africans are well noted for their violence but we are even changing and embracing a
new way of solving conflict through dialogue so i wonder why you guys after the effect of
WW2 haven't changed. April 3, 2015 at 4:46pm
reply
Zahidul replied:
The actual weapons along with other weaponry which have been present in the actual "food"
vehicles Putin transmits within? Is actually this particular humanitarian help? And also you
state how the Ceasefire agreement may be damaged through Kiev's side however how can
you clarify the truth that the actual pro-Russian rebels took the majority of Debaltseve AFTER
the actual ceasefire had been started? Historical UKRAINE April 6, 2015 at 11:08am
reply
Lt. Draspee replied:
I think that the best deal would be restoration of all territory to Ukraine, with a new
constitution implementing federalization, right to secede from the federation through a
referendum held under Ukrainian law, Russian is made an official language,greater autonomy
to Crimea, Donetsk, Kharov, Odessa, and Lungnask oblasts, as well as new elections and
rebel amnesty. These steps would lead to a more inclusive and stable Ukrainian government
as well as a chance for peaceful and legal secession of Pro-Russian regions. after all steps of
this deal were implemented the sanctions on Russia would be lifted. April 10, 2015 at
10:51am
reply
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The Russia-Ukraine Conflict - A Harvard Scholar Explains

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The Conflict in Ukraine: a Historical

Current events in Ukraine seem to change on a weekly, if not

Image courtesy of snamess via flickr. Image was slightly

protestors were students and young

people, although other regions were represented as well.

Much of the current news has shifted focus to Russias presence

Ukraine has a history of political and cultural divide, with the

Image courtesy of isriya via flickr. Image was slightly

1. The center, including Kiev.

So why did Russia recently annex Crimea?

What will happen next?

How does this crisis affect the rest of the world?

March 26, 2015 at 7:32am

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