The claim that Crimea and Ukraine inherently belong to Russia has been propagated for years, but history tells a very different tale. To understand the origins of both Ukraine and Russia, we need to recognize that Ukraine has its own distinct identity and its territorial sovereignty is not only legitimate but also long-standing. This article aims to dismantle Russia’s historical claims on Ukrainian territory, showing that such assertions are driven purely by misinformation.
Origins
To understand the legitimacy of Ukraine’s territorial claims, we must first look at the early medieval period when both Ukraine and Russia emerged from distinct historical roots.
Kyivan Rus’ is often cited by both Ukrainian and Russian nationalists as the shared origin of their peoples. However, it is critical to recognize that Kyivan Rus’ was centered in modern-day Ukraine, particularly in Kyiv, not Moscow or any other part of modern Russia. It was a federation of Slavic tribes, ruled by the Viking elite, which spread its influence across the territories now known as Ukraine, Belarus, and part of Russia.
In this early period:
- Kyiv, the capital of Kyivan Rus’, was the heart of political, economic, and cultural life.
- The Rus’ princes ruled from Kyiv and expanded their influence through militaristic and dynastic means, but Kyiv was the political center, not Moscow, which didn’t even exist in those days.
Moscow did not become prominent until centuries later, long after Kyiv was already a flourishing hub. It grew as the political center of the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 14th and 15th centuries, and only began claiming authority over the lands of Kyivan Rus’ long after Kyiv’s dominance had waned. This distinction between Kyiv as the origin of a unified medieval state and Moscow’s later emergence is crucial in understanding that the Ukrainian state predates the formation of the Russian state by centuries.
Divergence
In the 13th century, the Mongol invasion of Eastern Europe caused the collapse of Kyivan Rus’. The Golden Horde ruled over much of the Rus’ territory, fragmenting the region into several successor states. Among these were the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which absorbed much of modern Ukraine, and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which gradually grew in influence over modern Russian lands.
By the 14th and 15th centuries, Ukraine was largely under the rule of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, maintaining its cultural and political distinctions from Russia. Moscow, meanwhile, began to consolidate power in northeastern Rus’ lands, eventually becoming the Tsardom of Russia in 1547.
The important point here is that Ukraine and Russia were now on very different paths, with Ukraine’s political and cultural life centered around Central Europe while Russia’s sphere of influence expanded eastward and northward. The two regions were separate entities with distinct political affiliations and trajectories.
Autonomy
In the 17th century, Ukraine experienced a resurgence of autonomy with the formation of the Cossack Hetmanate , a self-governing state that sought independence from Polish rule. The Cossacks, led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky, initially formed alliances with various powers, including the Tsardom of Russia, to defend their autonomy. However, this led to a complicated relationship between the Cossacks and Russia, culminating in the 1654 Treaty of Pereyaslav.
While this treaty is often cited by Russian historians to claim that Ukraine “chose” to unite with Russia, in reality, it was more of a military alliance to resist external threats, particularly from Poland. The Cossack Hetmanate maintained significant autonomy for decades afterward, and any full absorption of Ukraine into the Russian Empire was met with significant resistance by the Ukrainian people, much like today.
By the late 18th century, Catherine the Great dissolved the Cossack Hetmanate, and Ukraine was gradually integrated into the Russian Empire. But the forced Russification of Ukrainian lands, language, and culture that followed sparked ongoing resentment and a persistent desire for independence.
Soviet Era
Ukraine’s desire for independence was evident in the Ukrainian War of Independence, which followed the Russian Revolution. For a brief period, the Ukrainian People’s Republic existed as an independent state, though it was ultimately crushed by Soviet forces. Ukraine was absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1922, becoming one of its founding republics.
However, even within the Soviet Union, Ukraine maintained its distinct national identity. The forced collectivization of agriculture and the resulting Holodomor famine in the 1930s, which killed millions of Ukrainians, solidified a deep mistrust of Moscow’s authority. The Holodomor is widely considered an act of genocide by the Soviet regime.
Crimea
The question of Crimea is another key aspect of Russian claims. Russia argues that Crimea is historically Russian, but this is also extremely misleading.
Crimea was part of the Crimean Khanate, a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire, for centuries before it was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1783. After World War II, Crimea became part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954 when Nikita Khrushchev, himself of Ukrainian heritage, transferred it from the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic as a gesture of goodwill, marking 300 years since the Treaty of Pereyaslav.
This transfer was legally recognized by both the Ukrainian and Russian Soviet republics and remained uncontested even after the Soviet Union’s collapse. When Ukraine declared its independence in 1991, Crimea remained a part of Ukraine, and Russia acknowledged this in multiple treaties, including the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, which guaranteed Ukraine’s territorial integrity in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons.
Denouement
Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991, following a failed coup in Moscow. A referendum on independence was held in December of that year, in which over 90% of Ukrainians voted to secede from the Soviet Union, including the majority of voters in Crimea. Ukraine’s independence was internationally recognized, Russia included.
It is important to highlight that Russia’s recognition of Ukrainian independence in 1991 included all of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea. The Russian Federation, under Boris Yeltsin, signed the Budapest Memorandum, affirming its commitment to respecting Ukraine’s borders.
Propaganda
Despite this clear historical separation, Russian propaganda has persistently pushed the narrative that Ukraine is somehow an extension of Russia. Since Vladimir Putin came to power, this rhetoric has intensified, with the Kremlin frequently referring to Ukraine as part of a “historical Russia” that must be reunited with its “motherland.”
In 2014, Russia illegally annexed Crimea following Ukraine’s Euromaidan revolution, which ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. The annexation was carried out after a dubious referendum that was neither free nor fair, conducted at gunpoint under military occupation. Attempts have been made to do the same in other parts of the country as well, but Kyiv has fought back.
These actions by Putin are widely regarded as violations of international law, including by the United Nations, the European Union, and most other democratic countries. The historical narrative pushed by Russia is based on selective interpretation of history, ignoring Ukraine’s centuries-long struggle for independence and autonomy.
Irony
Ironically, an often-overlooked fact is that parts of modern Russia once belonged to Ukraine. For example, the Belgorod region, now part of Russia, was historically Ukrainian. Belgorod was transferred to Russia during Soviet times, along with parts of Kursk and Rostov, regions that had significant Ukrainian populations.
These transfers were part of the Soviet Union’s internal territorial rearrangements, which were often arbitrary and driven by political considerations rather than cultural or historical ties. If Russia is to claim Crimea based on historical transfers, then Ukraine could just as easily demand the return of these lost territories.
Legitimacy
Far from being a part of Russia, Ukraine has its own rich history of independence, autonomy, and struggle against external domination. A history that the Kremlin is working hard to erase. Kyivan Rus’, the Cossack Hetmanate, and the Ukrainian People’s Republic all predate modern Russia’s existence. Ukraine’s borders, including Crimea, were internationally recognized after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Russian claims on these territories are driven by propaganda rather than historical or legal legitimacy.
By distorting history and spreading misinformation, Russia seeks to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty as part of its own imperialist agenda. However, the facts are clear: Ukraine is not part of Russia and never has been in any legitimate, long-term sense. Instead, it is a distinct nation with its own history, identity, and right to self-determination.
