Ukrainian irredentism
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This article's factual accuracy is disputed. (February 2019) |
Ukrainian irredentism or Greater Ukraine refers to claims made by some Ukrainian nationalist groups to territory outside of Ukraine which are considered part of the national homeland.
History[]
Rise of nationalism[]
The 10 commandments of the Ukrainian People's Party (1902–1907) were developed by Ukrainian nationalist, the leader of UPP Mykola Mikhnovsky in 1904. These commandments were a kind of honor code for the party. They called for a one, united, indivisible, from the Carpathians to the Caucasus, independent, free, democratic Ukraine – a republic of working people.[1]
Claimed regions[]
Since Mikhnovsky the idea of ‘Ukrainian Independent United State’ (Ukrainian: Українська Самостійна Соборна Держава Ukrainska Samostiyna Soborna Derzhava) has been a key nationalist slogan, but many would argue that the ‘unification’ (соборність sobornist’) of Ukrainian lands was partially completed in 1939–45.
Today’s would-be Ukraina irredenta is mainly in the east, on the territory that is now part of the Russian Federation:[2]
- Starodub region north of Chernihiv
- South-eastern parts of Voronezh, Kursk and Rostov oblasts
- Kuban region
In the west, some radical nationalists would also cover the following territories:[2]
- Transnistria, the disputed left bank of the Dniester in Moldova
- Prešov region in north-eastern Slovakia
- Zakerzonia (Chełm and Przemyśl) in south-eastern Poland
- Brest region in south-western Belarus
- Southern Bukovina and the area around Maramureș in northern Romania
Ukraine seriously claiming territories of neighbouring states is not considered possible.[2] (Foreign claims against Ukrainian territory[2] have been acted on in the Russian Federation's 2014 annexation of Crimea, its covert military support of separatism in the Donbas region, and aggressive rhetoric by the Russian government.)[3] In the case of Russian–Ukrainian conflict, radical Ukrainian nationalists could try to take advantage in the north Caucasus or elsewhere.[2]
Kuban[]
Ukrainians first settled the Kuban in 1792 and until the mid-twentieth century the majority of the population there identified themselves as Little Russians or Ukrainians, however the percentage of those who identified themselves as Ukrainians dropped from an official 55% (1926) to 0.9% (2002).
See also[]
- Greater Russia
- Greater Romania
- Greater Bulgaria
- Greater Moldova
- Greater Hungary
References[]
- ^ Mirchuk, P. (1999). Возрождение национальной идеи [Revival of the national idea] (in Russian). Kyiv: Ukrainian publishing split.
- ^ a b c d e Wilson, Andrew (1997). Ukrainian nationalism in the 1990s: a minority faith. Cambridge University Press. pp. 181–183.
- ^ "Putin's Ukraine rhetoric driven by distorted view of neighbour". The Guardian. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
- Ukrainian irredentism
- Nationalist movements in Europe
- Politics of Ukraine
- Ukrainian nationalism