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clean up, typos fixed: President → president (2), March 12, 1917 → March 12, 1917,, didn’t → didn't (3), 1931-34 → 1931–34, … → ... (4), I’ll → I'll (2), what’s → what's, ’s → 's (6), 1834-1908 → 1834–1908 (10)

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==Historiography==

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The scholarly study of the Ukraine's history emerged from romantic impulses in the late 19th century. The outstanding leaders were Volodymyr Antonovych (~~1834-1908~~), based in Kiev, and his student Michael Hrushevsky (~~1866-1934~~).<ref>Serhii Plokhy, ''Unmaking Imperial Russia: Mykhailo Hrushevsky and the Writing of Ukrainian History'' (2005)</ref> For the first time full-scale scholarly studies based on archival sources, modern research techniques, and modern historical theories became possible. However, the demands of government officials—especially Soviet, but also Czarists and Polish—made it difficult to disseminate [[nationalist]] ideas that ran counter to the central government. Therefore, exile schools of historians emerged in central Europe and Canada after 1920.<ref>KubijovyČ, ed. ''Ukraine: A Concise Encyclopedia'' (1963) 1:559-74</ref>

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The scholarly study of the Ukraine's history emerged from romantic impulses in the late 19th century. The outstanding leaders were Volodymyr Antonovych (1834–1908), based in Kiev, and his student Michael Hrushevsky (1866–1934).<ref>Serhii Plokhy, ''Unmaking Imperial Russia: Mykhailo Hrushevsky and the Writing of Ukrainian History'' (2005)</ref> For the first time full-scale scholarly studies based on archival sources, modern research techniques, and modern historical theories became possible. However, the demands of government officials—especially Soviet, but also Czarists and Polish—made it difficult to disseminate [[nationalist]] ideas that ran counter to the central government. Therefore, exile schools of historians emerged in central Europe and Canada after 1920.<ref>KubijovyČ, ed. ''Ukraine: A Concise Encyclopedia'' (1963) 1:559-74</ref>

[[File:Coin of the Kievan Rus.jpg|thumbnail|275px|The Ukrainophile view of history talks about the [[Kievan Rus']] as the precedent of Ukraine as a state and uses the personal tamga or sign of Vladimir (trident or ''tryzub'') shown in the coin as the national Coat of Arms.<ref name=KievanRusCoins>[https://www.cointalk.com/threads/coins-of-the-kievan-rus.394099/ Coins of the Kievan Rus]</ref>]]

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==Origins of an Ukrainian State: 19th century, 1897 Russian Empire Census and World War I==

[[File:Map of the Ukrainian Republic in 1919, taken from the Memorandum on Ukrainian Independence, presented to the Peace Conference by the Delegation of the Ukrainian Republic.jpg|350px|thumbnail|Borders claimed by the Ukrainian People's Republic delegation at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and 1920.]]

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In the 19th century the Ukrainian was a rural area largely ignored by Russia and Austria. With growing urbanization and modernization, and a cultural trend toward nationalism inspired by romanticism, a Ukrainian intelligentsia committed to national rebirth and social justice emerged. The serf-turned-national-poet [[Taras Shevchenko]] (~~1814-1861~~) and the political theorist [[Mykhailo Drahomanov]] (~~1841-1895~~) led the growing nationalist movement. Nationalist and socialist parties developed in the late 19th century. '''[[Austrian Galicia]]''', which enjoyed substantial political freedom under the relatively lenient rule of the [[Hapsburgs]], became the center of the nationalist movement. The first Ukrainians were Carpathian Russians in [[Austria-Hungary]] who denounced [[Orthodox Christianity]] for [[Roman Catholicism|Catholicism]] in 1893.<ref>https://russian-faith.com/persecution/struggle-russian-christian-faith-europe-carpatho-russians-n1122</ref>

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In the 19th century the Ukrainian was a rural area largely ignored by Russia and Austria. With growing urbanization and modernization, and a cultural trend toward nationalism inspired by romanticism, a Ukrainian intelligentsia committed to national rebirth and social justice emerged. The serf-turned-national-poet [[Taras Shevchenko]] (1814–1861) and the political theorist [[Mykhailo Drahomanov]] (1841–1895) led the growing nationalist movement. Nationalist and socialist parties developed in the late 19th century. '''[[Austrian Galicia]]''', which enjoyed substantial political freedom under the relatively lenient rule of the [[Hapsburgs]], became the center of the nationalist movement. The first Ukrainians were Carpathian Russians in [[Austria-Hungary]] who denounced [[Orthodox Christianity]] for [[Roman Catholicism|Catholicism]] in 1893.<ref name="russian-faith.com">https://russian-faith.com/persecution/struggle-russian-christian-faith-europe-carpatho-russians-n1122</ref>

[[File:Ukrainians in the Russian Empire, 1897.jpg|350px|thumbnail|left|Ukrainian Speakers in the Russian Empire, 1897.]]

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Before World War I, the [[Lvov]] region, [[Volhynia]] and [[Galicia]] were all part of the [[Austro-Hungarian]] empire and everything to the east was part of the Russian empire. The Austrians encouraged use of the Ukrainian language and Ukrainian ambitions as a battering ram against the part of Ukraine east of the [[Dnieper]] that was the Russian Empire, where the Ukrainian national feelings were tamped down by the [[Romanov]] dynasty. That was not a solution that survived 1914.

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Before 1917, one could walk on foot from Kiev to Moscow without noticing any linguistic differences. Defeat in [[World War I]] and the Russian revolutions of 1917 destroyed the Hapsburg and Russian empires. The Ukrainian elite declared statehood: the Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed at Kiev on Nov. 20, 1917, becoming independent on Jan. 22, 1918. The West Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed at Lviv on Nov. 1, 1918. A rival Ukrainian Soviet Republic was established at Kharkiv on Dec. 24, 1917. On Jan. 22, 1919, the two people's republics united. Lenin gave Ukraine Kharkiv, Donbass, and the coastal oblasts, making it an artificial state in the style of the [[EU]].<ref>https://russophile.org/is-ukraine-an-artificial-state-popular-youtuber-says-yes/</ref><ref>https://orientalreview.org/2017/08/21/ukraines-misunderstanding-lenin-helps-explain-americas-fight-re-invented-historical-statues/~~</ref><ref>https://russian-faith.com/persecution/struggle-russian-christian-faith-europe-carpatho-russians-n1122~~</ref><ref>https://www.sott.net/article/391652-The-history-of-Ukraine-as-an-artificial-state</ref> By then, however, the military situation was desperate, as Polish and Bolshevik armies pressed the Ukrainian nationalists from west and east and the peasant anarchists led by Nestor Makhno took control of large areas. Because communist theory denies the existence of race as the adherents flip flop to favor one group over another, Lenin made the Soviet Union autonomous republics so not one ethnic group will have too much power.

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Before 1917, one could walk on foot from Kiev to Moscow without noticing any linguistic differences. Defeat in [[World War I]] and the Russian revolutions of 1917 destroyed the Hapsburg and Russian empires. The Ukrainian elite declared statehood: the Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed at Kiev on Nov. 20, 1917, becoming independent on Jan. 22, 1918. The West Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed at Lviv on Nov. 1, 1918. A rival Ukrainian Soviet Republic was established at Kharkiv on Dec. 24, 1917. On Jan. 22, 1919, the two people's republics united. Lenin gave Ukraine Kharkiv, Donbass, and the coastal oblasts, making it an artificial state in the style of the [[EU]].<ref name="russian-faith.com"/><ref>https://russophile.org/is-ukraine-an-artificial-state-popular-youtuber-says-yes/</ref><ref>https://orientalreview.org/2017/08/21/ukraines-misunderstanding-lenin-helps-explain-americas-fight-re-invented-historical-statues/</ref><ref>https://www.sott.net/article/391652-The-history-of-Ukraine-as-an-artificial-state</ref> By then, however, the military situation was desperate, as Polish and Bolshevik armies pressed the Ukrainian nationalists from west and east and the peasant anarchists led by Nestor Makhno took control of large areas. Because communist theory denies the existence of race as the adherents flip flop to favor one group over another, Lenin made the Soviet Union autonomous republics so not one ethnic group will have too much power.

== Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ==

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[[File:St. George's Cathedral, Lviv, Ukraine.jpg|left|300px|thumb|St. George's Cathedral in [[Lviv]] city, Ukraine, property of the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]], historically persecuted by Russian and Soviet KGB authorities,<ref name=PopeFrancis>{{cite web|url=https://www.breitbart.com/news/pope-beatifies-seven-communist-era-bishops-in-romania/|title=Pope beatifies seven Communist-era bishops in Romania|date=2 June 2019|publisher=[[Breitbart]]}}</ref><ref name=Manipulation>{{cite web|url=https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/01/11/kgb-christians-putin-stalin-kgbs-history-manipulating-orthodox-church/|title=KGB ~~‘Christians’~~: Putin, Stalin, and the ~~KGB’s~~ History of Manipulating the Orthodox Church|date=11 January 2016|publisher=[[Breitbart]]}}</ref> was restored in 1990 with the independence of the country.]]

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[[File:St. George's Cathedral, Lviv, Ukraine.jpg|left|300px|thumb|St. George's Cathedral in [[Lviv]] city, Ukraine, property of the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]], historically persecuted by Russian and Soviet KGB authorities,<ref name=PopeFrancis>{{cite web|url=https://www.breitbart.com/news/pope-beatifies-seven-communist-era-bishops-in-romania/|title=Pope beatifies seven Communist-era bishops in Romania|date=2 June 2019|publisher=[[Breitbart]]}}</ref><ref name=Manipulation>{{cite web|url=https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/01/11/kgb-christians-putin-stalin-kgbs-history-manipulating-orthodox-church/|title=KGB 'Christians': Putin, Stalin, and the KGB's History of Manipulating the Orthodox Church|date=11 January 2016|publisher=[[Breitbart]]}}</ref> was restored in 1990 with the independence of the country.]]

[[File:Interior of St. George's Cathedral in Lviv, Ukraine.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Interior of St. George's Cathedral in [[Lviv]].]]

The final step in the particularity of the Greek Catholic Church was the development of the [[Ukrainian language]] from the language of [[Kievan Rus]] between 1600 and 1800, a language that distinguished itself from Belarusian and Ruthenian.

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Since the exile of Slipyj in 1963, the Archdiocese of Lviv was administered by the ''locum tenens'' [[Vasyl Velyckovskyj]] until his exile to [[Canada]] in 1972, and then by [[Volodymyr Sterniuk]] until 1991 when Cardinal [[Myroslav Iván Lubachivsky]], the exiled primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church since 1984, was authorized to leave Rome and take up residence in Lviv. On January 16, 1991, the surviving clandestine bishops were confirmed by the pope. In 1992, Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops from around the world were summoned to a synod in the same city for the first time in several decades, and that same year, the remains of Cardinal Josyf Slipyj were transferred from Rome to Lviv, where they were buried next to Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. The synod took place between May 16 and 31, 1992, and decided on the creation of four new eparchies in Ukraine: Sambir-Drohobych, Ternopil, Zboriv (all separated from the major archdiocese of Lviv), and Kolomyia-Chernivtsi (separated from Ivano-Frankivsk), which were established on April 20, 1993. The territories of the rest of Ukraine were established as the Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Kiev–Vyshhorod on November 25, 1995.

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[[File:St Josaphat Saint of Ruthenia.jpg|thumbnail|Saint Josaphat, Saint of Ruthenia, (~~1580-1623~~)]]

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[[File:St Josaphat Saint of Ruthenia.jpg|thumbnail|Saint Josaphat, Saint of Ruthenia, (1580–1623)]]

After the restoration of this Church in Ukraine, the synod of bishops began to meet regularly. The first general [[council]] of Ukrainian Greek Catholics was held in Lviv in October 1996. Due to Cardinal Lubachivsky's poor health, [[Lubomyr Husar]] was appointed ''Administrator of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church''. In August 2000, a new synod held in Buchach decided on the creation of two new eparchies in Ukraine: Stryi and Sokal, while reorganizing the eparchies of Ternopil and Zboriv into the new eparchies of Ternopil-Zboriv and Buchach. Since 2000, the Church's territory was expanded to all of Ukraine, except for the situation of the Mukachevo eparchy. On December 14, 2000, Cardinal Lubachivsky passed away and was succeeded by Lubomyr Husar, who was later created a cardinal.

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– Buried in secret –<ref name=PopeFrancis/>}}

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One of the key challenges has been the Russian forces' assault on the Church. Several churches have been destroyed, and priests have been forced to evacuate sacred objects to protect them from attacks.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russian forces destroy Catholic Church in Ukraine, as another parish prepares for attack|url=https://www.cathstan.org/us-world/russian-forces-destroy-catholic-church-in-ukraine-as-another-parish-prepares-for-attack|date=14 August 2024|publisher=Catholic Standard}}</ref> Furthermore, Russian authorities in the occupied territories, including Zaporizhzhia, have outlawed the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries. This includes groups like the Knights of Columbus and Caritas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russia bans Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Catholic ministries|url=https://www.ucanews.com/news/russia-bans-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-catholic-ministries/103517|date=8 December 2023|publisher=Union of Catholics Asia Network}}</ref> Church leaders have also been targeted for assassination, with Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, being forced to move between safe houses to avoid danger.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russia has Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the crosshairs|url=https://www.churchinneed.org/russia-has-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-in-the-crosshairs/|date=14 March 2022|publisher=Aid the Church in Need}}</ref> The ongoing conflict has caused significant damage and posed serious threats to both the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and its followers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: Putin Is “Destroying the Basic Principles of Peace”|url=https://bitterwinter.org/ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-putin-and-peace/|date=24 February 2022|publisher=Bitter Winter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Russian drone attack damages Kyiv's Catholic cathedral|url=https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/russian-drone-attack-damages-kyivs-catholic-cathedral|date=27 November 2023|publisher=Detroit Catholic}}</ref>

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One of the key challenges has been the Russian forces' assault on the Church. Several churches have been destroyed, and priests have been forced to evacuate sacred objects to protect them from attacks.<ref name="Catholic Standard">{{cite web|title=Russian forces destroy Catholic Church in Ukraine, as another parish prepares for attack|url=https://www.cathstan.org/us-world/russian-forces-destroy-catholic-church-in-ukraine-as-another-parish-prepares-for-attack|date=14 August 2024|publisher=Catholic Standard}}</ref> Furthermore, Russian authorities in the occupied territories, including Zaporizhzhia, have outlawed the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries. This includes groups like the Knights of Columbus and Caritas.<ref name="Union of Catholics Asia Network">{{cite web|title=Russia bans Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Catholic ministries|url=https://www.ucanews.com/news/russia-bans-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-catholic-ministries/103517|date=8 December 2023|publisher=Union of Catholics Asia Network}}</ref> Church leaders have also been targeted for assassination, with Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, being forced to move between safe houses to avoid danger.<ref name="Aid the Church in Need">{{cite web|title=Russia has Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the crosshairs|url=https://www.churchinneed.org/russia-has-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-in-the-crosshairs/|date=14 March 2022|publisher=Aid the Church in Need}}</ref> The ongoing conflict has caused significant damage and posed serious threats to both the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and its followers.<ref name="Bitter Winter">{{cite web|title=Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: Putin Is “Destroying the Basic Principles of Peace”|url=https://bitterwinter.org/ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-putin-and-peace/|date=24 February 2022|publisher=Bitter Winter}}</ref><ref name="Detroit Catholic">{{cite web|title=Russian drone attack damages Kyiv's Catholic cathedral|url=https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/russian-drone-attack-damages-kyivs-catholic-cathedral|date=27 November 2023|publisher=Detroit Catholic}}</ref>

Reports indicate that Russian and DPR-LPR militants have systematically persecuted non-Orthodox religious groups, frequently using the Russian Orthodox Church as a pretext for their actions. Documented incidents include the torture of detainees by individuals disguised as clergy and the kidnapping of religious leaders such as Ihor Kozlovsky. These actions highlight how religion is exploited to justify violence and establish control, closely tied to the ideology of the "Russian World," supported by both the Kremlin and the Moscow Patriarchate. Coynash has criticized the Vatican for failing to address these abuses in its 2016 declaration with Patriarch Kirill.<ref>{{cite web |title=Russian crimes & religious persecution in Donbas that the Pope ignored |date=19 February 2016 |url=https://khpg.org/en/1455660484 |author=Halya Coynash}}</ref>

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The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) has suffered severe persecution during the ongoing conflict with Russian forces. Churches have been destroyed, sacred objects evacuated, and clergy targeted for assassination. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the UGCC, has had to move between safe houses for protection.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russian forces destroy Catholic Church in Ukraine, as another parish prepares for attack|url=https://www.cathstan.org/us-world/russian-forces-destroy-catholic-church-in-ukraine-as-another-parish-prepares-for-attack|date=14 August 2024|publisher=Catholic Standard~~}}<~~/~~ref~~><ref>{{cite web|title=Russia has Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the crosshairs|url=https://www.churchinneed.org/russia-has-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-in-the-crosshairs/|date=14 March 2022|publisher=Aid the Church in Need~~}}<~~/~~ref~~>

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The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) has suffered severe persecution during the ongoing conflict with Russian forces. Churches have been destroyed, sacred objects evacuated, and clergy targeted for assassination. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the UGCC, has had to move between safe houses for protection.<ref name="Catholic Standard"/><ref name="Aid the Church in Need"/>

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Russian occupation authorities have banned the UGCC and other Catholic organizations, including Caritas and the Knights of Columbus, in areas such as Zaporizhzhia, labeling them extremist. By 2024, UGCC clergy were completely absent from Russian-occupied regions, as militants seized church properties and barred access to places of worship.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russia bans Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Catholic ministries|url=https://www.ucanews.com/news/russia-bans-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-catholic-ministries/103517|date=8 December 2023|publisher=Union of Catholics Asia Network~~}}<~~/~~ref~~><ref>{{cite web|title=Russian occupation forces close more Catholic churches in Ukraine|url=https://catholicreview.org/russian-occupation-forces-close-more-catholic-churches-in-ukraine/|date=27 March 2024|publisher=Catholic Review}}</ref> Two priests, Fathers Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, were detained in Berdyansk in 2022 and reportedly face torture and harsh conditions in Russian detention facilities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russia bans Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Catholic ministries|url=https://www.ucanews.com/news/russia-bans-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-catholic-ministries/103517|date=8 December 2023|publisher=Union of Catholics Asia Network~~}}<~~/~~ref~~><ref>{{cite web|title=Russian occupation forces close more Catholic churches in Ukraine|url=https://catholicreview.org/russian-occupation-forces-close-more-catholic-churches-in-ukraine/|date=27 March 2024|publisher=Catholic Review~~}}<~~/~~ref~~>

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Russian occupation authorities have banned the UGCC and other Catholic organizations, including Caritas and the Knights of Columbus, in areas such as Zaporizhzhia, labeling them extremist. By 2024, UGCC clergy were completely absent from Russian-occupied regions, as militants seized church properties and barred access to places of worship.<ref name="Union of Catholics Asia Network"/><ref name="Catholic Review">{{cite web|title=Russian occupation forces close more Catholic churches in Ukraine|url=https://catholicreview.org/russian-occupation-forces-close-more-catholic-churches-in-ukraine/|date=27 March 2024|publisher=Catholic Review}}</ref> Two priests, Fathers Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, were detained in Berdyansk in 2022 and reportedly face torture and harsh conditions in Russian detention facilities.<ref name="Union of Catholics Asia Network"/><ref name="Catholic Review"/>

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Since 2022, Russian forces have damaged or destroyed at least 660 religious buildings, according to experts. Archbishop Borys Gudziak has highlighted that religious institutions in Russian-controlled territories can only operate if aligned with Kremlin policies, further underscoring the systematic suppression of religious freedom.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: Putin Is “Destroying the Basic Principles of Peace”|url=https://bitterwinter.org/ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-putin-and-peace/|date=24 February 2022|publisher=Bitter Winter~~}}<~~/~~ref~~><ref~~>{{cite web|title=Russian drone attack damages Kyiv's Catholic cathedral|url=https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/russian-drone-attack-damages-kyivs-catholic-cathedral|date=27 November 2023|publisher~~=Detroit Catholic~~}}<~~/~~ref~~>

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Since 2022, Russian forces have damaged or destroyed at least 660 religious buildings, according to experts. Archbishop Borys Gudziak has highlighted that religious institutions in Russian-controlled territories can only operate if aligned with Kremlin policies, further underscoring the systematic suppression of religious freedom.<ref name="Bitter Winter"/><ref name="Detroit Catholic"/>

Christmass of 2023 and onwards is celebrated on the 25th of December, following the [[Gregorian Calendar]].<ref name=calendar25thDecember>{{cite web|url=https://www.breitbart.com/news/ukrainians-defy-moscow-with-first-dec-25-christmas/|title=Ukrainians defy Moscow with first Dec. 25 Christmas|date=23 December 2023|publisher=[[Breitbart]]}}</ref>

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On December 17, 1917 [[Lenin]] recognized the Republic. France also recognized in December, and in January England recognized it. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian government declared that its aim was a federation of republics emerged from the ancient Russian Empire.

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The Bolsheviks of the Soviet Republic of Ukraine occupied Kiev (February 2, 2018) thanks to the fact that many Ukrainian forces changed sides and other refused to fight. The government of the Rada, chaired by Binechenko, that was negotiating a separate peace with the [[Central Powers]], was arrested. The Ukrainian forces concentrated in Pechek, south of Kiev, and the government of the Rada moved to Zhitomir under the presidency of Golubovich. On February 9, 1918, they signed the peace separately with Germany and Austria: Ukraine kept its frontiers and got the territory of Kholm. The German armies broke the [[ceasefire]] with Russia on February 18 and entered in Ukraine on February 19. Golubovich, who was in Zhitomir in a desperate situation due to the unstoppable Bolshevik advance, requested help from Germany (February 19). The German troops crossed the Dnieper on March 1 and advanced in all fronts and headed to Kiev that was occupied the following day. On March 3 Bolshevik Russia signed an armistice (that led to the peace of Brest-Litovsk on March 8) and the combats stopped in Russian territory but not in Ukraine. The [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]] assigned to Ukraine a part of [[Belorussia]] (March 8), that however lost part of Kholm. On March 12, 1917 practically all Ukraine was under Austrian or German control.

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The Bolsheviks of the Soviet Republic of Ukraine occupied Kiev (February 2, 2018) thanks to the fact that many Ukrainian forces changed sides and other refused to fight. The government of the Rada, chaired by Binechenko, that was negotiating a separate peace with the [[Central Powers]], was arrested. The Ukrainian forces concentrated in Pechek, south of Kiev, and the government of the Rada moved to Zhitomir under the presidency of Golubovich. On February 9, 1918, they signed the peace separately with Germany and Austria: Ukraine kept its frontiers and got the territory of Kholm. The German armies broke the [[ceasefire]] with Russia on February 18 and entered in Ukraine on February 19. Golubovich, who was in Zhitomir in a desperate situation due to the unstoppable Bolshevik advance, requested help from Germany (February 19). The German troops crossed the Dnieper on March 1 and advanced in all fronts and headed to Kiev that was occupied the following day. On March 3 Bolshevik Russia signed an armistice (that led to the peace of Brest-Litovsk on March 8) and the combats stopped in Russian territory but not in Ukraine. The [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]] assigned to Ukraine a part of [[Belorussia]] (March 8), that however lost part of Kholm. On March 12, 1917, practically all Ukraine was under Austrian or German control.

The Germans established a government known as the Hetmanate. The President of the Rada, Golubovich, collaborated with the Germans but they favored the landowners and conservative classes while the government was [[Social democratic]]. As the anti-German agitation was increasing and the Rada was expressing more and more opposition to the occupation regime, the German Army performed a coup d'état. On April 29 the Parliament or Rada elected Michael Hrushewsky as first president of the Republic. The following day the German forces, with the collaboration of the Cossacks of the Hetman Skoropadsky, performed a ''[[coup d'état]]''. Hrushevsky and other members of the Rada were jailed. Martial law was proclaimed. At the head of the government was put the Hetman Paulov Skoropadsky. The state was supported by the Ukrainian cosacs and some military organizations, after the disbandment of the Central Rada of the People's Republic of Ukraine, in the context of the First World War, and was maintained until December 14 of the same year. The outstanding political figure was General [[Pavlo Skoropadsky|Pavló Skoropadskyi]], who personally exercised power over the theoretical proclamation of the country as a [[monarchy]] in opposition to [[Bolsheviks]].<ref name=Hetmanat>{{cite web |url= http://whp057.narod.ru/ukrder.htm |title= ''Hetmanat of Ukraine'' |date= 12-02-2008 |arxiuurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101225015145/http://whp057.narod.ru/ukrder.htm |access-date= 2010-12-25}}</ref>

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In 1919 Kamenskoye was occupied in turn by the Kuban Cossacks, General Anton Denikin of the anti-Bolshevik White army, and the Ukrainian anarchist Nestor ~~Makhno’s~~ Green army. In the area of Guliay-Pole an 'anarchist state' was proclaimed. Makhno fought against the Germans, against the monarchist White armies (on the side of the [[Red Army]]), and against the [[Bolshevik]]s. The flags of the 'makhnovtzy' were black with inscriptions "Anarchy is the mother of order" [Anarkhiya - mat' poriadka] and other inscriptions, or plain black or red-black.

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In 1919 Kamenskoye was occupied in turn by the Kuban Cossacks, General Anton Denikin of the anti-Bolshevik White army, and the Ukrainian anarchist Nestor Makhno's Green army. In the area of Guliay-Pole an 'anarchist state' was proclaimed. Makhno fought against the Germans, against the monarchist White armies (on the side of the [[Red Army]]), and against the [[Bolshevik]]s. The flags of the 'makhnovtzy' were black with inscriptions "Anarchy is the mother of order" [Anarkhiya - mat' poriadka] and other inscriptions, or plain black or red-black.

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The political transformation of the [[Eastern Europe]] after 1918 was a direct result of the collapse of the [[German Second Empire]] and the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]] during the last months of 1918, as well as due to the unsettled western borders of the ex-[[Russian Empire]] which collapsed in 1917 and which was the midst of revolution and civil war. Most of the boundary changes in Eastern Europe after [[World War I]] resulted from decisions reached by the [[Triple Entente]] powers ([[Western Allied]] and Associated Powers during WWI) at the [[Paris Peace Conference]] that began in early 1919 resulting in five peace treaties, which were named after the castles outside Paris where they were finalized and signed.

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On November 1, 1918, when the rule of Austria-Hungary collapsed in the region of '''East Galicia''', Ukrainian political workers from [[West Galicia]] opposed Polish ambitions to unite the whole region of Galicia (Western and Eastern) into a new [[Second Polish Republic]], and organized a [[coup]]. Local Ukrainian [[nationalist]] leaders proclaimed the independence of the West Ukrainian National ~~People’s~~ Republic. Helped by Ukrainian national units, they succeeded in occupying Lvov and other cities in East Galicia. This new state claimed the whole of East Galicia (eastward from the San River with [[Lwów]]) to be Ukrainian followed by [[North Bukovina]] and [[Carpathian Rus']] (Ruthenia). However, these territorial claims immediately were challenged by local [[Pole]]s who fought to unite Galicia with the newly resurrected Polish state. Consequently, the result was a Polish-Ukrainian War that lasted from November 1918 until the summer of 1919, when the Galician-West Ukrainian [[military]] detachments were expelled from East Galicia which finally became a part of the interwar (~~1919-1939~~) Polish Second Republic.

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On November 1, 1918, when the rule of Austria-Hungary collapsed in the region of '''East Galicia''', Ukrainian political workers from [[West Galicia]] opposed Polish ambitions to unite the whole region of Galicia (Western and Eastern) into a new [[Second Polish Republic]], and organized a [[coup]]. Local Ukrainian [[nationalist]] leaders proclaimed the independence of the West Ukrainian National People's Republic. Helped by Ukrainian national units, they succeeded in occupying Lvov and other cities in East Galicia. This new state claimed the whole of East Galicia (eastward from the San River with [[Lwów]]) to be Ukrainian followed by [[North Bukovina]] and [[Carpathian Rus']] (Ruthenia). However, these territorial claims immediately were challenged by local [[Pole]]s who fought to unite Galicia with the newly resurrected Polish state. Consequently, the result was a Polish-Ukrainian War that lasted from November 1918 until the summer of 1919, when the Galician-West Ukrainian [[military]] detachments were expelled from East Galicia which finally became a part of the interwar (1919–1939) Polish Second Republic.

For the Ukrainian side in the conflict, the crucial problem was that the West Ukrainian political-military leaders did not succeed in mobilizing the biggest part of the Ukrainian peasantry for their course as the [[peasant]]s have been much more involved in their [[economic]] for existence than the [[political]] interests. Another problem/question Was how much they have felt themselves as “Ukrainians” at all in order to fight against the Poles. In such a political situation, in order to attract the peasants for the Ukrainian course, the [[Ukrainian nationalist]]s tried to make use of some [[social]]-economic slogans and, therefore, promised the peasantry an [[agricultural]] reform after the war–distribution of [[land]] (the [[Bolshevik|Russian Bolshevik]]s were propagating the same at the same time). Nevertheless, the Ukrainian nationalists used all means of force for the reason to [[mobilize]] the peasants of West Ukraine for the Ukrainian military to fight Poles in East Galicia.

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The situation in Soviet Ukraine under Communist control were sharply different. The communists gave a privileged position to manual labor, the largest class in the cities, where Russians dominated. The typical worker was more attached to class identity than to ethnicity. Although there were incidents of ethnic friction among workers (in addition to Ukrainians and Russians there were Poles, Germans, Jews, and others in the Ukrainian workforce), industrial laborers had already adopted Russian culture and language to a significant extent. Workers whose ethnicity was Ukrainian were not attracted to campaigns of Ukrainianization or de-Russification in meaningful numbers, but remained loyal members of the Soviet working class. There was no significant antagonism between workers identifying themselves as Ukrainian or Russian; however, anti-Semitism was widespread.

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Moscow encouraged a national renaissance in literature and the arts, under the aegis of the Ukrainization policy pursued by the national Communist leadership of Mykola Skrypnyk (~~1872-1933~~).

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Moscow encouraged a national renaissance in literature and the arts, under the aegis of the Ukrainization policy pursued by the national Communist leadership of Mykola Skrypnyk (1872–1933).

Reconstruction proceeded rapidly in the late 1940s and the 1950s, as the Soviets needed the food and raw materials of Ukraine. Political repression of nationally conscious Ukrainians also intensified. The widespread acculturation and assimilation of the Soviet Jews by the 1930s led Stalin to consider the "Jewish question" as settled; he now viewed the Jews as a national rather than a religious group. With the influx of Jews into the Ukraine and Russia from Poland, the Baltic states, Bessarabia, and Bukovina following the Hitler-Stalin Pact of 1939, there followed an intensification of Jewish religious activity, and the reopening of many synagogues. However, political unrest preceding the creation of the state of Israel unleashed Stalin's massive repression against Jews during the "black years" of 1948–53. Suspected of Zionism and cosmopolitanism, Jews were systematically removed from positions of leadership in culture, science, medicine, politics, and economics. The anti-Semitic campaign ended only with the death of Stalin in March 1953.

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see [[Ukrainian Famine]]

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With Stalin's change of course in the late 1920s, however, Moscow's toleration of Ukrainian national identity came to an end. Systematic state terror of the 1930s destroyed Ukraine's writers, artists, and intellectuals; the Communist Party of Ukraine was purged of its "nationalist deviationists"; and the peasantry was crushed by means of collectivization, resulting in the [[Great Famine]] or "Holodomor" (Голодомор) of 1932–1933, which claimed some 3-7 million lives as crops failed and remaining food wtocks were forcibly removed by the government. Besides Ukraine, [[Kazakhstan]] and the Volga region were also hit by the famine. Stalin had full knowledge of the destructive force of the famine. It was a by-product of his war on the peasantry that began with collectivization and dekulakization and as an attempt to eradicate peasant culture in its entirety. Ellman explains the causes for the excess deaths in rural areas of Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan during ~~1931-34~~ by dividing the causes into three groups: objective nonpolicy-related factors, like the drought of 1931 and poor weather in 1932; inadvertent result of policies with other objectives, like rapid industrialization, socialization of livestock, and neglected crop rotation patterns; and deaths caused intentionally by a starvation policy. The Communist leadership perceived famine not as a humanitarian catastrophe but as a means of [[class struggle]] and used starvation as a punishment tool to teach peasants to work well in the collective farms.<ref>Michael Ellman, "The Role of Leadership Perceptions and of Intent in the Soviet Famine of 1931-1934." ''Europe-Asia Studies'' 2005 57(6): 823-841. Issn: 0966-8136 Fulltext in [[Ebsco]]</ref>

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With Stalin's change of course in the late 1920s, however, Moscow's toleration of Ukrainian national identity came to an end. Systematic state terror of the 1930s destroyed Ukraine's writers, artists, and intellectuals; the Communist Party of Ukraine was purged of its "nationalist deviationists"; and the peasantry was crushed by means of collectivization, resulting in the [[Great Famine]] or "Holodomor" (Голодомор) of 1932–1933, which claimed some 3-7 million lives as crops failed and remaining food wtocks were forcibly removed by the government. Besides Ukraine, [[Kazakhstan]] and the Volga region were also hit by the famine. Stalin had full knowledge of the destructive force of the famine. It was a by-product of his war on the peasantry that began with collectivization and dekulakization and as an attempt to eradicate peasant culture in its entirety. Ellman explains the causes for the excess deaths in rural areas of Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan during 1931–34 by dividing the causes into three groups: objective nonpolicy-related factors, like the drought of 1931 and poor weather in 1932; inadvertent result of policies with other objectives, like rapid industrialization, socialization of livestock, and neglected crop rotation patterns; and deaths caused intentionally by a starvation policy. The Communist leadership perceived famine not as a humanitarian catastrophe but as a means of [[class struggle]] and used starvation as a punishment tool to teach peasants to work well in the collective farms.<ref>Michael Ellman, "The Role of Leadership Perceptions and of Intent in the Soviet Famine of 1931-1934." ''Europe-Asia Studies'' 2005 57(6): 823-841. Issn: 0966-8136 Fulltext in [[Ebsco]]</ref>

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It was largely the same groups of individuals who were responsible for the mass killing operations during the civil war, collectivization, and the Great Terror. These groups were associated with Efim Georgievich Evdokimov (~~1891-1939~~) and operated in Ukraine during the civil war, in the North Caucasus in the 1920s, and in the Secret Operational Division within General State Political Administration (OGPU) in 1929–31. Evdokimov transferred into Communist Party administration in 1934, when he became Party secretary for North Caucasus Krai. But he appears to have continued advising Joseph Stalin and Nikolai Yezhov on security matters, and the latter relied on Evdokimov's former colleagues to carry out the mass killing operations that are known as the Great Terror in 1937–38.<ref>Stephen G. Wheatcroft, "Agency and Terror: Evdokimov and Mass Killing in Stalin's Great Terror." ''Australian Journal of Politics and History'' 2007 53(1): 20-43. Issn: 0004-9522 Fulltext in [[Ebsco]]; Robert Conquest, ''The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet collectivization and the terror-famine'' (1986). Mark B. Tauger, "The 1932 Harvest and the Famine of 1933" ''Slavic Review'', Vol. 50, No. 1 (Spring, 1991), pp. 70-89, notes the harvest was unusually poor. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0037-6779(199121)50%3A1%3C70%3AT1HATF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H online in JSTOR]; R. W. Davies, M. B. Tauger, S. G. Wheatcroft, "Stalin, Grain Stocks and the Famine of 1932-1933," ''Slavic Review,'' Vol. 54, No. 3 (Autumn, 1995), pp. 642-657 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0037-6779(199523)54%3A3%3C642%3ASGSATF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7]; online in JSTOR; Michael Ellman. "Stalin and the Soviet famine of 1932-33 Revisited," ''Europe-Asia Studies,'' Volume 59, Issue 4 June 2007 , pages 663-93.</ref>

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It was largely the same groups of individuals who were responsible for the mass killing operations during the civil war, collectivization, and the Great Terror. These groups were associated with Efim Georgievich Evdokimov (1891–1939) and operated in Ukraine during the civil war, in the North Caucasus in the 1920s, and in the Secret Operational Division within General State Political Administration (OGPU) in 1929–31. Evdokimov transferred into Communist Party administration in 1934, when he became Party secretary for North Caucasus Krai. But he appears to have continued advising Joseph Stalin and Nikolai Yezhov on security matters, and the latter relied on Evdokimov's former colleagues to carry out the mass killing operations that are known as the Great Terror in 1937–38.<ref>Stephen G. Wheatcroft, "Agency and Terror: Evdokimov and Mass Killing in Stalin's Great Terror." ''Australian Journal of Politics and History'' 2007 53(1): 20-43. Issn: 0004-9522 Fulltext in [[Ebsco]]; Robert Conquest, ''The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet collectivization and the terror-famine'' (1986). Mark B. Tauger, "The 1932 Harvest and the Famine of 1933" ''Slavic Review'', Vol. 50, No. 1 (Spring, 1991), pp. 70-89, notes the harvest was unusually poor. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0037-6779(199121)50%3A1%3C70%3AT1HATF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H online in JSTOR]; R. W. Davies, M. B. Tauger, S. G. Wheatcroft, "Stalin, Grain Stocks and the Famine of 1932-1933," ''Slavic Review,'' Vol. 54, No. 3 (Autumn, 1995), pp. 642-657 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0037-6779(199523)54%3A3%3C642%3ASGSATF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7]; online in JSTOR; Michael Ellman. "Stalin and the Soviet famine of 1932-33 Revisited," ''Europe-Asia Studies,'' Volume 59, Issue 4 June 2007 , pages 663-93.</ref>

===Nazi collaboration: 1941-1945===

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By mid-1941, the Ukrainian SSR had the largest population of Jews in Europe. The addition of the eastern provinces of Poland in late 1939 as well as the seizure of sections of Romanian territory in June 1940 led to some 2.7 million [[Jews]] living within the borders of the newly enlarged republic. About 85% lived in cities. By 1944, 1.6 million of these Jews had died at the hands of the Germans and their allies and auxiliaries. Unlike the majority of the [[Holocaust]]'s victims who died in the industrialized mass murder of the death camps, the overwhelming bulk of Ukraine's Jews died in mass shootings during the initial stages of the war.

[[File:Ukro-nazis-massacre-of-poles-in-volyn.jpg|350px|left|thumb|The [[Volhynia massacre]] was carried out by [[Ukrainian Nazi]]s. The [[UPA]] murdered over 100,000 [[Poles]], mostly [[women]], [[children]] and [[infant]]s in [[Western Ukraine]].<ref>[https://youtu.be/bmMlIix9aI0 Volhynia Massacre: 100,000 Poles Slaughtered in a Forgotten Ethnic Bloodbath], Rethinking WWII, Oct 21, 2025. [[YouTube]].</ref>]]

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The German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 was welcomed by many Ukrainians at first; the [[Stepan Bandera|OUN]] even attempted to establish a government under German auspices. Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg (~~1893-1946~~) considered Ukraine a strategically important region that should be occupied through capturing the hearts and minds of the Ukrainians. According to Rosenberg, everything should have been done to make the Ukrainians view the Germans as liberators. Though he presented his views on different occasions, [[Adolf Hitler]]'s anti-Slavic racial views prevailed and overrode strategic considerations, leading to a harsh occupation. Very soon the realization that Nazi policies were brutal toward all the Ukrainians, and not only the Jews and Communists, drove most Ukrainians into opposition to the Nazis. Germany forced many Ukrainians to work within the so-called Reichskommissariat Ukraine (RKU) on tasks such as agriculture, road and railway building, and the construction of fortifications. The German authorities soon faced a serious local labor shortage, especially among skilled workers, as a result of Soviet evacuations before the invasion, the ongoing murder of the Jewish population, and the brutal recruitment, arrest, and deportation of other groups, usually with the cooperation of the local civilian, military, and police authorities. The pool of labor was further reduced as the Germans lost territory in the later stages of the conflict. Nazi administrator Fritz Sauckel's labor recruitment measures strained relations with local officials responsible for selecting the deportees, leading to bribery and corruption. The Kiev area was the main focus for recruitment and deportation, along with the Vinnitsa region of central Ukraine. Over a million locals and prisoners of war were forced into labor in the Ukrainian coal mines in the Donbas region ([[Donets Basin]]). The forced laborers endured fines, starvation, imprisonment, beatings, and hanging, but also had better chances for more food, money, and mobility.

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The German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 was welcomed by many Ukrainians at first; the [[Stepan Bandera|OUN]] even attempted to establish a government under German auspices. Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg (1893–1946) considered Ukraine a strategically important region that should be occupied through capturing the hearts and minds of the Ukrainians. According to Rosenberg, everything should have been done to make the Ukrainians view the Germans as liberators. Though he presented his views on different occasions, [[Adolf Hitler]]'s anti-Slavic racial views prevailed and overrode strategic considerations, leading to a harsh occupation. Very soon the realization that Nazi policies were brutal toward all the Ukrainians, and not only the Jews and Communists, drove most Ukrainians into opposition to the Nazis. Germany forced many Ukrainians to work within the so-called Reichskommissariat Ukraine (RKU) on tasks such as agriculture, road and railway building, and the construction of fortifications. The German authorities soon faced a serious local labor shortage, especially among skilled workers, as a result of Soviet evacuations before the invasion, the ongoing murder of the Jewish population, and the brutal recruitment, arrest, and deportation of other groups, usually with the cooperation of the local civilian, military, and police authorities. The pool of labor was further reduced as the Germans lost territory in the later stages of the conflict. Nazi administrator Fritz Sauckel's labor recruitment measures strained relations with local officials responsible for selecting the deportees, leading to bribery and corruption. The Kiev area was the main focus for recruitment and deportation, along with the Vinnitsa region of central Ukraine. Over a million locals and prisoners of war were forced into labor in the Ukrainian coal mines in the Donbas region ([[Donets Basin]]). The forced laborers endured fines, starvation, imprisonment, beatings, and hanging, but also had better chances for more food, money, and mobility.

In Ukraine, Belarus, and western Russia the first stage of partisan development, from 1941 to the fall of 1942, was uncoordinated and resulted in a great many losses. The second stage, late 1942 to 1944, was better coordinated; partisan groups were better defined, and relatively large-scale operations were carried out, often in cooperation with the Red Army. Organized leadership and cadres were created, various forms of actions (such as diversions, sabotage, and direct attacks) were developed; the Germans responded with vicious punitive activities against the partisans. In all, more than 1.3 million partisans took part in actions in Germany's rear in 6,200 units; more than 300,000 received decorations for their actions. The OUN created a nationalist partisan fighting force, the [[Ukrainian Insurgent Army]] (UPA); many Ukrainians also joined the Soviet partisans and fought in the Soviet Army against the Germans. After [[World War II]], the OUN and the UPA continued a hopeless guerrilla struggle against Soviet rule until 1953. The devastation caused by the war included major destruction in over 700 cities and towns and 28,000 villages.

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===Failed color revolution: 2004===

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Kuchma's second term in office as president (~~1999-2004~~) was characterized by the collapse of the national democratic-centrist alliance, the "Kuchmagate" crisis, the rise of a non-Communist opposition in the 2002 elections, and the election of [[Viktor Yushchenko]] in 2004 following the [[Open Society Foundations]]' [[Orange Revolution]]. The deep divisions that have become evident under Yushchenko had their origins in Ukraine's regionalism, the "Kuchmagate" crisis, antiregime protests, and different attitudes to dealing with the past. The country is divided by linguistic and regional cleavages that appear sharply in regional polarization in national elections. These divisions have led to constant questioning of the viability of the Ukrainian state and predictions of violence and civil war. Secessionist movements have made few inroads, however, and violence has been nonexistent. Because the Russian "minority" group in Ukraine is actually quite large, it has immense influence in the state without resort to regional autonomy or secession. The balance of power between Ukraine's regions and ethnic groups has ensured that neither side has dominated. This does not make for rapid reform.

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Kuchma's second term in office as president (1999–2004) was characterized by the collapse of the national democratic-centrist alliance, the "Kuchmagate" crisis, the rise of a non-Communist opposition in the 2002 elections, and the election of [[Viktor Yushchenko]] in 2004 following the [[Open Society Foundations]]' [[Orange Revolution]]. The deep divisions that have become evident under Yushchenko had their origins in Ukraine's regionalism, the "Kuchmagate" crisis, antiregime protests, and different attitudes to dealing with the past. The country is divided by linguistic and regional cleavages that appear sharply in regional polarization in national elections. These divisions have led to constant questioning of the viability of the Ukrainian state and predictions of violence and civil war. Secessionist movements have made few inroads, however, and violence has been nonexistent. Because the Russian "minority" group in Ukraine is actually quite large, it has immense influence in the state without resort to regional autonomy or secession. The balance of power between Ukraine's regions and ethnic groups has ensured that neither side has dominated. This does not make for rapid reform.

The campaign leading to the October 31, 2004 presidential election was characterized by widespread violations of democratic norms, including government intimidation of the opposition and of independent media, abuse of state administrative resources, highly skewed media coverage, and numerous provocations. The two major candidates—Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leader (and former Prime Minister) Viktor Yushchenko—each garnered between 39% and 40% of the vote and proceeded to a winner-take-all second round. The November 21 runoff election was marred by credible reports of widespread and significant violations, including illegal expulsion of opposition representatives from election commissions, multiple voting by busloads of people, abuse of absentee ballots, reports of coercion of votes in schools and prisons, and an abnormally high number of (easily manipulated) mobile ballot box votes. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Kyiv and other cities to protest electoral fraud and express support for Yushchenko, and conducted ongoing peaceful demonstrations during what came to be known as the "Orange Revolution."

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===Decommunization===

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[[File:Ukrainians Tear Down Lenin Statue in Kharkiv.jpg|thumbnail|380px|left|Coup Activists Tear Down the Statue of the [[Marxist]] [[Dictator]] and [[Tyrant]], [[Vladimir Lenin]] in [[Kharkiv]] in 2014.]]

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[[File:Ukrainians Tear Down Lenin Statue in Kharkiv.jpg|thumbnail|380px|left|Coup Activists Tear Down the Statue of the [[Marxist]] [[Dictator]] and [[Tyrant]], [[Vladimir Lenin]] in [[Kharkiv]] in 2014.]]

[[File:From Lenin to Darth Vader in Ukraine.jpeg|250px|thumbnail|right|Lenin statue converted into [[Darth Vader]] in 2015 in [[Odessa]], Ukraine.<ref name=DarthVader>{{cite web|url=https://www.fox5ny.com/news/lenin-statue-replaced-by-darth-vader-in-ukraine|title=Lenin statue replaced by Darth Vader in Ukraine|date=October 24, 2015|publisher=Fox5 News}}</ref>]]

After the fall of the USRR, Ukraine has started a cultural Decommunization process.<ref name=Marples>{{cite web|author=David R. Marples|url=https://src-h.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/publictn/acta/39/pp.%201%E2%80%9322.pdf|title=Decommunization, Memory Laws, and “Builders of Ukraine in the 20th Century”|date=2018}}</ref> Since the Holodomor is present in the national memory, many ethnic Ukrainians are very [[Anticommunist]] and have torn down several statues of the [[Marxist]] [[Dictator]], [[Vladimir Lenin]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/patriotic-ukrainians-tear-down-lenin-statue-116479|publisher=artnet|date=September 29, 2014|title=Patriotic Ukrainians Tear Down Lenin Statue}}</ref> or transforming them into characters such as [[Darth Vader]].<ref name=DarthVader/> The country has removed all 1,320 statues of Lenin. Ukraine has successfully carried out the process, similar to other post-communist countries like [[Hungary]], and unlike Russia.

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The process also included the ban of communist parties since 2015.<ref name=GoodbyeLenin>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32267075|title=Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols|date=14 April 2015|publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref name=BanSovietEra>{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20150516-ukraine-bans-soviet-communist-symbols|title=Ukraine bans Soviet-era symbols|publisher=France24|date=May 16, 2015}}</ref>

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In 2023 the Marxist [[Hammer and Sickle]] symbol was removed from the emblematic ''Mother Ukraine'' giant statue being replaced by the national coat of arms,<ref name=Motherland~~>{{cite web|url=https:~~//www.foxnews.com/world/ukraine-strips-hammer-sickle-gigantic-motherland-monument-replace-state-trident|title=Ukraine strips hammer and sickle from gigantic 'Motherland' monument, replace with state trident|date=August 8, 2023|publisher=Fox News}}</ref> (See [[History of Ukraine#Coat of Arms]])

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In 2023 the Marxist [[Hammer and Sickle]] symbol was removed from the emblematic ''Mother Ukraine'' giant statue being replaced by the national coat of arms,<ref name=Motherland/> (See [[History of Ukraine#Coat of Arms]])

Also cities and streets were renamed to remove Marxist references. In the city of Dnepropetrovsk, a street was renamed after American [[pornographic]] film star John Holmes via a "democratic" phone-in poll at a [[TV]] station. Similar instance occurred throughout newly independent, sovereign and democratic Ukraine.

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In 2010 [[Viktor Yanukovych]] and his pro-Russian "Party of Regions" won the free, fair, open and [[democracy|democratic]] presidential election certified by the [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] (OSCE).

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On June 23, 2011, two emissaries of the [[Obama administration]] — the head of [[Google]], [[Eric Schmidt]], and his aide, and former subordinate to Hillary Clinton in the U.S. State Department, [[Jared Cohen]] — visited [[Julian Assange]] at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, pretending to be on his side, while deceiving him to reveal to them ways to reach out online to members of Ukraine's pro-nazi organizations in order to generate mobs for the demonstrations which were to be organized on Kiev's Maidan Square to overthrow Ukraine's ~~President~~.<ref>https://archive.fo/wip/PYiwx</ref><ref>https://www.transcend.org/tms/2018/06/how-and-why-the-us-government-perpetrated-the-2014-coup-in-ukraine/</ref>

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On June 23, 2011, two emissaries of the [[Obama administration]] — the head of [[Google]], [[Eric Schmidt]], and his aide, and former subordinate to Hillary Clinton in the U.S. State Department, [[Jared Cohen]] — visited [[Julian Assange]] at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, pretending to be on his side, while deceiving him to reveal to them ways to reach out online to members of Ukraine's pro-nazi organizations in order to generate mobs for the demonstrations which were to be organized on Kiev's Maidan Square to overthrow Ukraine's president.<ref>https://archive.fo/wip/PYiwx</ref><ref>https://www.transcend.org/tms/2018/06/how-and-why-the-us-government-perpetrated-the-2014-coup-in-ukraine/</ref>

In the same month the Obama administration quietly put out for bid to American contractors their planned project to renovate a school in [[Sevastopol]], in [[Crimea]], in Ukraine, in the location where Russia since 1783 had (and still has) its largest naval base:

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At the time the call leaked, media were quick to pounce on Nuland's saying “F**k the EU” when Pyatt asked if the EU should be advised. Member states of the EU, particularly [[France]] and [[Germany]], were deeply involved in negotiating a peaceful resolution to the civil strife. But the United States acted alone without consultation of its allies, presenting them with a ''fait accompli''. The comment dominated the headlines (Daily Beast, 2/6/14; BuzzFeed, 2/6/14; Atlantic, 2/6/14; Guardian, 2/6/14), while the evidence of US regime change efforts was downplayed. With the headline “Russia Claims US Is Meddling Over Ukraine,” the ''New York Times'' (2/6/14) put the facts of US involvement in the mouth of an official enemy, blunting their impact on the audience. ''The Times'' (2/6/14) later described the two officials as benignly “talking about the political crisis in Kiev” and sharing “their views of how it might be resolved.”

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''[[The Washington Post]]'' (2/6/14) acknowledged that the call showed “a deep degree of US involvement in affairs that Washington officially says are Ukraine’s to resolve,” but that fact rarely factored into future coverage of the US/Ukraine/Russia relationship.<ref>https://fair.org/home/what-you-should-really-know-about-ukraine/</ref>

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''[[The Washington Post]]'' (2/6/14) acknowledged that the call showed “a deep degree of US involvement in affairs that Washington officially says are Ukraine’s to resolve,” but that fact rarely factored into future coverage of the US/Ukraine/Russia relationship.<ref name="fair.org">https://fair.org/home/what-you-should-really-know-about-ukraine/</ref>

On February 6, 2014, Nuland met with neo-Nazi leader [[Oleh Tyahnybok]] and other ringleaders who assumed power after the ''coup''.<ref>http://in.reuters.com/article/ukraine-call-idINDEEA1704520140208</ref> Tyahnybok leads the [[Svoboda]] party. In 2004 Tyahnybok was kicked out of the ruling parliamentary faction after giving a speech calling for a fight against the "[[Muscovite-Jewish mafia]]." In 2005 Tyahnybok signed an open letter to Ukrainian leaders calling for the government to halt the "criminal activities" of "organized Jewry", which was spreading its influence through organizations such as the [[Anti-Defamation League]] which ultimately wanted to commit "[[genocide]]" against the Ukrainian people.<ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20824693</ref> DCLeaks published Soros emails arranging a meeting between [[George Soros]] and Tyahnbok. Soros, an 84-year-old self-admitted collaborator with the Nazi deportations of [[Jew]]s from [[Budapest]] to [[Auschwitz]] organized by [[Adolf Eichmann]],<ref>https://youtu.be/aSeI1f3uERI</ref> parlayed his looted property of [[Holocaust]] victims' into a $25 billion personal fortune after [[World War II]].

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Since the [[Battle of Stalingrad]] in 1942 it should be clear to anyone,<ref>https://youtu.be/RC4fE6sm4r8</ref> Russia will never allow an aggressive and hostile military force, such as NATO transformed itself into in the Obama era, to ally itself or encamp within the Ukraine.

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On February 27, 2014, Russian soldiers landed in [[Crimea]].<ref>https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/02/27/283481587/crimea-a-gift-to-ukraine-becomes-a-political-flash-point</ref> Because some of the people currently living in Crimea are ethnic Russians, there was a dispute whether Crimea belongs to Ukraine or to Russia.<ref>https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-warns-russia-over-military-moves-crimea</ref> On March 11, 2014, Crimea declared its independence from Ukraine.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578160/Ukraines-fugitive-president-blasts-bandit-regime-says-country-heading-civil-war.html</ref> The Crimean Peninsula—82% of whose households speak Russian, and only 2% mainly Ukrainian—held a plebiscite on March 16, 2014, on whether or not they should join Russia, or remain under the new Ukrainian government. The Pro-Russia camp won with 95% of the vote. The UN General Assembly, led by the US, voted to ignore the referendum results on the grounds that it was contrary to Ukraine's constitution. This same constitution had been set aside to oust [[President Yanukovych]] a month earlier.<ref~~>https://~~fair.org/~~home/what-you-should-really-know-about-ukraine/</ref~~>

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On February 27, 2014, Russian soldiers landed in [[Crimea]].<ref>https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/02/27/283481587/crimea-a-gift-to-ukraine-becomes-a-political-flash-point</ref> Because some of the people currently living in Crimea are ethnic Russians, there was a dispute whether Crimea belongs to Ukraine or to Russia.<ref>https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-warns-russia-over-military-moves-crimea</ref> On March 11, 2014, Crimea declared its independence from Ukraine.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578160/Ukraines-fugitive-president-blasts-bandit-regime-says-country-heading-civil-war.html</ref> The Crimean Peninsula—82% of whose households speak Russian, and only 2% mainly Ukrainian—held a plebiscite on March 16, 2014, on whether or not they should join Russia, or remain under the new Ukrainian government. The Pro-Russia camp won with 95% of the vote. The UN General Assembly, led by the US, voted to ignore the referendum results on the grounds that it was contrary to Ukraine's constitution. This same constitution had been set aside to oust [[President Yanukovych]] a month earlier.<ref name="fair.org"/>

In response to the annexation, Sen. John McCain introduced the [[Magnitsky Act]] granting the president power to impose sanctions against persons anywhere in the world at his discretion. On March 6, 2015, the German government expressed concern over Washington warhawks aggressive stance toward resolving crisis in Ukraine, and accused Obama's NATO commander of using false data to inflate and exaggerate size of "Russian threat".<ref>http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/germany-concerned-about-aggressive-nato-stance-on-ukraine-a-1022193.html</ref>

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|[[File:Revolution of Dignity 2.jpg|210px]]

|-

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|colspan="3"|<hr/>'''Left''' Ukrainian girls mixing [[Molotov cocktail]]s '''Right''' Ukrainian girls carrying Molotov cocktails to the Odessa Trade Unions House in Ukrainian flag.<ref>https://archive.fo/29yFk</ref>

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|colspan="3"|<hr/>'''Left''' Ukrainian girls mixing [[Molotov cocktail]]s '''Right''' Ukrainian girls carrying Molotov cocktails to the Odessa Trade Unions House in Ukrainian flag.<ref name="archive.fo">https://archive.fo/29yFk</ref>

|}

With particular cruelty, 48 people protesting against the "Maidan" were brutally killed.<ref>[https://youtu.be/wuOptWUTR3w Odessa, Ukraine: Right sector attacks trade union building, kills 43], Ukraine Human Rights</ref> They were primarily Russians born in Ukraine who believed in the ideas of [[Western]] liberal democracy and non-violent protest. According to unofficial data, there are about 300 dead people, including women and children. About 3,000 Nazis were organized and placed at the site of the provocation in advance. As of 2022 when the [[Special Military Operation]] commenced, no perpetrators were ever prosecuted. There was a complete indifference to the lives of civilians. "Those who are not Ukrainians burned down," was commonly heard in Kyiv.

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On April 16, 2014 ''[[Forbes]]'' reported Obama CIA Dir. [[John Brennan]]'s visited the new undemocratically elected [[Obama administration]]-backed regime in Kyiv.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/melikkaylan/2014/04/16/why-cia-director-brennan-visited-kiev-in-ukraine-the-covert-war-has-begun/#248cdd8510cb</ref> Two weeks later on May 2, 2014, Ukrainian nationalists murdered at least 48 Russians, in the Odessa Trades Union Building.<ref>https://www.opednews.com/populum/pagem.php?f=Odessa--the-First-Pogrom-by-George-Eliason-Activism-Anti-War_Civil-Disobedience_Class-War_Obama-Warmonger-140507-595.html</ref>

[[File:Odessa massacre.PNG|left|500px|thumb|Pregnant strangled Russian woman, left. Victorious Ukrainian Nazis in the next room over, right.]]

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According to eyewitnesses the Maidan fascists outnumbered the anti-Kyiv protesters 10 to 1. First the Maidan activists burnt down the tents of anti-Kiev regime protesters outside the building. The anti-Kiev protesters retreated into the building and tried to blockade the door. A group of Maidan girls filled up Molotov cocktails.<ref~~>https://~~archive.fo/~~29yFk</ref~~> The Maidan protesters began throwing Molotov cocktails. Soon the building was engulfed in flames. The Maidan fascist crowd began cheering as they set the building ablaze and beat those who tried to escape. A Maidan activist was shooting at people trying to escape from the windows.<ref>https://youtu.be/s-bpkx0d1fM</ref> A fire station less than a kilometer away couldn't respond. The Maidan activists blocked the lone fire truck and wouldn't let the firefighters operate.

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According to eyewitnesses the Maidan fascists outnumbered the anti-Kyiv protesters 10 to 1. First the Maidan activists burnt down the tents of anti-Kiev regime protesters outside the building. The anti-Kiev protesters retreated into the building and tried to blockade the door. A group of Maidan girls filled up Molotov cocktails.<ref name="archive.fo"/> The Maidan protesters began throwing Molotov cocktails. Soon the building was engulfed in flames. The Maidan fascist crowd began cheering as they set the building ablaze and beat those who tried to escape. A Maidan activist was shooting at people trying to escape from the windows.<ref>https://youtu.be/s-bpkx0d1fM</ref> A fire station less than a kilometer away couldn't respond. The Maidan activists blocked the lone fire truck and wouldn't let the firefighters operate.

Some eyewitnesses claim the real number is over a hundred. The bodies were removed and buried in secret. Survivors of the fire inside the building were executed with bullets to the head. Some were beaten to death with clubs when they jumped from windows of the burning building. A pregnant woman was strangled.<ref>https://archive.fo/Gt4UV</ref> The Western-backed Kyiv regime covered up the atrocities, most victims being ethnic Russian citizens of Ukraine.

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==Zelensky regime==

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[[File:Volodymyr Zelensky, Justin Trudeau, and Chrystia Freeland applaud Yaroslav Hunka of the Waffen SS Galicia Division during a session of the Canadian Parliament September 24 2023.PNG|right|300|thumb|[[Volodymyr Zelensky]], [[~~Justin_Trudeau~~#~~Support_for_Nazism~~|Justin Trudeau]], and [[Chrystia Freeland]] applaud Yaroslav Hunka of the [[Waffen SS Galicia Division]] during a session of the Canadian Parliament, September 24, 2023.]]

+

[[File:Volodymyr Zelensky, Justin Trudeau, and Chrystia Freeland applaud Yaroslav Hunka of the Waffen SS Galicia Division during a session of the Canadian Parliament September 24 2023.PNG|right|300|thumb|[[Volodymyr Zelensky]], [[Justin Trudeau#Support for Nazism|Justin Trudeau]], and [[Chrystia Freeland]] applaud Yaroslav Hunka of the [[Waffen SS Galicia Division]] during a session of the Canadian Parliament, September 24, 2023.]]

In late September 2023 Canadian dictator [[Justin Trudeau]] and House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota welcomed Zelensky to address the Canadian parliament. A former officer of the [[14th Waffen SS Galicia Division]] named Yaroslav Hunka was also invited to attend the address. Speaker Rota praised Hunka as a “Canadian hero” for fighting against the [[Soviet Union]], which was an ally of Canada, the United States, and the British Commonwealth during [[World War II]]. The [[Allies of World War II]], including Canada, were fighting the armed forces of [[Nazi Germany]], of which the Hunka and the [[14th SS Galicia Division]] were part. More than 45,000 Canadians were killed fighting Nazi forces.

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In his interview with [[Tucker Carlson]] on February 8, 2024, Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] explained the origins of the Ukrainian state with the following statements.<ref>https://theduran.com/full-transcript-the-interview-of-president-putin-with-tucker-carlson-video/</ref>

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'''Vladimir Putin:''' ~~Let’s~~ look where our relationship with Ukraine started from. Where does Ukraine come from?

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'''Vladimir Putin:''' Let's look where our relationship with Ukraine started from. Where does Ukraine come from?

The Russian state started to exist as a centralized state in 862. This is considered to be the year of creation of the Russian state because this year the townspeople of Novgorod (a city in the North-West of the country) invited Rurik, a Varangian prince from Scandinavia, to reign. In 1862, Russia celebrated the 1000th anniversary of its statehood, and in Novgorod there is a memorial dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the country.<ref>[[Sefdom]] was abolished in the [[Russian Empire]] with the Emancipation of Serfdom edict in 1862 to commemorate the founding of the Russian state, one year in advance of [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s [[Emancipation Proclamation]]. Many historians speculate and claim that Lincoln was inspired and motivated to free [[African American]] [[slave]]s by the Czar's actions a year earlier. [[Solzhenitsyn]] citing the 1862 Emancipation edict was a central theme in his struggle against the Soviet authority, which eventually ended in the Soviet power's demise. *[https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/26/archives/solzhenitsyn-i-am-not-a-serf.html Solzhenitsyn: I Am Not a Serf’], ''[[New York Times]]'', August 26, 1973. *[https://www.nytimes.com/1974/04/06/archives/solzhenitsyn-says-soviet-is-serfdom.html SOLZHENITSYN SAYS SOVIET IS ‘SERFDOM’], ''New York Times'', April 6, 1974.</ref>

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In 882, ~~Rurik’s~~ successor Prince Oleg, who was, actually, playing the role of regent at ~~Rurik’s~~ young son because Rurik had died by that time, came to Kiev. He ousted two brothers who, apparently, had once been members of ~~Rurik’s~~ squad. So, Russia began to develop with two centers of power, Kiev and Novgorod.

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In 882, Rurik's successor Prince Oleg, who was, actually, playing the role of regent at Rurik's young son because Rurik had died by that time, came to Kiev. He ousted two brothers who, apparently, had once been members of Rurik's squad. So, Russia began to develop with two centers of power, Kiev and Novgorod.

The next, very significant date in the history of Russia, was 988. This was the Baptism of Russia,<ref>"Baptism of Russia" refers to the [[Christianity|Christianization]] of Russia, largely through the efforts of [[St. Cyril]] and [[Methodius]] who translated the [[Bible]] into Russian and invented the Russian, or "Cyrillic" alphabet, giving the Russian people and culture a written language.</ref> when Prince Vladimir, the great-grandson of Rurik, baptized Russia and adopted [[Orthodox Church|Orthodoxy]], or [[Eastern Rite|Eastern Christianity]]. From this time the centralized Russian state began to strengthen. Why? Because of a single territory, integrated economic ties, one and the same language and, after the Baptism of Russia, the same faith and rule of the Prince.<ref>''Cuius regio, eius religio'' (''In the Prince's land, the Prince's religion'') is the cornerstone of the [[Treaty of Westphalia]] and the notion of national or state sovereignty.</ref> The centralized Russian state began to take shape.

−

Back in the Middle Ages, Prince Yaroslav the Wise introduced the order of succession to the throne, but after he passed away, it became complicated for various reasons. The throne was passed not directly from father to eldest son, but from the prince who had passed away to his brother,<ref>In the 20th and 21st centuries, a similar situation developed in the [[House of Saud]], which has been the ruling family of the [[Saudi]] state since 1925. Passing the crown sideways instead of in a linear fashion under the laws of [[primogeniture]] can create numerous claimants or "rightful heirs" to the throne.</ref> then to his sons in different lines. All this led to the fragmentation and the [[~~Kievan_Rus%27~~#~~Decline_of_Rus~~.27|end of Rus’ as a single state]]. There was nothing special about it, the same was happening then in Europe. But the fragmented Russian state became an easy prey to the empire created earlier by [[Genghis Khan]]. His successors, namely, Batu Khan, came to Rus’, plundered and ruined nearly all the cities. The southern part, including Kiev, by the way, and some other cities, simply lost independence, while northern cities preserved some of their sovereignty. They had to pay tribute to the Horde, but they managed to preserve some part of their sovereignty. And then a unified Russian state began to take shape with its centre in Moscow.<ref>In the 13th century the leadership of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] was transferred from Kiev to Moscow due to the [[Mongol invasion]] and became known as the [[Moscow Patriarchate]].</ref>

+

Back in the Middle Ages, Prince Yaroslav the Wise introduced the order of succession to the throne, but after he passed away, it became complicated for various reasons. The throne was passed not directly from father to eldest son, but from the prince who had passed away to his brother,<ref>In the 20th and 21st centuries, a similar situation developed in the [[House of Saud]], which has been the ruling family of the [[Saudi]] state since 1925. Passing the crown sideways instead of in a linear fashion under the laws of [[primogeniture]] can create numerous claimants or "rightful heirs" to the throne.</ref> then to his sons in different lines. All this led to the fragmentation and the [[Kievan Rus'#Decline of Rus.27|end of Rus’ as a single state]]. There was nothing special about it, the same was happening then in Europe. But the fragmented Russian state became an easy prey to the empire created earlier by [[Genghis Khan]]. His successors, namely, Batu Khan, came to Rus’, plundered and ruined nearly all the cities. The southern part, including Kiev, by the way, and some other cities, simply lost independence, while northern cities preserved some of their sovereignty. They had to pay tribute to the Horde, but they managed to preserve some part of their sovereignty. And then a unified Russian state began to take shape with its centre in Moscow.<ref>In the 13th century the leadership of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] was transferred from Kiev to Moscow due to the [[Mongol invasion]] and became known as the [[Moscow Patriarchate]].</ref>

The southern part of the Russian lands, including Kiev, began to gradually gravitate towards another ”magnet“ – the centre that was emerging in Europe. This was the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was even called the Lithuanian-Russian Duchy, because Russians were a significant part of its population. They spoke the Old Russian language and were Orthodox. But then there was a unification, the union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland. A few years later, another union was signed, but this time already in the religious sphere. Some of the Orthodox priests became subordinate to the Pope. Thus, these lands became part of the [[Polish-Lithuanian state]].

−

During decades, the Poles were engaged in the ”Polonization“ of this part of the population: they introduced their language there, tried to entrench the idea that this population was not exactly Russians, that because they lived on the fringe (''u kraya'') they were “Ukrainians”. Originally, the word ‘Ukrainian’ meant that a person was living on the outskirts of the state, near the fringe, or was engaged in border service. It ~~didn’t~~ mean any particular ethnic group.

+

During decades, the Poles were engaged in the ”Polonization“ of this part of the population: they introduced their language there, tried to entrench the idea that this population was not exactly Russians, that because they lived on the fringe (''u kraya'') they were “Ukrainians”. Originally, the word ‘Ukrainian’ meant that a person was living on the outskirts of the state, near the fringe, or was engaged in border service. It didn't mean any particular ethnic group.

[[File:Nazi propaganda from US Embassy Kyiv.jpg|right|500px|thumb|[[Historical revisionism]], [[Russophobia]], and racist [[Nazi]] [[propaganda]] tweeted by the US Embassy in Kyiv, February 22, 2022, two days before the start of the [[special military operation]].<ref>[https://twitter.com/USEmbassyKyiv/status/1496115593149358081 U.S. Embassy Kyiv @USEmbassyKyiv], 6:32 AM · Feb 22, 2022. twitter.com/USEmbassyKyiv</ref>]]

−

So, the Poles were trying in every possible way to polonize this part of the Russian lands and actually treated it rather harshly, not to say cruelly. All that led to the fact that this part of the Russian lands began to struggle for their rights. They wrote letters to Warsaw demanding that their rights be observed and that people be commissioned here, including to ~~Kiev…~~

+

So, the Poles were trying in every possible way to polonize this part of the Russian lands and actually treated it rather harshly, not to say cruelly. All that led to the fact that this part of the Russian lands began to struggle for their rights. They wrote letters to Warsaw demanding that their rights be observed and that people be commissioned here, including to Kiev...

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'''Tucker Carlson:''' I beg your pardon, can you tell us what ~~period…~~ I am losing track of where in history we are?

+

'''Tucker Carlson:''' I beg your pardon, can you tell us what period... I am losing track of where in history we are?

'''Vladimir Putin:''' It was in the 13th century.

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Now I will tell what happened later and give the dates so that there is no confusion. And in 1654, even a bit earlier, the people who were in control of the authority over that part of the Russian lands, addressed Warsaw, I repeat, demanding their rights be observed that they send to them rulers of Russian origin and Orthodox faith. When Warsaw did not answer them and in fact rejected their demands, they turned to Moscow so that Moscow took them away.

−

So that you ~~don’t~~ think that I am inventing ~~things… I’ll~~ give you these ~~documents…~~<ref>The documents from [[Kremlin]] archives include a letter from Bogdan Khmelnitsky to Czar Aleksey Mikhailovich requesting protection for Orthodox Christians residing in the borderlands (''u kraya'') for protection from violence and discrimination in civil life from [[Roman Catholic]] Poland under the suzerainty of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Some 117 Ukrainian towns and 127,000 people swore an oath of loyalty to the Czar who added "All Great and Little Russia autocrat" to his title. "Little Russia", or Malorussia, was the name used by the Russian minority living in territories claimed by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth who, 3 centuries later, called themselves "Ukrainian".</ref>

+

So that you don't think that I am inventing things... I'll give you these documents...<ref>The documents from [[Kremlin]] archives include a letter from Bogdan Khmelnitsky to Czar Aleksey Mikhailovich requesting protection for Orthodox Christians residing in the borderlands (''u kraya'') for protection from violence and discrimination in civil life from [[Roman Catholic]] Poland under the suzerainty of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Some 117 Ukrainian towns and 127,000 people swore an oath of loyalty to the Czar who added "All Great and Little Russia autocrat" to his title. "Little Russia", or Malorussia, was the name used by the Russian minority living in territories claimed by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth who, 3 centuries later, called themselves "Ukrainian".</ref>

−

'''Tucker Carlson:''' It ~~doesn’t~~ sound like you are inventing it, but I am not sure why ~~it’s~~ relevant to ~~what’s~~ happened two years ago.

+

'''Tucker Carlson:''' It doesn't sound like you are inventing it, but I am not sure why it's relevant to what's happened two years ago.

'''Vladimir Putin:''' But still, these are documents from the archives, copies. Here are letters from [[Bogdan Khmelnitsky]], the man who then controlled the power in this part of the Russian lands that is now called Ukraine. He wrote to Warsaw demanding that their rights be upheld, and after being refused, he began to write letters to Moscow asking to take them under the strong hand of the Moscow Tsar. There are copies of these documents. I will leave them for your good memory. There is a translation into Russian, you can translate it into English later.

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In the run up to the war, both the [[United States]] and [[NATO]] rejected without consideration two treaty proposals by the [[Russian Federation]] to avoid war.<ref>[https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/rso/nato/1790818/?lang=en Treaty between The United States of America and the Russian Federation on security guarantees], Ministry of the Russian Federation, 17 December 2021.</ref><ref>[https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/rso/nato/1790803/?lang=en Agreement on measures to ensure the security of The Russian Federation and member States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization], Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, 17 December 2021.</ref><ref>[https://archive.ph/woOvb US, NATO rule out halt to expansion, reject Russian demands]. By MATTHEW LEE and LORNE COOK, ''Associated Press'', January 7, 2022.</ref> The treaty proposals would require NATO to pledge not granting Ukraine and the [[Republic of Georgia]] NATO membership; U.S. missiles in Poland and [[Romania]] to be removed; and NATO deployments to [[Eastern Europe]] reversed. The U.S. and NATO rejected the proposals without consideration and instead sent more NATO forces to Eastern Europe and continued to heavily arm Ukraine.<ref>https://consortiumnews.com/2022/02/24/what-putin-says-are-the-causes-aims-of-russias-military-action/</ref>

−

In early December 2021 it was reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine deployed 125,000 troops against the Donbas against 15,000 separatist forces.<ref>https://www.anews.com.tr/world/2021/12/01/russia-ukraine-has-deployed-half-of-its-army-to-donbass-conflict-zone</ref> NATO-backed [[neo-Nazi]]s attacked the [[Donbas]] on February 14, 2022.<ref>https://mronline.org/2021/11/13/military-knows-it-looks-bad-but-works-with-neo-nazis-anyway/</ref><ref>https://thenationalpulse.com/2022/02/17/western-media-is-literally-peddling-neo-nazi-propaganda-to-prompt-war-between-russia-and-ukraine/</ref><ref>https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3848518841859137</ref> In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 18 and 20 February 2022, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine recorded 2,158 ceasefire violations, including 1,100 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 591 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 18 and 20 February, the Mission recorded 1,073 ceasefire violations, including 926 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 975 ceasefire violations in the region.<ref>https://www.osce.org/special-monitoring-mission-to-ukraine/512683</ref>

+

In early December 2021 it was reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine deployed 125,000 troops against the Donbas against 15,000 separatist forces.<ref>https://www.anews.com.tr/world/2021/12/01/russia-ukraine-has-deployed-half-of-its-army-to-donbass-conflict-zone</ref> NATO-backed [[neo-Nazi]]s attacked the [[Donbas]] on February 14, 2022.<ref name="mronline.org">https://mronline.org/2021/11/13/military-knows-it-looks-bad-but-works-with-neo-nazis-anyway/</ref><ref name="thenationalpulse.com">https://thenationalpulse.com/2022/02/17/western-media-is-literally-peddling-neo-nazi-propaganda-to-prompt-war-between-russia-and-ukraine/</ref><ref name="facebook.com">https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3848518841859137</ref> In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 18 and 20 February 2022, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine recorded 2,158 ceasefire violations, including 1,100 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 591 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 18 and 20 February, the Mission recorded 1,073 ceasefire violations, including 926 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 975 ceasefire violations in the region.<ref>https://www.osce.org/special-monitoring-mission-to-ukraine/512683</ref>

With a [[diplomatic]] solution rejected out of hand by the United States and NATO, the Russian Federation entered Ukraine on February 24, 2022, to put a stop to the eight-year war against the people of the Donbas by the Kyiv regime which had already claimed 14,000 lives. After more than two weeks fighting claiming more civilian lives with NATO-supplied weapons, on March 11, 2022, EU external minister Josep Borrell back peddled on EU policy which provoked the war saying, "I am ready to admit that we made a number of mistakes and that we lost the possibility of Russia’s [[rapprochement]] with [[the West]]. There are moments that we could do better, there are things that we proposed and then could not implement, such as, for example, the promise that Ukraine and Georgia will become part of NATO."<ref>https://www.dailysabah.com/world/europe/west-made-mistake-in-promising-ukraine-nato-membership-borrell</ref> The following day NATO Secretary-General [[Jens Stoltenberg]] began walking back NATO threats to Russia by saying membership for Ukraine was not relevant or on the agenda.<ref>https://www.theepochtimes.com/ukraines-nato-membership-is-not-relevant-or-on-the-agenda-jens-stoltenberg_4333429.html</ref>

−

NATO-backed neo-Nazi proxy forces attacked the [[Donbas]] again on February 14, 2022.<ref~~>https://~~mronline.org/~~2021/11/13/military-knows-it-looks-bad-but-works-with-neo-nazis-anyway/</ref~~><ref~~>https://~~thenationalpulse.com/~~2022/02/17/western-media-is-literally-peddling-neo-nazi-propaganda-to-prompt-war-between-russia-and-ukraine/</ref~~><ref~~>https://www.~~facebook.com/~~watch/?v=3848518841859137</ref~~> Military forces of the Russian Federation (RF) entered Ukraine on February 24, 2022, to put an end to the ethnic violence and de-nazify the areas where the children and grandchildren of World War II Nazi collaborators had been carrying an ethnic hatred of Russians since the [[Holodomor]] of the 1930s and earlier. A wave of [[patriotism]] swept over Russian society, viewing the operation as a second [[Great Patriotic War]].<ref>https://thesaker.is/two-videos-from-the-ukrainian-blogger-iurii-podoliaka-must-see/</ref> Soldiers felt they were sent to finish the job of de-nazifying Ukraine that their grandfathers left unfinished after World War II. The use of civilian human shields by the U.S-trained Armed Forces of Ukraine led to civilian casualties and was a primary strategy of the NATO proxies. Ukrainian security forces committed reprisal actions and atrocities against ethnic Russians and Russian speakers in areas which Russian forces vacated. Numerous attacks by Ukrainian forces on its own citizens, which had been ongoing in the Donbas region for the eight previous years, spread outside the Donbas to create [[false flag]] images of attacks by Russians. Efforts to rehabilitate the image and reputation of Nazis and Nazism by Western and Ukrainian media and [[psyop]]s were non-stop since the beginning of the Russian incursion, with permanent and debilitating damage to the West's educational system and image throughout the civilized world. By early April 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had been so degraded and decimated, or were out of fuel and unable to retreat, the Maidan regime doubled down on soft power, [[psyops|psychological operations]] and propaganda to garner sympathy from the West for continued support.

+

NATO-backed neo-Nazi proxy forces attacked the [[Donbas]] again on February 14, 2022.<ref name="mronline.org"/><ref name="thenationalpulse.com"/><ref name="facebook.com"/> Military forces of the Russian Federation (RF) entered Ukraine on February 24, 2022, to put an end to the ethnic violence and de-nazify the areas where the children and grandchildren of World War II Nazi collaborators had been carrying an ethnic hatred of Russians since the [[Holodomor]] of the 1930s and earlier. A wave of [[patriotism]] swept over Russian society, viewing the operation as a second [[Great Patriotic War]].<ref>https://thesaker.is/two-videos-from-the-ukrainian-blogger-iurii-podoliaka-must-see/</ref> Soldiers felt they were sent to finish the job of de-nazifying Ukraine that their grandfathers left unfinished after World War II. The use of civilian human shields by the U.S-trained Armed Forces of Ukraine led to civilian casualties and was a primary strategy of the NATO proxies. Ukrainian security forces committed reprisal actions and atrocities against ethnic Russians and Russian speakers in areas which Russian forces vacated. Numerous attacks by Ukrainian forces on its own citizens, which had been ongoing in the Donbas region for the eight previous years, spread outside the Donbas to create [[false flag]] images of attacks by Russians. Efforts to rehabilitate the image and reputation of Nazis and Nazism by Western and Ukrainian media and [[psyop]]s were non-stop since the beginning of the Russian incursion, with permanent and debilitating damage to the West's educational system and image throughout the civilized world. By early April 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had been so degraded and decimated, or were out of fuel and unable to retreat, the Maidan regime doubled down on soft power, [[psyops|psychological operations]] and propaganda to garner sympathy from the West for continued support.

====Ukraine missile attack on Poland====

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