Ukrainians are of the Indo-European origin, belonging ethnologically to the Southern Slavs. [1] They have their own separate and distinct language and literature, their own culture, and their own history that covers a period of more than a thousand years. Misinformed persons often identify the Ukrainians with the Russians. These two nations differ racially, culturally, and historically.After centuries of freedom and self-rule, Ukraine, weakened by Tartar invasions, fell an easy prey to Poland. [2] In 1654 Ukraine entered into treaty relations with Russia. By this agreement, Ukraine expected to receive aid from Russia in the struggle against Poland. Russia, however, violated the treaty. Its strength sapped by constant warfare, Ukraine was subjugated by Russia. In 1918 Ukraine was proclaimed an independent republic, but, having no allies, [3] it was again overrun by its enemies in 1920. The major part of it fell into the hands of Russia, [then non-Russian-ruled �RSFSR�], while the remaining western portion was partitioned among Poland, Rumania, and Czechoslovakia. After the Second World War, Russia [i.e. the non-Russian-ruled USSR] occupied the entire Ukrainian territory. Today [1957], Ukraine is the largest single European country behind the Iron Curtain.
(Note from Traditional Ukrainian Cookery by Savella Stechishin, Winnipeg, Canada : Trident Press, 1957, page 15)
So far as I know (and it is not much) :
The above account is not very accurate ; it still seems better than many I have seen and I am entirely confident no deliberate disinformation is present in it in the least degree.
This is after all, from a cookbook. (In a way a better source than many when finding some general sorts of information without the barrage of detail).
[1]. It seems that the Ukrainians (the Ruthene) would rather be termed Eastern Slavs (and not Southern Slavs, which term would rather denote the Croats and Serbs etc).
So far as I know, three groups nearly related one to the other are the Ruthenians (Ukrainians), the White Ruthene, or White Russian (Byelorussia) and the Russians, a group centered round Muscovy (which was for a long time in the Turanian hands).
The term �ukraine� denotes rather a geographical location than a nation, originally at the least. On this point any Polish experts would perhaps agree with the largely reliable but imperialist Russian Milyukov. The term means more or less, the �borderland�, the �outskirts�. Please note that the Slav word �kraj� (country) is akin to �skirt�, �curt� (a root of broad Indo-European distribution, in the English meaning 'cut' and the like). Possibly with 'carno', flesh, such as would be cut or torn into pieces.
Agreeing with Milyukov on the meaning of the term �ukraine�, or �okraine�, the issue between the Pole and the Russian would be, naturally, whose outskirts one is talking about. Any answers can be only found by way of locating exact statements in the sources of the period, and noting the instances of the term �ukraine� had been used and the context.
So far as I know nothing like an �Ukraine� (in to-day's sense) had existed at the beginnings of the history of these sister-nations in the area. There had existed the ancient Kingdom of Kiev. All the glory to that Kingdom ; but this could not have been anything much like the present-day Ukraine.
[2] As to the relations with Poland ; major parts of what is now Ukraine were at some time in the hands of the Lithuanian princes and these informed the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania (etc. etc.) — on the marriage by the Lithuanian Jagello and the (Hungarian-lent) Polish Queen Jadwiga (Hedwig) of Anjou in the 15th century.
One also notes, there had been frequent marriages between the Polish and the Ruthenian (Ukrainian) princes.
Were there any "designs" by the Poles on anything Ukrainian in the Middle Ages ? There have been so many details in the history that one would have to be better informed to try to answer such questions. There have been frequent skirmishes or wars, of anybody with or against anybody, across these borders ; or much rather over those plains where the borders were seldom clearly defined.
But it seems that there have never been in Poland any programs of systematic push to the East (except by the Roman Church who had been in a sort of competition with the Muscovy-based version of the Greek liturgy). There was certainly nothing in Poland like the imperialist designs by Peter of Muscovy. Thus, if the Ukrainian (Ruthenians) be considered as between Poland and Russia, the relations would certainly not be symmetrical.
The Ukrainians (or Ruthenians) had their separate language, as the above author states, similar, or very similar, to the language of Byelorussians and the Russians. Also similar but somewhat less, to the Polish etc.
As far as the literature in that language goes, it seems that the Latin civilization and literacy came practically exclusively from the Poles. This to a large extent applies to the Russians themselves.
The Greek church had been present in Russia hence in the eastern parts of Ukraine ; who used the Cyrillic form of writing, much unlike the Latin. Had there been much, or any, Ruthenian (Ukrainian) literature produced in that form of writing during the Middle Ages I do not know. There may have been little, more probably very little or none of such ; other than for the purposes of the Church. (One notes that the Orthodox Church in Muscovy had strongly resisted any literary ambitions other than to its own purposes. This would be present in the eastern parts of Ukraine, presumably).
So far as I know one of the premier educators at some time was one Mr. Mogila, or Mohila, of Collegium Mohilaneum. This man had carried much of the Latin (via Polish) civilization to Russia, thus, by default, he must have been influential in the Ruthenian Ukraine. He might have been a Ruthene (Ukrainian) himself (although I think he was of the Wolloch stock, whatever that exactly be).
In the early 20th century the situation was complex indeed, with the re-emergent Poland and with the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. I for one find it notable that the Bolshevik sorts of misrule were no less repulsive to the Ukrainian, especially the Ukrainian Catholic (the western parts) than to the Poles.
[3] The brief but significant alliance, after some warring against each other, by the Ukrainian S. Petlura and the Pole Pilsudski, although had not particularly succeeded at its time, may still be a good point of agreement between the two peoples. One notes that the Bolshevik night has barely ended, as of this writing. May no �third parties� or any kind of troublemakers be permitted to influence anything in these relations.
WPT, Sept 2006.