Muscovite-Russians weren't the same as Ukrainian when the Kiev Rus colonists from Ukraine colonized the Finnish-Ugric territories in the east;
- they weren't the same when one became Mongolized the other Polonized (hey, at least Poles were Slavs);
- one was, and continues to be a part of the European civilization, the other like the Turks is an Asian-European hybrid;
- they weren't the same and spoke different, incomprehensible to the other languages during the Cossack period;
- were they the same people, Ukrainian Cossacks would not resist Muscovite attempts to erode their independence, and produce figures like hetmans Vyhovsky, Doroshenko, Mazepa, Orlyk, Polubotok;
- were they the same, Ukrainians would call the other by the same name as themselves and not use "Moskal" (meaning "Moscow-people") as the primary designation for Russians throughout the 16, 17, 18, 19 and less so in 20th centuries;
- Shevchenko would find no need to write poems calling for Ukrainians to get rid of their oppressors' chains (I wonder who the oppressors are);
- and at last, were Russians and Ukrainians the same, a Ukrainian National Republic would not have to be proclaimed independent in Kyiv in 1918.
All this took place before the Soviets came (and "created" a separate from Russia Ukrainian nation). For almost all of it's history, Central and Eastern Ukraine was cutoff from W. Ukraine, so it did all that on its own accord, without the Galicians. As a non-Galician I resent this presented picture that only Galicians are patriotic.
You miss the point - for all practical purposes Ukrainian and Russian SLAVS are genetically the same. So much so that scientists cannot distinguish between the two. Karamzin - a very Russian name, eh? ;)
My point in this whole debate is to point out the ridiculousness of reaching back centuries to fight today's "battles." Ukraine is now an independent country and should take pride in that. When they start blaming others for their "woes," especially when they reach back centuries, or to Soviet times when they were complicit in said "woes" it can be perceived as weak.
For a so-called American, such as "spanalot" to further the ideology of UNA/UNSO and to refuse to condemn the leader of that group for calling on Ukrainian soldiers to revolt and kill Americans is disgusting and treasonous. Surely you, as a Ukrainian national, would feel the same if a fellow Ukrainian was supporting an American hate group calling for the deaths of Ukrainians?
Its useless - he is an unabashed Russophile who has yet to condemn the communist and socialist coup in Ukraine.
great post