ORIGIN OF THE NAMES OF UKRAINE, RUSSIA AND RUS`. Lecture by Oleksandr Palii, Ukrainian historian

The word Ukraine (Ukraina) first appeared in a chronicle in 1187. This happened even before the Mongol invasion, which undermines the Russian imperial storyline about a “cradle” of Ukraine with the Russian people.For a long time, Russia tried to promote the idea that Ukraina was derived from the word okraina “outskirts, borderland”. This was possible because in conditions of censorship, few researchers even read the chronicles.
An entry in the chronicle for 1187 mentions that the Pereiaslav Prince Volodymyr Hlibovych was “mourned by all of Ukraine”. The Pereiaslav Principality was one of the principalities of Rus’ proper (which included the principalities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Pereiaslav and Novhorod-Siverskyi at the time). Much of the Pereiaslav Principality was further removed from the borders of Rus’ than Kyiv itself. Therefore, the word “Ukraine” could not mean the outskirts of the principality. Most important, it would be absurd to assume that the prince was mourned by precisely borderlands rather than the entire principality.
The Galician-Volhynian chronicle has the following entry for 1213: “Danylo returned home and traveled with his brother and accepted Berestii, Uhrovesk, Vereshchyn, Stolpe, Komov and all of Ukraine.” Again, this is a reference not to outskirts but to the entire principality of Zabuzhia with the center in Uhrovesk (now the site of a settlement in the village of Novouhruzke in Volyn Oblast).
Furthermore, there was no principality, state or other entity whose outskirts could include Chernihiv Ukraine, Siverskyi Ukraine and, all the more so, Kyiv Ukraine.
The use of the designation Ukraina in the literature from the 12 until the 15 century clearly shows that this term was a synonym for “principality” and “land”. The modern Ukrainian word kraina means “country”.
Therefore, Ukraine is a more recent name for Rus’, just like France for Gaul and Spain for Iberia. Russia was called the USSR only recently, the Muscovite Kingdom prior to that, and Zalesye and Suzdal in earlier times.
Many historians now believe that the name Rus’ comes from the Sarmatian tribe of Roxolani which settled in Central Ukraine to the south of Kyiv starting from the 2nd century BC.
In this region, there are rivers with such names as Ros, Rosava, Rostavytsia, Rutets etc. Since ancient times, Rus’ was the name applied only to Central Ukraine — the Kyiv, Chernihiv and Pereiaslav principalities, i.e. the territory of modern Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv oblasts and parts of Sumy, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia and Poltava oblasts. Starting from the twelvth century, it was extended to include Western Ukraine. Princes believed that Rus’ was their homeland (votchyna‘patrimony’). The other dependent territories were thought of as being subject to Rus’.
As of name of Russia (Россия).
In Muscovy itself, the term Russia began to be used in reference to this country by the authorities as late as in the 15th century when the idea of seizing Ukraine’s lands began to circulate there. This word is taken from the Greek language because it was common knowledge at the time that Rus’ was the territory of Ukraine.
Muscovy was finally renamed as Russia by the tsar’s ukases in 18th century.
Most Ukrainian scholars believe that the Ukrainian language with its special features was formed on the basis of ancient Slavic dialects under some influence from the Scythian and Sarmatian languages at the time of the Antean tribal union, i.e. in the mid 1st millennium AD. There were no Slavs in the territory of either modern Russia or modern Belarus.
In contrast, the Russian language was formed in the 12th to the 14th centuries as the local, largely Finno-Ugric, population learned Church Slavonic, which was imposed by the church and the authorities. Present day Russians mostly are descendants of these Finno-Ugric peoples (Merya, Muroma, Meshchera, Moksha etc.)
At present, most rivers in Central Russia and many Russian cities in Central Russia, including Moscow, have Finno-Ugric names.
In imperial times, Ukrainian was viewed by many people in Russia as a Polonized version of Russian. This proposition is utterly unscientific, because Ukrainian features were found in the language of Kyivan Rus’ long before any Polish influence. Importantly, standard Ukrainian is based on the vernacular spoken in the Poltava and Chernihiv regions. These territories were part of Poland in 1569–1648 and over this short period of time many people there did not have to deal with the Polish authorities, to say nothing of changing the language of their ancestors. Ukrainian has been able to withstand much greater, centuries-long pressures from Russia.
The written sources in Ukraine dating to the 14th, 15th 16th and the 17th centuries do not record any changes in the language.

[ОлександрПАЛІЙ-ыж]

The word Ukraine (Ukraina) first appeared in a chronicle in 1187. This happened even before the Mongol invasion, which undermines the Russian imperial storyline about a “cradle” of Ukraine with the Russian people.For a long time, Russia tried to promote the idea that Ukraina was derived from the word okraina “outskirts, borderland”. This was possible because in conditions of censorship, few researchers even read the chronicles.
An entry in the chronicle for 1187 mentions that the Pereiaslav Prince Volodymyr Hlibovych was “mourned by all of Ukraine”. The Pereiaslav Principality was one of the principalities of Rus’ proper (which included the principalities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Pereiaslav and Novhorod-Siverskyi at the time). Much of the Pereiaslav Principality was further removed from the borders of Rus’ than Kyiv itself. Therefore, the word “Ukraine” could not mean the outskirts of the principality. Most important, it would be absurd to assume that the prince was mourned by precisely borderlands rather than the entire principality.
The Galician-Volhynian chronicle has the following entry for 1213: “Danylo returned home and traveled with his brother and accepted Berestii, Uhrovesk, Vereshchyn, Stolpe, Komov and all of Ukraine.” Again, this is a reference not to outskirts but to the entire principality of Zabuzhia with the center in Uhrovesk (now the site of a settlement in the village of Novouhruzke in Volyn Oblast).
Furthermore, there was no principality, state or other entity whose outskirts could include Chernihiv Ukraine, Siverskyi Ukraine and, all the more so, Kyiv Ukraine.
The use of the designation Ukraina in the literature from the 12 until the 15 century clearly shows that this term was a synonym for “principality” and “land”. The modern Ukrainian word kraina means “country”.
Therefore, Ukraine is a more recent name for Rus’, just like France for Gaul and Spain for Iberia. Russia was called the USSR only recently, the Muscovite Kingdom prior to that, and Zalesye and Suzdal in earlier times.
Many historians now believe that the name Rus’ comes from the Sarmatian tribe of Roxolani which settled in Central Ukraine to the south of Kyiv starting from the 2nd century BC.
In this region, there are rivers with such names as Ros, Rosava, Rostavytsia, Rutets etc. Since ancient times, Rus’ was the name applied only to Central Ukraine — the Kyiv, Chernihiv and Pereiaslav principalities, i.e. the territory of modern Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv oblasts and parts of Sumy, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia and Poltava oblasts. Starting from the twelvth century, it was extended to include Western Ukraine. Princes believed that Rus’ was their homeland (votchyna‘patrimony’). The other dependent territories were thought of as being subject to Rus’.
As of name of Russia (Россия).
In Muscovy itself, the term Russia began to be used in reference to this country by the authorities as late as in the 15th century when the idea of seizing Ukraine’s lands began to circulate there. This word is taken from the Greek language because it was common knowledge at the time that Rus’ was the territory of Ukraine.
Muscovy was finally renamed as Russia by the tsar’s ukases in 18th century.
Most Ukrainian scholars believe that the Ukrainian language with its special features was formed on the basis of ancient Slavic dialects under some influence from the Scythian and Sarmatian languages at the time of the Antean tribal union, i.e. in the mid 1st millennium AD. There were no Slavs in the territory of either modern Russia or modern Belarus.
In contrast, the Russian language was formed in the 12th to the 14th centuries as the local, largely Finno-Ugric, population learned Church Slavonic, which was imposed by the church and the authorities. Present day Russians mostly are descendants of these Finno-Ugric peoples (Merya, Muroma, Meshchera, Moksha etc.)
At present, most rivers in Central Russia and many Russian cities in Central Russia, including Moscow, have Finno-Ugric names.
In imperial times, Ukrainian was viewed by many people in Russia as a Polonized version of Russian. This proposition is utterly unscientific, because Ukrainian features were found in the language of Kyivan Rus’ long before any Polish influence. Importantly, standard Ukrainian is based on the vernacular spoken in the Poltava and Chernihiv regions. These territories were part of Poland in 1569–1648 and over this short period of time many people there did not have to deal with the Polish authorities, to say nothing of changing the language of their ancestors. Ukrainian has been able to withstand much greater, centuries-long pressures from Russia.
The written sources in Ukraine dating to the 14th, 15th 16th and the 17th centuries do not record any changes in the language.

[libera]

It's great to hear about the history of Ukraine in English!👍👍👍
Дуже вдячні вам за вашу натхненну працю, шановний козаче!💙💛

[arturasandriusaitis]

Oleksandr, thank You for the PERFECT lecture! The temporary technical barriers are not barriers at all.

[moblisk]

I sincerely thank you for this explanation. It is important for me to know who I am and and who are my people. Щиро дякую.

[MagmaleV]

Thanks for the interesting lecture, Ukraine is Rus, Russia is Moscovy

[HeliosFort]

Thanx for the interesting anti-imperial & anti-moscovitic historical educational program

[arturasandriusaitis]

Everything is fixed immediately! Ukraine will not perish with such people! Respect and thank You!

[monsteranat]

Респект, шановний пане Олександре за дуже гарну

[adfghbnn]

Балалайники вже підтягуються, ще не протверезівши після вчорашнього випуску.

[nadegdasavchuk]

Вы делаете колоссальную работу не только для украинцев и россиян, но и ломаете пропагандистские стереотипы у иностранцев. Низкий вам поклон!!! Натхнення Вам та витримки!

[БогданСінченко]

Чудово, що ще й англійською. Плюс до інформаційного протистояння.

[ВладимирВладимир-эвэ]

Big thanks Mr. Palii for your lectures & support of our country. Good luck and best wishes.

[ifmalila]

За англійську додаткова подяка! Успіхів!

[ludmilaanackay]

IT'S AWESOME LECTURE ! ! !

Try to keep your pronunciation up a little or make titles.

Good luck and we are waiting for new scientific masterpieces.

GLORY TO UKRAINE AND ITS HEROES! 👍🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

[leonidavkhimenko]

Правда все рівно виживання! Дякуємо !

[Сознание-ъц]

"Muscovy — the Russia of taiga, Mongolic, wild, bestial."(Aleksey Tolstoy.)Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Ukrainian Army!

[svoboduingrii]

Спасибо большое за интереснейшую лекцию!

[lecter]

Ukraine is borderland between civilization and Mordor.

[ВладКазачкін]

Петиція №22/125566-еп Про обмеження права на вʼїзд на територію України громадян держави-агресора Російської Федерації.

[myronsherbatuk]

Excellent, very informative and, above all, truthful explanation of Ukrainian history and Ukrainian ethnic identity. Rus' was the ancient name of Ukraine and the old historical ethnonym of the Ukrainian people was Rusyny. Russians and Ukrainians were never brotherly peoples and did not have common ancestors. Peter the Great stole the ancient name and history of Ukraine and falsely applied them to the Muscovite people so as to usurp the glorious cultural heritage of Rus-Ukraine and justify it's subjugation and incorporation into the Russian Empire. The Russian people only finished their formation about the 16th century and are the descendants predominantly of Ugro-Finnic peoples who adopted the Church Slavonic language. Russia has stolen Ukraine's ancient name and cultural-historical heritage.