Is it true that Ukrainian statehood did not exist at all before 1922?

Statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin: in an interview with Tucker Carlson on February 6, 2024: “When the Soviet Union was formed, it was already 1922, the Bolsheviks created Soviet Ukraine, which until now did not exist at all” and during a meeting with Valery Zorkin, chairman of the Constitutional Court, on May 23, 2023: “Before the formation of the Ukrainian SSR in 1922, there was no Ukraine in the history of mankind”.

The reliability of this statement was assessed by Igor Todorov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor.

Facts

1.

Before 1922, there were several sovereign state formations - predecessors of modern Ukraine, including:

Kievan Rus (IX-XIII centuries) - the state of the Eastern Slavs on the territory of modern Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Poland and other countries. It disintegrated as a result of the Mongol invasion in the 13th century.

Galicia-Volyn principality (XII-XIV centuries) - a state that emerged in the western lands of Kievan Rus' after its collapse. It was one of the most prosperous and influential states in the region, tried to resist hostile neighbors, including the Golden Horde. It ceased to exist in the XIV century, when its territories were divided between Lithuania, Poland and Hungary.

Zaporizhian Sich (XVI-XVIII centuries) - administrative centers of the Cossacks in the central and southern lands of modern Ukraine, as well as in the Kuban. It was liquidated in 1775 by Russian troops.

Ukrainian People's Republic (1917-1921) - the state proclaimed by the III Universal of the Ukrainian Central Rada on November 7 (20), 1917. The UNR was a democratic and multinational state. In 1918 it proclaimed its independence from Russia. In 1921 it was defeated by the Bolsheviks.

2.

There are many countries in history whose modern names came later than their statehood. For example:

Germany (statehood dates back to the 10th century, the name “German Union” only from the 19th century),

Myanmar (until 1989 - Burma),

Iran (until 1935 - Persia),

Turkey (part of the Ottoman Empire until 1923),

Sri Lanka (Ceylon until 1972).

Verdict

Putin's statement is not true. Ukrainian statehood has a history of more than a thousand years, during which there were several large independent states - the predecessors of modern Ukraine. The fact that the first of these states did not have the word “Ukraine” in their name is a typical situation for many countries whose names appeared later than their statehood.

Cover photo: Valentin Ogirenko / Reuters, photo source: RBC

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