Volodymyr Zelensky lists Russian regions that were “historically” inhabited by Ukrainians
On Monday, the Ukrainian president listed in a decree the regions of Russia where he said Ukrainians “historically” lived and called for their rights to be respected. Volodymyr Zelensky lists the Krasnodar, Rostov, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh and Kursk regions, all of which border Ukraine.
The decree accuses Russia of “committing and intending to continue to commit actions aimed at destroying national identity and oppressing Ukrainians and violating their rights and freedoms.” The document – which denounces forced Russification, political repression and the deportation of Ukrainians – also calls for an inventory of “crimes against Ukrainians living or having lived there.”
Millions of people of Ukrainian origin live on Russian territory, a result of Tsarist and Soviet rule, border shifts and deportations during the Stalinist era.
Mr. Zelensky's decree does not claim any Russian territories. On the other hand, Russia annexed five Ukrainian regions: Crimea in 2014, then the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions in 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied the existence of a Ukrainian nation and believes that Ukrainians belong to the Russian world and that their identity is an artificial creation.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev condemned the decree, accusing Mr. Zelensky of “territorial claims” and calling him a drug addict. “There is nothing to comment on, since Ukrainians are actually Russians and Little Russia [terme impérialiste russe se référant au territoire ukrainien] is part of Russia,” he wrote on Telegram.