August 12, 2026

Ukraine's Borders

Ukraine's borders extend well beyond its historical ethnic boundaries, and this is true not only because of Crimea: about one quarter, or perhaps even one third, of Ukraine's population is Russian-speaking.

On the other hand, this situation is common throughout the former Soviet republics, where people were free to move and marry across internal borders. In this respect, it is somewhat comparable to the relationship between northern and southern Italy. In Milan, are there more people of southern Italian origin or more of northern Italian origin?