Blue &Yellow: Politics and Economics in Ukraine

In the Atlantic Council blog, a post about Cossack hetman Ivan Mazepa and his role in Ukrainian history. Mazepa allied the Cossacks to the side of Swedish king Charles XII against Russia. They were defeated by Peter I at the battle of Poltava. However, as Motyl and Karatnycky note his impact on the historical narratives of Russia and Ukraine is still felt today.

Poltava helped shape Europe's geopolitics for three centuries. Russia's emphatic rout of Sweden and its Cossack allies signaled its emergence as a European superpower and ensured Russian dominion over Eastern Ukraine for the bulk of three centuries. Peter constructed a new narrative for his realm. Instead of being Muscovy, it was to be Russia. As such, he and his state could claim lineage with the Kievan state called Rus that had accepted Christianity in 988 and collapsed in the 13th century. In one simple historical revision that complemented his opening to the West, Peter and his realm would be transformed from Asiatic upstarts to a European empire. Kiev would become the "mother of all Russian cities."

Its a familiar sounding argument for those who have read Andrew Wilson's book, The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation. But it shows how important these figures still are today to both sides, serving either as a villain or hero depending what side your on. The two authors rightly emphasize how Russian attacks on Mazepa are still part of the age old attempt by Russia to deny Ukraine its own historical narrative.

While this Russian effort to upend Ukrainian national identity is not likely to succeed, over the short term it can help perpetuate Ukraine's east-west divide, promoting instability and increasing Russia's opportunities to reassert hegemony over its weak neighbor.

Until Ukraine can shape its historiography calmly and professionally without external interference, its polity will continue to be plagued by divisions and its society by lack of cohesion. This is why the contemporary battle over the meaning of Poltava is as significant as the Battle of Poltava was three centuries ago

I was amused to find that Den has a piece on Mazepa that presents a less black and white image. The author also uses his article criticizes current Ukrainian politics, trying to draw a historical line between bad politicians then and now. I don't know if the author read the Motyl and Karatnycky piece, but his article read like a counter argument to it. Not by countering the notion that Ukraine needs its own narrative, but by demolishing Mazepa as a hero.