Rusyn Separatism in Western Ukraine

US Open Source Center has an analysis on Russian efforts to promote Rusyn Separatism. According to this report Russia has helped them by holding a conference on independence in Russia, funding pro-independence organizations, and providing pro-Rusyn media coverage in Russia. The conflict in Georgia appears to have accelerated support for them. Some arguments made by Ukrainians against Russia have also been used by the Rusyn independence promoters. 


Most recently, the Russian government's official paper Rossiyskaya Gazeta appeared to back Rusyn independence. On 23 December, it publicized an appeal from Carpathian Rusyns to recognize their "independence from Ukraine" and interviewed the Carpathian "republic's premier," Petr Getsko. In addition to promoting the idea of independence or separatism, the paper appeared to use the Rusyn issue to strike back at Ukraine over Ukrainian control of Russia's gas pipeline to Europe and Ukrainian claims of Russian "genocide" against Ukrainians in the 1930s. It suggested that an independent state in Zakarpatskaya Oblast, rather than Ukraine, should control the gas pipeline from Russia to Europe which passes through Zakarpatskaya Oblast, and it publicized Rusyn claims of Ukrainian "genocide" against the Rusyns.

***

SBU head Valentyn Nalyvaychenko said the SBU is investigating the Rusyn movement and declared it was "artificially created with external funding" (UNIAN, 30 October). The SBU moved to seek the closure of two Zakarpatsk Rusyn organizations, the Soym of Carpathian Rusyns and the People's Council of Transcarpathian Rusyns (UNIAN, 26 November). The SBU on 9 December announced it had stopped the activities of Rusyn separatist groups in Zakarpatskaya Oblast, as well as separatist groups in Crimea and Donetsk (Lenta.ru, 9 December).

at Thursday, January 08, 2009

0 comments:

Post a Comment