Poles in Ukraine

Infobox Ethnic group
group = Polish minority in Ukraine


caption =
poptime = In the 2001 Ukrainian census, 144,130 identified themselves as ethnic Poles.cite web|url=http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/ |title= Results / General results of the census / National composition of population |accessdate= |accessmonthday=October 19 |accessyear=2007 |work=2001 Ukrainian Census |language=English] 0.3% of the population of Ukraine
popplace = Zhytomyr Oblast, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Lviv Oblast
langs = Polish language, Ukrainian language
rels= Roman Catholic
related =

The Polish minority in Ukraine officially numbers (according to the 2001 census) about 144,130 [ [http://ukrcensus.gov.ua/results/nationality_population/nationality_popul5/select_56?box=5.6W&rz=1_1&k_t=00&botton=cens_db2 Results of the 2001 census] uk icon] . The history of Polish settlement in Ukrainian territories dates back to 1030-31. The colonization of Ukraine by large numbers of Poles became more common after the Union of Lublin in 1569 when most of the Ukrainian lands were incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

History since the 1930s

This large population of Polish settlers dramatically decreased in the 1930s and 1940s as a result of Soviet mass deportation of the Poles in Ukraine to Siberia and other eastern regions of the USSR [See Polish repatriation] as well as a campaign of ethnic cleansing, carried out by Ukrainian nationalists in western part of the country (see: Massacres of Poles in Volhynia). There was a Polish Autonomous District, located near Zhytomyr, created in 1926, but it was disbanded in 1935 and its Polish inhabitants were either murdered or deported to Kazakhstan.

That number has been steadily decreasing over the past half a century; the censuses of Soviet Ukraine gave the following numbers: 1959 - 363,000; 1970 - 295,000; 1979 - 258,000 and 1989 - 219,000. This decline can be explained due to policies of Sovietization, which aimed to destroy Polish culture on Soviet Ukraine. The situation of Polish minority has improved when Ukraine regained independence, policy of Sovietization ended and various Polish non-governmental organizations were allowed to operate.

As most Poles from the Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union have been repatriated to Poland (primarily Regained Territories), there were actually relatively few Poles left on the former territories of the Second Polish Republic incorporated into Soviet Union. Most Poles who remained in Ukraine were and are concentrated in Zhytomyr Oblast (about 49,000) and Khmelnytskyi Oblast (about 20,000). There are also many in Lviv Oblast.

On October 13, 1990 Poland and Ukraine agreed to the "Declaration on the foundations and general directions in the development of Polish-Ukrainian relations". Article 3 of this declaration said that neither country has any territorial claims against the other, and will not bring any in the future. Both countries promised to respect the rights of national minorities in the land and to improve the situation of minorities in their countries. This declaration re-affirmed the historic and ethnic ties between Poland and Ukraine, containing a reference to "the ethnic and cultural kinship of the Polish and Ukrainian peoples". Under the "Declaration of rights of nationalities of Ukraine" (approved November 7, 1991) Poles, as minorities, were guaranteed political, economic, social, and cultural rights. The Polish minority in Ukraine were and have been active supporters of Ukrainian independence.

ee also

* Ukrainian minority in Poland
* Polish minority in Soviet Union
* Demographics of Ukraine

Footnotes

References

* Piotr Eberhardt, [http://www.wspolnota-polska.org.pl/index.php?id=pwko02 Polacy na Ukrainie: Liczebność i rozmieszczenie ludności polskiej według ostatnich spisów powszechnych]
* Stephen R. Burant. "International Relations in a Regional Context: Poland and Its Eastern Neighbours. Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine". Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 45, No. 3. (1993), pp. 395-418.

External links

* [http://expatpol.com/index.php?stsid=16753&kid=39&cktst=1 Losy ludności polskiej na Ukrainie Sowieckiej]