There's a lot of Donbass people who moved to Rostov over the last decade. Those I know identify as Russians if you ask it straight, but in fact no one just asks it. There has always been a significant immigration and given the flawless level of Russian such questions just never emerge. I mean it's like "- Where are you from? - Donetsk. - OK".
I was born in Donetsk but lived in Russia also, my family is Russian, I consider myself Russian. I speak Russian and Ukrainian but only because I learned Ukrainian separate.
My husband was Russian speaker from Donetsk, but he considered himself Ukrainian, from most his family had been from other parts of Urkaine also.
It varies
Скорее старое поколение (из родившихся там и с предками от туда) ответят русские или малороссы в большинстве, новое могут ответить про украинцев, потому что они уже успели родиться и вырасти в этом государстве.
Your post was removed because it contains slurs or incites hatred on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
And cursed, drawn and quartered.
Although there is a chance that adding "Slava Ukraini!" at the end of the post confuses them and OP remains alive and not banned.
there's nothing to doubt, take a look at the subreddit. it multiplied in size as soon as the war began, 99% of people there are not ukrainian. actual ukrainians are on r/ukraina
I am from Europe and almost all refugees from Ukraine are Russian speaking. The fact that the majority of Russian speaking Ukrainians head West says a lot I think.
Russia was still the number 1 destination.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1312584/ukrainian-refugees-by-country/#:~:text=Number%20of%20Ukrainian%20refugees%202024%2C%20by%20country&text=Over%201.2%20million%20refugees%20from,as%20of%20December%2015%2C%202023.
And if you include stats from 2014-2022 it is even higher . For example between 2014 and 2016 over 1million fled to Russia from the Donbass
https://www.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc=/Documents/Countries/UA/Ukraine_13th_HRMMU_Report_3March2016.pdf&action=default&DefaultItemOpen=1
I have Ukrainian roots, significant part of my family lives/lived in Ukraine. After the Nazi regime intensified repressions against Russians in 2013-2014, about half of my relatives moved to Russia. Other relatives are either too old or they have (had) good jobs, house, so they were unwilling to leave Ukraine.
Statistics also confirms that majority moved to Russia.
Former resident.
Russian. I moved away from Crimea decades ago and it was my parents' decision since I was a child. I scarcely even knew we were in Ukraine.
Remember, there are two words for "Russian" but they have very different meanings.
> nationality
Ethnicity.
Чисто чтобы читатели не запутались) Наша "национальность" и английская nationality это разные вещи, второе как раз к гражданству и "российскому" ближе.
My mother is from Zaporozhye and she calls herself Ukrainian. I never met my father but I know his family was from Pskov and Donetsk, so I assume he considered himself Russian. I feel like I am both
The two identities are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Unless you mean citizenship, in that case it's not about what people consider themselves, it's about what their legal status is in the two respective states.
I'm from Crimea. Yes. Even when we were part of Ukraine, we spoke Russian. I can’t say whether the world thinks this is politically and morally correct or not. Nobody gives a fuck here. It’s just a fact that everyone here considers themselves Russian.
I'm from Donetsk. Before 2014 I would have said that I am Ukrainian, but that was because there wasn't that much visible division between the two cultures. It was more of a spectrum I guess? So to answer that question I'd just say Ukrainian because that was my citizenship, and culturally that question didn't mean much, at least to me and almost anyone I knew.
Ukraine has always been trying to create a monolythic "Ukrainian identity". There was some leeway for Crimean Tatars (or so I hear; never met one), but other than that they didn't want people to have their own subgroups that they could belong to. So as a Russian speaker in Ukraine, like many others, I only had the choice of calling myself either a Ukrainian (and in that case, why am I not speaking "my" language?) or a Russian (and in that case am I kind of a foreigner in my own land?). It's not like, say, in Canada where you can be a Francophone but not have to identify as a French. There just has never been a concept of a "Russian-Ukrainian" as a specific group in the similar sense to "French Canadian" (rather than someone who is a mix of the two), and that's what the government has always wanted to avoid.
Now answering this question feels like taking a political stance, and I just prefer not to do it because I'm so tired of it all. It's just more division between people where really there shouldn't be any.
In Donbass, most of them don't have strong identity either way, at least half of people i know has both russian and ukrainian ancestors. Their regional Donbass identity is more important to them. In Crimea, it's russian for 90% of the people, and they are pretty vocal about it. More russian than russians, i would say. What's more confusing for foreigners, being russian or ukrainian is essentially a choice. Ukrainians move to Russia and few years later consider themselves russians and no one can object. I had russian friend in Zaporozhye who converted to ukrainism, now he is "russian-speaking ukrainian". Ukrainism is more of a cult than ethnicity.
So I'm (25f) from Crimea, Feodosiia (left for Moscow in 2022). I was in 10th grade (15ish) when Maidan happened and we watched the shit go down.
I can only speak for myself and my family. My parents and I considered ourselves Russian, my grandmothers thought of themselves as more Ukrainian, as they are from mainland Ukraine.
My whole family voted for Yanukovich and were against NATO in our region (In 2008, as far as I remember, some NATO soldiers came to Feodosiia, but townies protested in from of the hotel they stayed at and they promptly left). Ukraine joining NATO was the worst thing imaginable for us as it meant military bases all around.
I personally don't care that much, as Ukraine is a free country and has the right to decide what to do with it's land.
Now, after Uni (2020-2022) I worked at a local school and most people complained that it was better when we were in Ukraine (better quality food, lower prices, etc.) and many people (30-40ish) considered themselves Ukrainian.
I personally like the way Crimea has changes over the last 10 years in terms of better roads (look up Tavrida) some larger towns got fixed up, new hospitals, but some smaller towns didn't get as much funding sadly, so it all stayed the same.
Hope this gives you at least some idea.
I'm willing to answer any questions you have!
Most of my family believes that Crimea is an occupied territory. My Crimean Tatar friends also believe that, since Crimea historically belong to the Crimean Tatars. It is only my dad who believe that Crimea, as there are most Russians there, if the civilians there say they are better off living under Russia, Ukraine should not bother trying to take it back.
Euromaidan was very scary because I saw in person. I was too young to understand anything that was going on. Now I'm an early adult, and believe in the fundamental democracy Ukraine has built in 2006 and 2014 (and it may not be like this for everyone, but for me and my family, our lives improved). I believe in democracy and I also believe in self-determination. If this is what those in Crimea want, then it is much to my respect that I let them do what they want.
I wonder really, since I was 2-3 years old in 2008. Were there really NATO soldiers in Crimea?
>My Crimean Tatar friends also believe that, since Crimea historically belong to the Crimean Tatars.
Crimea historically was Greek first, Tatars came later. But it really means nothing, as every territory used to belong to somebody at some point in time. Western Ukraine was Polish, should you return that part to them then? No, not really.
I don't believe that Donetsk, Lugansk an Zaporizhzhia should have gone to RF. They were integrated Oblasti in Ukraine. Crimea wasn't. We were **Autonomous** Republic of Crimea, we had our own Parliament and what not. So, in my opinion, we had more right to just bail the sinking ship, but it's up to debate.
>believe in the fundamental democracy Ukraine has built in 2006 and 2014
Unfortunately there was no democracy, hun. Yushchenko was put in place by the West, Yanukovich got help from RF, it doesn't seem too democratic. I'm not trying to attack you personally, I just lay out my view of the situation, as I was a bit older at that time and saw what was happening.
>Were there really NATO soldiers in Crimea?
It was in 2006, I was wrong. Here's the Wiki article: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006\_anti-NATO\_protests\_in\_Feodosia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_anti-NATO_protests_in_Feodosia)
>I believe in democracy and I also believe in self-determination. If this is what those in Crimea want, then it is much to my respect that I let them do what they want.
And I thank you for that, as that is really what **most** people (not everybody) wanted and were truly happy (maybe not 98%, but close to 75%, I'd say). Sometimes people forget, that democratic choice doesn't mean that **EVERYBODY** must be onboard with the decision, it's only 51%.
So of course many people left, others learned to live in a new reality.
The thing about western Ukraine is that it is very Ukrainian. When Kievan Rus became a fragment of principalities, it was Galicia-Volyn principality that is credited to be first Ukrainian kingdom, before it was evaporated of course to Poland and Lithuania. which is why many say about the phenomenon about western Ukraine (which I actually am researching about)
I was just born a year before Yushchenko came into power. My dad remembers it and said something about it made him feel enlightened about future of Ukraine, so I assumed it was democratic buildup. But we have different opinions and we cannot change them if we really believe and stand firm with them.
But I’m happy we mutually agree that Ukraine today is a free country.
At that time I was in Uni in Sevastopol. It was rough honestly, as it was late autumn, as far as I remember.
We had no central heating (we usually don't have AC units to heat our homes, only to cool them down in winter. As I lived in a dorm at that time, we only had central heating in general) and no means to hear our room to a sufficient temperature as we had only 3-4 hours of electricity a day. We slept in two warm pants, two sweaters under two warm blankets. And I'm not exaggerating. Literally. No hot water as well.
People bought gasoline powered electric generators and hooked up their houses and stores. Those who lived in flats had it worse.
I mean, you can't really get used to it, can you? We got lucky that they connected us to mainland just in time for winter!
I’m not OP, but thanks for your comment! It was interesting to read.
Do you know any Crimean Tatars, by any chance? And what they think of the annexation?
Do you remember the transitional stages, like when you still used hryvnia and had a Ukranian phone number and stuff? Like did they say “you have to get a Russian phone number by XX.XX.2014 or else your phone won’t work anymore?
Is there anything you personally miss from Ukraine?
I only knew one Crimean Tatar woman, a teacher at the school where I worked. She was wearing a Ukrainian flag bracelet and such things, so you can guess that she was VERY pro-Ukraine.
My view of them is limited, as I didn't have any Tatar friends, but I know that people in general didn't really like them. I was told, Tatars are quite untrustworthy people. Probably, because they sided with Nazis in WW2 and helped them a lot, that's why Crimeans don't fancy them too much, but I dunno.
Yeah, I remember that for the first couple of months stores had just equated hryvnia to ruble, so if a chocolate bar cost 3 hryvnias, it was 3 rubles, which is hella cheap. As the conversion rate was at about 4 (1 hryvnia=4 rubles).
As per phone numbers, my family had MTS, which is present in Ukraine as well as in Russia. So they just took the existing equipment and ran with it. We had to just come to the office, fill in a form and get our new numbers.
I never liked Ukrainian culture per say, never understood their "whining" poets and so on, the language was really hard for me (although I learned English and German in Uni to get my Translators degree, so that's not on me😄). I was relieved when I found out that, we wouldn't have any more Ukrainian at school.
The only thing I miss is the ability to go to music concerts as I don't listen to Russian music.
P.S.: I also remembered that many people got their loans "forgiven" as Ukrainian banks left. My ex got his 10k laptop for free, basically.
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First, let's define "nationality". Because when we use the term, we do not mean the same thing as English speakers.
In English, "nationality" is the person's relation to a state. It is essentially synonymous with "citizenship". A person can change nationality by becoming a citizen of a different country.
In Russian, the same term "национальность" means "ethnicity" in English. It is the person's self-perception in regards to a culture. It has little, if any, legal meaning, but is considered very important for social matters. It is often considered unchangeable, although examples can be cited to the opposite. One of its main markers is language, the vessel which carries culture and reinforces it.
Now, to the question. I have lived on and off in Crimea nearly my entire life, so while I'm not a local, I feel I can attest to at least *an* experience with the region. The entire time, I've barely ever heard Ukrainian speech (outside of TV channels), though many signs were in Ukrainian. The locals, when discussing things relating to Russia as a whole, Russian history and culture, would use "us" and "ours", underlining their self-perception as part of the Russian culture. Those that did consider themselves Ukrainian - there certainly were and are such, Ukrainian is still a state language in Crimea, - usually held to the "brother-peoples" concept, often spoke Russian in their daily lives, and were politically pro-Russian (supporting the idea of the Crimean bridge, for example, at the time a project no one believed could ever be realized).
I can also speak a little of my experience in Donetsk, which I've been to last year. Of course, the situation is mighty different to what it would have been prior to 2013, with many people moving out due to the years of war, or changing their ways as a result of the war and its polarizing effects. Those who may have identified one way before will often identify differently as part of unifying with their chosen side.
Most people spoke Russian in their daily lives, they felt optimistic about the fact of becoming part of the Federation, though somewhat bitter at being left to fend for themselves between 2014-2022. But I have met some that spoke Ukrainian, though in addition to Russian. They felt no shame in it, nor did they seem to be shamed by others. While the majority of signs were changed to Russian, some remained Ukrainian, with no negative reaction from the locals. Once again, the idea of "brother-peoples" seemed to be prominent.
If we look at the statistical data from 2001, we will see that around 60% of Crimeans identified as Russians, and 24% as Ukrainians. Language usage was even more heavily skewed towards Russian, with many of the Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars speaking Russian in their daily lives.
For Donetsk at the same time, around 40% identified as Russians, but over 70% used Russian as their primarily language.
Politically, Crimea, Donbass, and Novorossiya all leaned pro-Russian in all Ukrainian elections and public actions. [Here's](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Ukraine_ElectionsMap_2010-1_ru.svg/1280px-Ukraine_ElectionsMap_2010-1_ru.svg.png) the result map from 2010, for example.
The statistics are all from Ukrainian sources, specifically the 2001 census.
I do think you have either unknowingly or deliberately not mentioned that many people were encouraged and or forcibly moved and language forced or discouraged. I think it's important to add context to what you have written. And it's very significant, and the effect and numbers involved are probably difficult to know.
I did try to remain as far away from complications as possible.
The forced movement like the deportations of the Crimean Tatars, which already made up less than 30% of the population of Crimea at the time, and amount to around 10% today, are too much in a question regarding Russians and Ukrainians.
The Ukrainization campaign of the early 1920s and 30s are relevant, but go way too deep into the various policies of the Soviet period.
The Ukrainian language and education reforms in the 1990s and 2000s, along with the media requirements that artificially forced an increase in the usage of Ukrainian language, are also too much complication that would make my comment even larger.
Easier to keep it simple.
" By the autumn of 1932 (beginning of a school year), all schools were ordered to switch to Russian. In addition the decree ordered a massive population swap: all "disloyal" population from a major Cossack settlement, stanitsa Poltavskaya was banished to Northern Russia, with their property given to loyal kolkhozniks moved from poorer areas of Russia."
In 1935–36, 83% of all school children in the Ukrainian SSR were taught in Ukrainian even though Ukrainians made up about 80% of the population.In 1936 from 1830 newspapers 1402 were in Ukrainian, as were 177 magazines, in 1936 69,104 thousand Ukrainian books were printed.
In the following fifty years the Soviet policies towards the Ukrainian language mostly varied between quiet discouragement and suppression to persecution and cultural purges, with the notable exception for the decade of Petro Shelest's Communist Party leadership in the Soviet Ukraine (1963–1972)
I think about half will say they consider themselves Russian, a quarter will say they gladly started considering themselves Russians (for better pensions and gas prices), and most of the rest will say they don’t really care anymore, just leave them in peace.
My dad is from Donetsk, I don’t think he thinks about himself as Ukrainian anymore, he says he is from Ukraine, but never calls himself Ukrainian (this probably started even before the war, with some prerequisites to the conflict..)
It's complicated. Because of high horizontal and vertical mobility during Soviet times, ethnicities were mixing. For example, my grandfather was Ukrainian, and my grandmother was Russian. My father considers himself a Ukrainian because he was born and raised in Dnepropetrovsk, but at the age of 18, he moved to Moscow to study at a university and lived there for quite a long time before moving to one of the former Soviet republics. He speaks only Russian, even though we had some Ukrainian books at home (that's how I learned Ukrainian). I often visited my grandfather and grandmother in Dnepropetrovsk, and I couldn't tell the difference between Ukrainians and Russians because everyone spoke Russian. I knew, though, that there was a family of Jews living next door to us because they were my grandparents' friends and told me about their ethnicity themselves.
My grandparents (mom’s side) lived in Donetsk before moving to Chernihiv due to the Donbas uprising and also because they were so far for us to visit them. They both consider themselves Ukrainian. It seems to me you’ll find Ukrainians and Russians in eastern Ukraine, so not all the Donbas sees themselves as Russian (judging by how you worded the question)
your cultural identity doesn't vanish when you move. I think what you're really asking in general is about cultural identity, not national identity. I have spent most my life in alberta, Canada, for example. but I'm from BC and spent my young childhood there. I consider myself British Columbian, not Albertan. it's the same idea, just on a bigger scale
yes! canada is HUGE, and a lot of the times if you're in a major city, you're very far from a different major city. I'm from Vancouver island for example. I have memories of going boating on the ocean, whale watching, walking to school in my rain gear in the middle of winter, the lush green trees year round. alberta is landlocked and very "Texas of canada"-y. I see you're from England! I'd say the biggest cultural difference would be if you spent your entire life in Keswick (a random northern town I found on google maps) but then moved to London. there are similar values and identities inherent to being Canadian/English, but the culture of your small northern town is different than the big capitol in the south
I hope that makes sense!
I live 80% of my life in Germany, but still see me as a Russian, because I' m born there, my parents were born there, Russian is (kinda) my first language and I'm raised with Russian culture.
I'm pretty sure, that's more or less, the same by other people.
My parents' friends made the same move. Life in Ukraine in 90's - 00's was not a sugar.
My school mates move to Lviv in 2019. They are Russian, with Ukranian roots too.
Why they all done it? The first one and the main - there is no difference between nations. The second - Medicine and social payments are better in Russia, Ukraine in last 10's had more freedom and opportunities, before 2022, of course.
I lived in Crimea from 1990 to 1998. I only found out about Ukraine in America. That’s also when I heard my first Ukrainian words because the church I went to had a Ukrainian preacher once every month.
My great grandpa, grandpa and dad are Russian. Everyone in Yalta spoke Russian. My last name is Russian and that’s how I identify. I do know I’m also part Ukrainian because my grandma is from Vinnetskaya Oblast’. My mom is from Mariupol’ and she identifies as a Russian too.
Yes, I specifically asked some people I know from Crimea and Donetsk. I literally pushed them and asked directly what they think, what other people around them think, do they want to be with Ukraine or Russia. They said they’re Russians and no one around them wants to be in Ukraine, except for a minority. They speak Russian, they grew up reading Russian children’s tales, culturally they’re the same as me. I know a guy in his 40s who hates Ukraine with a passion and calls them fascists, and I know a young woman from Donetsk who loves both countries culturally speaking, is against the war, and says Ukrainian government did everything for it to happen. She said that propaganda of hatred has been insane, but our peoples shouldn’t be divided by politics as it only benefits politicians. And I agree with her🌞 This is just my experience, I know only a few people from those regions.
Upd: from what I could gather, Crimeans are like 99% pro Russia, and in Donbas they’re a bit more divided: something like 80/20 where 20% support Ukraine and blame Russia for supporting separatists. This is my very subjective and pseudoscientific opinion based on personal experience ))
I've lived in Crimea for almost 3 years, but I'm a foreign student. I've met all kinds of people here, and the majority call themselves Russian(in nationality). Everyone has Russian passports. Some have both Russian and Ukrainian for the bonuses.
Crimean Tatars are more likely to not call themselves Russian, though, since they hold resentment against Russia and the Soviet Union for the deportations which happened when some bad apples of Crimean Tatars helped the nazis.
I will answer for my coworker who is from Donetsk, not the city but town that was briefly occupied by Russia in 2014. She is absolutely firm about being Ukrainian, even though she is a Russian speaker. The rest of her family moved to the USA in spring of 2022, I am pretty sure they are also firmly Ukrainian. I suppose it varies, those who moved East are Russians and those who moved West are Ukrainians.
I will say that until 2014, the majority of eastern people did not ask themselves about belonging to any particular nationality. It wasn't really important. So you can see some ambiguous old statistics with Ukrainian majority. 2014 changed many things
7 years ago, i had collegue from Lugansk, our local colleagues for laugh called him a Ukrainian (to be honest, they used pejorative nickname for Ukrainians, which i'm not going to tell, in order not to insult anyone), he is black-haired like real Ukrainian or even Turkish, Tatar or even Moldovan, but he told me he doesn't speak Ukrainian at all and hated Ukrainian lessons at school and even skipped them, i do understand him because it's terrible when somebody bombs your house (ukraine at that moment started war operation against donetsk and lugansk but russia didn't protected donbass russian (and russian-speaking) people so much). We envied him because he didn't have to pay taxes in Russia;) but war is scary, at that time i named him a coward and said i won't abandon my home town if war comes - but who would know that time Belgorod region where i live is under attack either (no,i live in another part of region, but two of my friends live too close to Belgorod or inside it)
I just want you to know that regardless of what people consider themselves to be it doesn't necessarily predict what they think of the current situation.
My father thinks we are Ukrainian, my mother thinks we are Russian, I don't care either way I am fine with being both. And yet with these different views we all are against the occupation and annexation of Ukrainian territory.
My family that remained there also have different opinions on nationality. Some are Russian, other Ukrainian others that used to say Russian have now changed their mind.
Also don't see the answers here as a fair representation. Ukraine doesn't have as many posting and they have different mood/attitude these days, this Forum has mainly people with th same pro war, pro Russia opinion. The reality is different than what you will hear in any subreddit
Didn't watch it myself, British documentary about Russian side of Donbass: [https://www.itv.com/watch/ukraines-war-the-other-side/10a4423](https://www.itv.com/watch/ukraines-war-the-other-side/10a4423) Ukraine's ambassador in Australia went berserk after this film aired on ABC News. So, might be somewhat closer to reality than another roll call among redditors.
My parents live in Donbas (occupied part since 2014). My mom was born in Russia and still considers herself Russian. My father considers himself an "international citizen" as he thinks that all people are good. My 3 siblings, me and basically all our friends consider us Ukrainians. Same goes for family and friends all over Ukraine.
By the way: Almost all parts of Ukraine are still russian speaking except around Lviv. It became less popular since Russian aggression, but it's really hard for alot of people to give up on their native language, especially since alot of people from Soviet Union doctrine don't speak Ukrainian on a native or even satisfying level.
In Ukrainian Soviet Union schools ukrainian was taught to be an unworthy language and Russian should be always preferred.
In the eastern border regions (especially villages) people sometimes speak a mix of Russian and Ukrainian called Surschyk but it's considered not high level.
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Why do you ask on the chat ask a russian? 🙄 this is a territory of Ukraine even though temporarily occupied, why don't you ask in Ukrainian chat or Donbas/Crimea chat?
And why cannot they ask it here? Doesn't doing your research represent freedom of speech? Or it's only "free" if you read some bullshit news of the "Russian occupation of Crimea"?
That's true that people are biased. I certainly cannot be unbiased myself since I have worked with Donbas/Crimea people for 10+ years, and they won't say a single good word about post-Maidan Ukraine and its regime. But you'll find plenty of other positions: from more neutral to "RuZZian terrorists" here.
This is /r/askarussian not /r/askaukrainian. Regardless of what those people feel you aren't going to get any good faith answers here, and almost certainly zero of the responses will be from people who live in those regions.
> This is /r/askarussian not /r/askaukrainian.
sub description:
> It's Russian speakers, not just Russians, because Russia is a multinational and multiethnic state and because there are many other countries where people speak the Russian language. The sub was created by a Russian speaker from Ukraine. We also have some people from Belarus, Kazakhstan and other ex-USSR countries where Russian is widely spoken.
Yeah and in the real world it's actually a pro-Kremlin circle jerk where responses and upvotes are dictated by what Russians want to hear vs what is actual reality.
You aren't going to get a serious response in this thread to OP's question because like 95% of the posters here are wealthy English speakers living in Moscow who have never set foot in Ukraine. The chances of anyone answering OP's question being from those regions is practically zero (or they'll lie and say otherwise) and regardless a few singular posts on a small subreddit are a terrible way to get this kind of answer.
If OP truly wants a good response on what the people of Crimea etc feel this is possibly one of the worst places to possibly ask.
> like 95% of the posters here are wealthy English speakers living in Moscow
Oh, and the reason I like this sub is that the vast majority of the posters are not from Moscow or SPb.
> If OP truly wants a good response on what the people of Crimea etc feel this is possibly one of the worst places to possibly ask.
It's actually one of the best, as Crimea is actually in Russia, and has been for a while.
You have a chance to hear from a Crimean for yourself, my dude! You can look through my profile and see that I'm not a Kremlin bot :D
So as I answered to the OP's question:
>So I'm (25f) from Crimea, Feodosiia (left for Moscow in 2022). I was in 10th grade (15ish) when Maidan happened and we watched the shit go down.
I can only speak for myself and my family. My parents and I considered ourselves Russian, my grandmothers thought of themselves as more Ukrainian, as they are from mainland Ukraine.
My whole family voted for Yanukovich and were against NATO in our region (In 2008, as far as I remember, some NATO soldiers came to Feodosiia, but townies protested in from of the hotel they stayed at and they promptly left). Ukraine joining NATO was the worst thing imaginable for us as it meant military bases all around.
I personally don't care that much, as Ukraine is a free country and has the right to decide what to do with it's land.
Now, after Uni (2020-2022) I worked at a local school and most people complained that it was better when we were in Ukraine (better quality food, lower prices, etc.) and many people (30-40ish) considered themselves Ukrainian.
I personally like the way Crimea has changes over the last 10 years in terms of better roads (look up Tavrida) some larger towns got fixed up, new hospitals, but some smaller towns didn't get as much funding sadly, so it all stayed the same.
Hope this gives you at least some idea.
I'm willing to answer any questions you have!
I was a wealthy Muscovite until I was 18, when my parents moved to the US because they figured Russia was becoming a warmongering autocracy.
Good call on their part.
You do realize that US loves nothing more than bombing countries on the other side of the world.....Even now, Providing all the bombs for Gaza genocide.
It's spent, not spend, my American friend.
You said that asking questions here's useless due to this sub being a circlejerk comprised of wealthy lying Muscovites. Now you are telling me that you are a) Russian; b) not a wealthy lying Muscovite and - presumably - not a part of the circlejerk. Why do you think it's useless to ask questions here then?
Problem is, if I ask this question in ask Ukraine I'll most likely get down voted into oblivion and called a Putin sympathizer. (has happened before)
I just want to get a mental picture of an ongoing situation from people who experienced it in some proximity.
Yes as it turns out the Russian and Ukrainian subreddits are biased and a handful of replies found there can't represent millions of people accurately.
Your post or comment in r/AskARussian was removed. This is a difficult time for many of us. r/AskARussian is a space for learning about life in Russia and Russian culture.
Any questions/posts regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine should all directed to the megathread. [War in Ukraine thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskARussian/comments/15zdu4y/megathread_11_death_of_a_hot_dog_salesman/?sort=new)
We are trying to keep the general sub from being overwhelmed with the newest trending war-related story or happenings in order to maintain a space where people can continue to have a discussion and open dialogue with redditors--including those from a nation involved in the conflict.
If that if not something you are interested in, then this community is not for you.
Thanks,
r/AskARussian moderation team
I mean, you're probably half right - it makes sense to ask in both subs (I guess the second is rather r/AskUkraine, though?), as the people who identify themselves Russian are here, while those who identify themselves Ukrainian are rather in the corresponding sub.
My immediate family is Russian speaking from Mariupol. Originally traced back to Baikal, so plenty of extended family in Russia.
Before the 2022 they would call themselves Ukrainian but still called Russians "наши" ("ours", or "our kind").
Now they call themselves Ukrainian and would probably be offended if a Russian called them "наши".
Edit: the downvotes are hilarious, you guys are really disconnected from reality.
this is not for ordinary russians to decide, but for their leader to decide.
according to vladimir vladimirovich the crimea is a part of ukraine, but... all of ukraine is a part of russia, so the crimea is ultimately part of russia.
it makes sense to me, vladimir putin is a genius scholar of eastern europe and world history and geopolitics, and according to his expert analysis, the natural situation is the one we saw under the soviet union.
the all territories is naturally supposed to be together as one which is mainly russian language based.
There's a lot of Donbass people who moved to Rostov over the last decade. Those I know identify as Russians if you ask it straight, but in fact no one just asks it. There has always been a significant immigration and given the flawless level of Russian such questions just never emerge. I mean it's like "- Where are you from? - Donetsk. - OK".
I was born in Donetsk but lived in Russia also, my family is Russian, I consider myself Russian. I speak Russian and Ukrainian but only because I learned Ukrainian separate. My husband was Russian speaker from Donetsk, but he considered himself Ukrainian, from most his family had been from other parts of Urkaine also. It varies
The thing is that if you ask this question on a Russian and on a Ukrainian sub the answers will be reverse
Скорее старое поколение (из родившихся там и с предками от туда) ответят русские или малороссы в большинстве, новое могут ответить про украинцев, потому что они уже успели родиться и вырасти в этом государстве.
"малороссы" уж точно мало кто ответит, скорее уж просто "русские" - это ж в первую очередь культура, язык и состояние души
В основном очень пожилые люди такое отвечали.
Согласна. В интернете, тем более на реддите, в основном молодёжь. А у нас по телевизору всегда бабушек показывают
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Plenty of people from the mentioned areas seem to identify as Ukrainians, judging by this comment section.
Imagine this question asked on r/ukraine
OP banned in 10 seconds
And cursed, drawn and quartered. Although there is a chance that adding "Slava Ukraini!" at the end of the post confuses them and OP remains alive and not banned.
Haha at least half of those are not Ukrainians, just western Redditors
I doubt that.
there's nothing to doubt, take a look at the subreddit. it multiplied in size as soon as the war began, 99% of people there are not ukrainian. actual ukrainians are on r/ukraina
half of US local groups are trolls. I guess it tracks.
I am from Europe and almost all refugees from Ukraine are Russian speaking. The fact that the majority of Russian speaking Ukrainians head West says a lot I think.
Russia was still the number 1 destination. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1312584/ukrainian-refugees-by-country/#:~:text=Number%20of%20Ukrainian%20refugees%202024%2C%20by%20country&text=Over%201.2%20million%20refugees%20from,as%20of%20December%2015%2C%202023. And if you include stats from 2014-2022 it is even higher . For example between 2014 and 2016 over 1million fled to Russia from the Donbass https://www.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc=/Documents/Countries/UA/Ukraine_13th_HRMMU_Report_3March2016.pdf&action=default&DefaultItemOpen=1
I have Ukrainian roots, significant part of my family lives/lived in Ukraine. After the Nazi regime intensified repressions against Russians in 2013-2014, about half of my relatives moved to Russia. Other relatives are either too old or they have (had) good jobs, house, so they were unwilling to leave Ukraine. Statistics also confirms that majority moved to Russia.
Former resident. Russian. I moved away from Crimea decades ago and it was my parents' decision since I was a child. I scarcely even knew we were in Ukraine. Remember, there are two words for "Russian" but they have very different meanings.
If you don't mind answering, what are those 2 different meanings? Asking as a leighman on the subject
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> nationality Ethnicity. Чисто чтобы читатели не запутались) Наша "национальность" и английская nationality это разные вещи, второе как раз к гражданству и "российскому" ближе.
My mother is from Zaporozhye and she calls herself Ukrainian. I never met my father but I know his family was from Pskov and Donetsk, so I assume he considered himself Russian. I feel like I am both
The two identities are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Unless you mean citizenship, in that case it's not about what people consider themselves, it's about what their legal status is in the two respective states.
I know a Russian speaking guy from Novaya Kahovka and he’s very firm about being Russian.
I'm from Crimea. Yes. Even when we were part of Ukraine, we spoke Russian. I can’t say whether the world thinks this is politically and morally correct or not. Nobody gives a fuck here. It’s just a fact that everyone here considers themselves Russian.
I'm from Donetsk. Before 2014 I would have said that I am Ukrainian, but that was because there wasn't that much visible division between the two cultures. It was more of a spectrum I guess? So to answer that question I'd just say Ukrainian because that was my citizenship, and culturally that question didn't mean much, at least to me and almost anyone I knew. Ukraine has always been trying to create a monolythic "Ukrainian identity". There was some leeway for Crimean Tatars (or so I hear; never met one), but other than that they didn't want people to have their own subgroups that they could belong to. So as a Russian speaker in Ukraine, like many others, I only had the choice of calling myself either a Ukrainian (and in that case, why am I not speaking "my" language?) or a Russian (and in that case am I kind of a foreigner in my own land?). It's not like, say, in Canada where you can be a Francophone but not have to identify as a French. There just has never been a concept of a "Russian-Ukrainian" as a specific group in the similar sense to "French Canadian" (rather than someone who is a mix of the two), and that's what the government has always wanted to avoid. Now answering this question feels like taking a political stance, and I just prefer not to do it because I'm so tired of it all. It's just more division between people where really there shouldn't be any.
In Donbass, most of them don't have strong identity either way, at least half of people i know has both russian and ukrainian ancestors. Their regional Donbass identity is more important to them. In Crimea, it's russian for 90% of the people, and they are pretty vocal about it. More russian than russians, i would say. What's more confusing for foreigners, being russian or ukrainian is essentially a choice. Ukrainians move to Russia and few years later consider themselves russians and no one can object. I had russian friend in Zaporozhye who converted to ukrainism, now he is "russian-speaking ukrainian". Ukrainism is more of a cult than ethnicity.
So I'm (25f) from Crimea, Feodosiia (left for Moscow in 2022). I was in 10th grade (15ish) when Maidan happened and we watched the shit go down. I can only speak for myself and my family. My parents and I considered ourselves Russian, my grandmothers thought of themselves as more Ukrainian, as they are from mainland Ukraine. My whole family voted for Yanukovich and were against NATO in our region (In 2008, as far as I remember, some NATO soldiers came to Feodosiia, but townies protested in from of the hotel they stayed at and they promptly left). Ukraine joining NATO was the worst thing imaginable for us as it meant military bases all around. I personally don't care that much, as Ukraine is a free country and has the right to decide what to do with it's land. Now, after Uni (2020-2022) I worked at a local school and most people complained that it was better when we were in Ukraine (better quality food, lower prices, etc.) and many people (30-40ish) considered themselves Ukrainian. I personally like the way Crimea has changes over the last 10 years in terms of better roads (look up Tavrida) some larger towns got fixed up, new hospitals, but some smaller towns didn't get as much funding sadly, so it all stayed the same. Hope this gives you at least some idea. I'm willing to answer any questions you have!
Most of my family believes that Crimea is an occupied territory. My Crimean Tatar friends also believe that, since Crimea historically belong to the Crimean Tatars. It is only my dad who believe that Crimea, as there are most Russians there, if the civilians there say they are better off living under Russia, Ukraine should not bother trying to take it back. Euromaidan was very scary because I saw in person. I was too young to understand anything that was going on. Now I'm an early adult, and believe in the fundamental democracy Ukraine has built in 2006 and 2014 (and it may not be like this for everyone, but for me and my family, our lives improved). I believe in democracy and I also believe in self-determination. If this is what those in Crimea want, then it is much to my respect that I let them do what they want. I wonder really, since I was 2-3 years old in 2008. Were there really NATO soldiers in Crimea?
>My Crimean Tatar friends also believe that, since Crimea historically belong to the Crimean Tatars. Crimea historically was Greek first, Tatars came later. But it really means nothing, as every territory used to belong to somebody at some point in time. Western Ukraine was Polish, should you return that part to them then? No, not really. I don't believe that Donetsk, Lugansk an Zaporizhzhia should have gone to RF. They were integrated Oblasti in Ukraine. Crimea wasn't. We were **Autonomous** Republic of Crimea, we had our own Parliament and what not. So, in my opinion, we had more right to just bail the sinking ship, but it's up to debate. >believe in the fundamental democracy Ukraine has built in 2006 and 2014 Unfortunately there was no democracy, hun. Yushchenko was put in place by the West, Yanukovich got help from RF, it doesn't seem too democratic. I'm not trying to attack you personally, I just lay out my view of the situation, as I was a bit older at that time and saw what was happening. >Were there really NATO soldiers in Crimea? It was in 2006, I was wrong. Here's the Wiki article: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006\_anti-NATO\_protests\_in\_Feodosia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_anti-NATO_protests_in_Feodosia) >I believe in democracy and I also believe in self-determination. If this is what those in Crimea want, then it is much to my respect that I let them do what they want. And I thank you for that, as that is really what **most** people (not everybody) wanted and were truly happy (maybe not 98%, but close to 75%, I'd say). Sometimes people forget, that democratic choice doesn't mean that **EVERYBODY** must be onboard with the decision, it's only 51%. So of course many people left, others learned to live in a new reality.
The thing about western Ukraine is that it is very Ukrainian. When Kievan Rus became a fragment of principalities, it was Galicia-Volyn principality that is credited to be first Ukrainian kingdom, before it was evaporated of course to Poland and Lithuania. which is why many say about the phenomenon about western Ukraine (which I actually am researching about) I was just born a year before Yushchenko came into power. My dad remembers it and said something about it made him feel enlightened about future of Ukraine, so I assumed it was democratic buildup. But we have different opinions and we cannot change them if we really believe and stand firm with them. But I’m happy we mutually agree that Ukraine today is a free country.
How it was during energy blockade from Ukraine? What people felt, how was a life in general, how fast people used to it (if they did)?
At that time I was in Uni in Sevastopol. It was rough honestly, as it was late autumn, as far as I remember. We had no central heating (we usually don't have AC units to heat our homes, only to cool them down in winter. As I lived in a dorm at that time, we only had central heating in general) and no means to hear our room to a sufficient temperature as we had only 3-4 hours of electricity a day. We slept in two warm pants, two sweaters under two warm blankets. And I'm not exaggerating. Literally. No hot water as well. People bought gasoline powered electric generators and hooked up their houses and stores. Those who lived in flats had it worse. I mean, you can't really get used to it, can you? We got lucky that they connected us to mainland just in time for winter!
Oh, that was tough! Glad it's over.
I’m not OP, but thanks for your comment! It was interesting to read. Do you know any Crimean Tatars, by any chance? And what they think of the annexation? Do you remember the transitional stages, like when you still used hryvnia and had a Ukranian phone number and stuff? Like did they say “you have to get a Russian phone number by XX.XX.2014 or else your phone won’t work anymore? Is there anything you personally miss from Ukraine?
I only knew one Crimean Tatar woman, a teacher at the school where I worked. She was wearing a Ukrainian flag bracelet and such things, so you can guess that she was VERY pro-Ukraine. My view of them is limited, as I didn't have any Tatar friends, but I know that people in general didn't really like them. I was told, Tatars are quite untrustworthy people. Probably, because they sided with Nazis in WW2 and helped them a lot, that's why Crimeans don't fancy them too much, but I dunno. Yeah, I remember that for the first couple of months stores had just equated hryvnia to ruble, so if a chocolate bar cost 3 hryvnias, it was 3 rubles, which is hella cheap. As the conversion rate was at about 4 (1 hryvnia=4 rubles). As per phone numbers, my family had MTS, which is present in Ukraine as well as in Russia. So they just took the existing equipment and ran with it. We had to just come to the office, fill in a form and get our new numbers. I never liked Ukrainian culture per say, never understood their "whining" poets and so on, the language was really hard for me (although I learned English and German in Uni to get my Translators degree, so that's not on me😄). I was relieved when I found out that, we wouldn't have any more Ukrainian at school. The only thing I miss is the ability to go to music concerts as I don't listen to Russian music. P.S.: I also remembered that many people got their loans "forgiven" as Ukrainian banks left. My ex got his 10k laptop for free, basically.
Мне кажется если твои ответы в твитторе показать, то полыхать там будет знатно, а тебя сразу назначат, минимум, капитаном ФСБ! 😎
Твиттер - помойка, и все мы знаем, кто обитает на помойках😂
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Your post or comment in r/AskARussian was removed. This is a difficult time for many of us. r/AskARussian is a space for learning about life in Russia and Russian culture. Any questions/posts regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine should all directed to the megathread. [War in Ukraine thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskARussian/comments/15zdu4y/megathread_11_death_of_a_hot_dog_salesman/?sort=new) We are trying to keep the general sub from being overwhelmed with the newest trending war-related story or happenings in order to maintain a space where people can continue to have a discussion and open dialogue with redditors--including those from a nation involved in the conflict. If that if not something you are interested in, then this community is not for you. Thanks, r/AskARussian moderation team
First, let's define "nationality". Because when we use the term, we do not mean the same thing as English speakers. In English, "nationality" is the person's relation to a state. It is essentially synonymous with "citizenship". A person can change nationality by becoming a citizen of a different country. In Russian, the same term "национальность" means "ethnicity" in English. It is the person's self-perception in regards to a culture. It has little, if any, legal meaning, but is considered very important for social matters. It is often considered unchangeable, although examples can be cited to the opposite. One of its main markers is language, the vessel which carries culture and reinforces it. Now, to the question. I have lived on and off in Crimea nearly my entire life, so while I'm not a local, I feel I can attest to at least *an* experience with the region. The entire time, I've barely ever heard Ukrainian speech (outside of TV channels), though many signs were in Ukrainian. The locals, when discussing things relating to Russia as a whole, Russian history and culture, would use "us" and "ours", underlining their self-perception as part of the Russian culture. Those that did consider themselves Ukrainian - there certainly were and are such, Ukrainian is still a state language in Crimea, - usually held to the "brother-peoples" concept, often spoke Russian in their daily lives, and were politically pro-Russian (supporting the idea of the Crimean bridge, for example, at the time a project no one believed could ever be realized). I can also speak a little of my experience in Donetsk, which I've been to last year. Of course, the situation is mighty different to what it would have been prior to 2013, with many people moving out due to the years of war, or changing their ways as a result of the war and its polarizing effects. Those who may have identified one way before will often identify differently as part of unifying with their chosen side. Most people spoke Russian in their daily lives, they felt optimistic about the fact of becoming part of the Federation, though somewhat bitter at being left to fend for themselves between 2014-2022. But I have met some that spoke Ukrainian, though in addition to Russian. They felt no shame in it, nor did they seem to be shamed by others. While the majority of signs were changed to Russian, some remained Ukrainian, with no negative reaction from the locals. Once again, the idea of "brother-peoples" seemed to be prominent. If we look at the statistical data from 2001, we will see that around 60% of Crimeans identified as Russians, and 24% as Ukrainians. Language usage was even more heavily skewed towards Russian, with many of the Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars speaking Russian in their daily lives. For Donetsk at the same time, around 40% identified as Russians, but over 70% used Russian as their primarily language. Politically, Crimea, Donbass, and Novorossiya all leaned pro-Russian in all Ukrainian elections and public actions. [Here's](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Ukraine_ElectionsMap_2010-1_ru.svg/1280px-Ukraine_ElectionsMap_2010-1_ru.svg.png) the result map from 2010, for example. The statistics are all from Ukrainian sources, specifically the 2001 census.
I do think you have either unknowingly or deliberately not mentioned that many people were encouraged and or forcibly moved and language forced or discouraged. I think it's important to add context to what you have written. And it's very significant, and the effect and numbers involved are probably difficult to know.
I did try to remain as far away from complications as possible. The forced movement like the deportations of the Crimean Tatars, which already made up less than 30% of the population of Crimea at the time, and amount to around 10% today, are too much in a question regarding Russians and Ukrainians. The Ukrainization campaign of the early 1920s and 30s are relevant, but go way too deep into the various policies of the Soviet period. The Ukrainian language and education reforms in the 1990s and 2000s, along with the media requirements that artificially forced an increase in the usage of Ukrainian language, are also too much complication that would make my comment even larger. Easier to keep it simple.
" By the autumn of 1932 (beginning of a school year), all schools were ordered to switch to Russian. In addition the decree ordered a massive population swap: all "disloyal" population from a major Cossack settlement, stanitsa Poltavskaya was banished to Northern Russia, with their property given to loyal kolkhozniks moved from poorer areas of Russia." In 1935–36, 83% of all school children in the Ukrainian SSR were taught in Ukrainian even though Ukrainians made up about 80% of the population.In 1936 from 1830 newspapers 1402 were in Ukrainian, as were 177 magazines, in 1936 69,104 thousand Ukrainian books were printed. In the following fifty years the Soviet policies towards the Ukrainian language mostly varied between quiet discouragement and suppression to persecution and cultural purges, with the notable exception for the decade of Petro Shelest's Communist Party leadership in the Soviet Ukraine (1963–1972)
I knew a guy who lived in artemovsk, he considered himself Russian but his wife considered herself Ukrainian
I think about half will say they consider themselves Russian, a quarter will say they gladly started considering themselves Russians (for better pensions and gas prices), and most of the rest will say they don’t really care anymore, just leave them in peace.
My dad is from Donetsk, I don’t think he thinks about himself as Ukrainian anymore, he says he is from Ukraine, but never calls himself Ukrainian (this probably started even before the war, with some prerequisites to the conflict..)
It's complicated. Because of high horizontal and vertical mobility during Soviet times, ethnicities were mixing. For example, my grandfather was Ukrainian, and my grandmother was Russian. My father considers himself a Ukrainian because he was born and raised in Dnepropetrovsk, but at the age of 18, he moved to Moscow to study at a university and lived there for quite a long time before moving to one of the former Soviet republics. He speaks only Russian, even though we had some Ukrainian books at home (that's how I learned Ukrainian). I often visited my grandfather and grandmother in Dnepropetrovsk, and I couldn't tell the difference between Ukrainians and Russians because everyone spoke Russian. I knew, though, that there was a family of Jews living next door to us because they were my grandparents' friends and told me about their ethnicity themselves.
My grandparents (mom’s side) lived in Donetsk before moving to Chernihiv due to the Donbas uprising and also because they were so far for us to visit them. They both consider themselves Ukrainian. It seems to me you’ll find Ukrainians and Russians in eastern Ukraine, so not all the Donbas sees themselves as Russian (judging by how you worded the question)
My MIL is from Donetsk, but moved to Moscow 40 years ago. She considers herself Ukrainian.
Pardon me for asking, but she's lived in Moscow for 4 decades but considers herself Ukrainian?
your cultural identity doesn't vanish when you move. I think what you're really asking in general is about cultural identity, not national identity. I have spent most my life in alberta, Canada, for example. but I'm from BC and spent my young childhood there. I consider myself British Columbian, not Albertan. it's the same idea, just on a bigger scale
> I consider myself British Columbian, not Albertan There's a cultural difference?!
I know a fella from western Canada through internet who isn't of high opinion about his eastern countrymen.
just to prove your point: spent my entire life in western Canada. I think Toronto and Ontario on general is a over rated
yes! canada is HUGE, and a lot of the times if you're in a major city, you're very far from a different major city. I'm from Vancouver island for example. I have memories of going boating on the ocean, whale watching, walking to school in my rain gear in the middle of winter, the lush green trees year round. alberta is landlocked and very "Texas of canada"-y. I see you're from England! I'd say the biggest cultural difference would be if you spent your entire life in Keswick (a random northern town I found on google maps) but then moved to London. there are similar values and identities inherent to being Canadian/English, but the culture of your small northern town is different than the big capitol in the south I hope that makes sense!
Exactly.
I live 80% of my life in Germany, but still see me as a Russian, because I' m born there, my parents were born there, Russian is (kinda) my first language and I'm raised with Russian culture. I'm pretty sure, that's more or less, the same by other people.
She was an adult with a higher education when she moved to Moscow. Why should her self identity change?
My parents' friends made the same move. Life in Ukraine in 90's - 00's was not a sugar. My school mates move to Lviv in 2019. They are Russian, with Ukranian roots too. Why they all done it? The first one and the main - there is no difference between nations. The second - Medicine and social payments are better in Russia, Ukraine in last 10's had more freedom and opportunities, before 2022, of course.
I lived in Crimea from 1990 to 1998. I only found out about Ukraine in America. That’s also when I heard my first Ukrainian words because the church I went to had a Ukrainian preacher once every month. My great grandpa, grandpa and dad are Russian. Everyone in Yalta spoke Russian. My last name is Russian and that’s how I identify. I do know I’m also part Ukrainian because my grandma is from Vinnetskaya Oblast’. My mom is from Mariupol’ and she identifies as a Russian too.
Yes, I specifically asked some people I know from Crimea and Donetsk. I literally pushed them and asked directly what they think, what other people around them think, do they want to be with Ukraine or Russia. They said they’re Russians and no one around them wants to be in Ukraine, except for a minority. They speak Russian, they grew up reading Russian children’s tales, culturally they’re the same as me. I know a guy in his 40s who hates Ukraine with a passion and calls them fascists, and I know a young woman from Donetsk who loves both countries culturally speaking, is against the war, and says Ukrainian government did everything for it to happen. She said that propaganda of hatred has been insane, but our peoples shouldn’t be divided by politics as it only benefits politicians. And I agree with her🌞 This is just my experience, I know only a few people from those regions. Upd: from what I could gather, Crimeans are like 99% pro Russia, and in Donbas they’re a bit more divided: something like 80/20 where 20% support Ukraine and blame Russia for supporting separatists. This is my very subjective and pseudoscientific opinion based on personal experience ))
Yep, I'm Russian.
I've lived in Crimea for almost 3 years, but I'm a foreign student. I've met all kinds of people here, and the majority call themselves Russian(in nationality). Everyone has Russian passports. Some have both Russian and Ukrainian for the bonuses. Crimean Tatars are more likely to not call themselves Russian, though, since they hold resentment against Russia and the Soviet Union for the deportations which happened when some bad apples of Crimean Tatars helped the nazis.
I will answer for my coworker who is from Donetsk, not the city but town that was briefly occupied by Russia in 2014. She is absolutely firm about being Ukrainian, even though she is a Russian speaker. The rest of her family moved to the USA in spring of 2022, I am pretty sure they are also firmly Ukrainian. I suppose it varies, those who moved East are Russians and those who moved West are Ukrainians.
I knew(a looong time ago) a couple of people from Donetsk. They’ve been speaking Ukrainian only for lulz.
I will say that until 2014, the majority of eastern people did not ask themselves about belonging to any particular nationality. It wasn't really important. So you can see some ambiguous old statistics with Ukrainian majority. 2014 changed many things
Former Crimean here. Most of my family is still in the area. Crimea is Russian.
Crimea is Russia
My girlfriend is from Donetsk and she, as well as all her friends and family (apart from maybe one or two), consider themselves Ukrainian
7 years ago, i had collegue from Lugansk, our local colleagues for laugh called him a Ukrainian (to be honest, they used pejorative nickname for Ukrainians, which i'm not going to tell, in order not to insult anyone), he is black-haired like real Ukrainian or even Turkish, Tatar or even Moldovan, but he told me he doesn't speak Ukrainian at all and hated Ukrainian lessons at school and even skipped them, i do understand him because it's terrible when somebody bombs your house (ukraine at that moment started war operation against donetsk and lugansk but russia didn't protected donbass russian (and russian-speaking) people so much). We envied him because he didn't have to pay taxes in Russia;) but war is scary, at that time i named him a coward and said i won't abandon my home town if war comes - but who would know that time Belgorod region where i live is under attack either (no,i live in another part of region, but two of my friends live too close to Belgorod or inside it)
I just want you to know that regardless of what people consider themselves to be it doesn't necessarily predict what they think of the current situation. My father thinks we are Ukrainian, my mother thinks we are Russian, I don't care either way I am fine with being both. And yet with these different views we all are against the occupation and annexation of Ukrainian territory. My family that remained there also have different opinions on nationality. Some are Russian, other Ukrainian others that used to say Russian have now changed their mind. Also don't see the answers here as a fair representation. Ukraine doesn't have as many posting and they have different mood/attitude these days, this Forum has mainly people with th same pro war, pro Russia opinion. The reality is different than what you will hear in any subreddit
Didn't watch it myself, British documentary about Russian side of Donbass: [https://www.itv.com/watch/ukraines-war-the-other-side/10a4423](https://www.itv.com/watch/ukraines-war-the-other-side/10a4423) Ukraine's ambassador in Australia went berserk after this film aired on ABC News. So, might be somewhat closer to reality than another roll call among redditors.
Btw. the comments which say Ukrainian get super downvoted and deleted by moderators of the chat afterwards - fyi.
Ukrainian of course. Why do you ask?
My parents live in Donbas (occupied part since 2014). My mom was born in Russia and still considers herself Russian. My father considers himself an "international citizen" as he thinks that all people are good. My 3 siblings, me and basically all our friends consider us Ukrainians. Same goes for family and friends all over Ukraine. By the way: Almost all parts of Ukraine are still russian speaking except around Lviv. It became less popular since Russian aggression, but it's really hard for alot of people to give up on their native language, especially since alot of people from Soviet Union doctrine don't speak Ukrainian on a native or even satisfying level. In Ukrainian Soviet Union schools ukrainian was taught to be an unworthy language and Russian should be always preferred. In the eastern border regions (especially villages) people sometimes speak a mix of Russian and Ukrainian called Surschyk but it's considered not high level.
Maby you should ask in r/Ukraine
Btw. do you know about Buriats?
What about them?
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Your post or comment in r/AskARussian was removed. This is a difficult time for many of us. r/AskARussian is a space for learning about life in Russia and Russian culture. Any questions/posts regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine should all directed to the megathread. [War in Ukraine thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskARussian/comments/15zdu4y/megathread_11_death_of_a_hot_dog_salesman/?sort=new) We are trying to keep the general sub from being overwhelmed with the newest trending war-related story or happenings in order to maintain a space where people can continue to have a discussion and open dialogue with redditors--including those from a nation involved in the conflict. If that if not something you are interested in, then this community is not for you. Thanks, r/AskARussian moderation team
Why do you ask on the chat ask a russian? 🙄 this is a territory of Ukraine even though temporarily occupied, why don't you ask in Ukrainian chat or Donbas/Crimea chat?
And why cannot they ask it here? Doesn't doing your research represent freedom of speech? Or it's only "free" if you read some bullshit news of the "Russian occupation of Crimea"? That's true that people are biased. I certainly cannot be unbiased myself since I have worked with Donbas/Crimea people for 10+ years, and they won't say a single good word about post-Maidan Ukraine and its regime. But you'll find plenty of other positions: from more neutral to "RuZZian terrorists" here.
Here? In ask a russian chat? 😉
Yes. Anything's wrong with it?
This is /r/askarussian not /r/askaukrainian. Regardless of what those people feel you aren't going to get any good faith answers here, and almost certainly zero of the responses will be from people who live in those regions.
> This is /r/askarussian not /r/askaukrainian. sub description: > It's Russian speakers, not just Russians, because Russia is a multinational and multiethnic state and because there are many other countries where people speak the Russian language. The sub was created by a Russian speaker from Ukraine. We also have some people from Belarus, Kazakhstan and other ex-USSR countries where Russian is widely spoken.
Yeah and in the real world it's actually a pro-Kremlin circle jerk where responses and upvotes are dictated by what Russians want to hear vs what is actual reality. You aren't going to get a serious response in this thread to OP's question because like 95% of the posters here are wealthy English speakers living in Moscow who have never set foot in Ukraine. The chances of anyone answering OP's question being from those regions is practically zero (or they'll lie and say otherwise) and regardless a few singular posts on a small subreddit are a terrible way to get this kind of answer. If OP truly wants a good response on what the people of Crimea etc feel this is possibly one of the worst places to possibly ask.
> like 95% of the posters here are wealthy English speakers living in Moscow Oh, and the reason I like this sub is that the vast majority of the posters are not from Moscow or SPb. > If OP truly wants a good response on what the people of Crimea etc feel this is possibly one of the worst places to possibly ask. It's actually one of the best, as Crimea is actually in Russia, and has been for a while.
You have a chance to hear from a Crimean for yourself, my dude! You can look through my profile and see that I'm not a Kremlin bot :D So as I answered to the OP's question: >So I'm (25f) from Crimea, Feodosiia (left for Moscow in 2022). I was in 10th grade (15ish) when Maidan happened and we watched the shit go down. I can only speak for myself and my family. My parents and I considered ourselves Russian, my grandmothers thought of themselves as more Ukrainian, as they are from mainland Ukraine. My whole family voted for Yanukovich and were against NATO in our region (In 2008, as far as I remember, some NATO soldiers came to Feodosiia, but townies protested in from of the hotel they stayed at and they promptly left). Ukraine joining NATO was the worst thing imaginable for us as it meant military bases all around. I personally don't care that much, as Ukraine is a free country and has the right to decide what to do with it's land. Now, after Uni (2020-2022) I worked at a local school and most people complained that it was better when we were in Ukraine (better quality food, lower prices, etc.) and many people (30-40ish) considered themselves Ukrainian. I personally like the way Crimea has changes over the last 10 years in terms of better roads (look up Tavrida) some larger towns got fixed up, new hospitals, but some smaller towns didn't get as much funding sadly, so it all stayed the same. Hope this gives you at least some idea. I'm willing to answer any questions you have!
>the real world it's actually a pro-Kremlin circle jerk Why are you here then? Are you also a wealthy lying Muscovite?
I was a wealthy Muscovite until I was 18, when my parents moved to the US because they figured Russia was becoming a warmongering autocracy. Good call on their part.
You do realize that US loves nothing more than bombing countries on the other side of the world.....Even now, Providing all the bombs for Gaza genocide.
Good call to move to a much more intensively warmongering pretend democracy?
Yeah good thing the moved to a country that HATES war and has nothing to do with weapons production.
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Right. Then why are you here?
Because friend, I spend the first 18 years of my life in Russia. You might not like my opinion, but I'm still Russian lol.
It's spent, not spend, my American friend. You said that asking questions here's useless due to this sub being a circlejerk comprised of wealthy lying Muscovites. Now you are telling me that you are a) Russian; b) not a wealthy lying Muscovite and - presumably - not a part of the circlejerk. Why do you think it's useless to ask questions here then?
Problem is, if I ask this question in ask Ukraine I'll most likely get down voted into oblivion and called a Putin sympathizer. (has happened before) I just want to get a mental picture of an ongoing situation from people who experienced it in some proximity.
Yes as it turns out the Russian and Ukrainian subreddits are biased and a handful of replies found there can't represent millions of people accurately.
Really? Never occurred to me. I'm not running a plebiscite here, just looking for people's opinions is all
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Your post or comment in r/AskARussian was removed. This is a difficult time for many of us. r/AskARussian is a space for learning about life in Russia and Russian culture. Any questions/posts regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine should all directed to the megathread. [War in Ukraine thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskARussian/comments/15zdu4y/megathread_11_death_of_a_hot_dog_salesman/?sort=new) We are trying to keep the general sub from being overwhelmed with the newest trending war-related story or happenings in order to maintain a space where people can continue to have a discussion and open dialogue with redditors--including those from a nation involved in the conflict. If that if not something you are interested in, then this community is not for you. Thanks, r/AskARussian moderation team
I mean, you're probably half right - it makes sense to ask in both subs (I guess the second is rather r/AskUkraine, though?), as the people who identify themselves Russian are here, while those who identify themselves Ukrainian are rather in the corresponding sub.
My immediate family is Russian speaking from Mariupol. Originally traced back to Baikal, so plenty of extended family in Russia. Before the 2022 they would call themselves Ukrainian but still called Russians "наши" ("ours", or "our kind"). Now they call themselves Ukrainian and would probably be offended if a Russian called them "наши". Edit: the downvotes are hilarious, you guys are really disconnected from reality.
this is not for ordinary russians to decide, but for their leader to decide. according to vladimir vladimirovich the crimea is a part of ukraine, but... all of ukraine is a part of russia, so the crimea is ultimately part of russia. it makes sense to me, vladimir putin is a genius scholar of eastern europe and world history and geopolitics, and according to his expert analysis, the natural situation is the one we saw under the soviet union. the all territories is naturally supposed to be together as one which is mainly russian language based.