Ukrainian

The majority ethnic group living in Ukraine; there are minorities in Siberian Russia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania. There are 40–45 million speakers of Ukrainian, a member of the East Slavonic branch of the Indo-European family, closely related to Russian. Ukrainian-speaking communities are also found in Canada and the USA.

The word ‘Ukraine’ is derived from a Slav word meaning ‘borderland’, and historically the region was ruled by Russians and Poles. It is sometimes referred to by Russians as Little Russia, although this is a description that Ukrainians generally do not find appropriate. In the Ukraine there are distinct Ukrainian communities in the west (Lemky), east (Verkhovyntsi), north (Volhynians), and southwest (Hutusuls).