Video explain that the first bearers of the name Rus were Scandinavians (Swedes, as Finns still call Sweden Ruotsi) who in 10th century passed this name for Ukrainians (known as Rusyns in the past). In 1721 Rossia, the Greek name for Rus was adopted as official name for Russian empire (now known as Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) and now Russians call themselves "russkiye" (ADJECTIVE, while Ukrainians used a NOUN rusyny / rusyns). Russians never called themselves with a noun rusyn but always with adjective form russkiye (very UNUSUAL among other Slavic nations who all use nouns as selfnames in Slavic). This adjective form initially meant simply "Orthodox Christian" or subject / citizen of Kyivan Rus state (medieval Ukrainian empire, dominated by Rusyns-Ukrainians). Moscow didnt exist then. In the beginning Moscow was a Finnic Merian village (first mentioned in the middle 12 th cen). Name Moscow means "bear mother" (Moska-ava) or "cow water" (Moska-va) in Finnic Merian. Around the city emerged a state called Muscovy, Tsardom of Muscovy, it medieval ruler Ivan Kalita was direct successor of Golden Horde khan (state founded by mongols / tatars). Hence the derogatory name Russians use in daily speech for Ukrainian is khokhol (mongol word in its origin). All Russians from minister to a cleaner use this mongol word "khokhol" when they speak about Ukrainian. Muscovy grew occupying neighbouring lands and in 1721 was renamed into Rossiya (Rossiyskaya imperia) by Peter the Great, who is a father of modern Russia as it is. Mykhaylo Hrushevsky, first president of Ukraine said that Moscow stole our name (Rus). The last Ukrainian hetman Ivan Mazepa (17 / 18th cen) said "They overtook our name". Ukrainians come from 7 Slavic proto-Ukrainian tribes (Polians, Derevlians, Carpathian Croats, Volhynians, Siverians, Ulyches and Tyvertses). While Russians come from 2 Slavic tribes (Viatiches and Pskov Kriviches - hence Russia is KRIEVIJA in Latvian) who mixed with 4 extinct tribes: Finnic Merians, Muroma, Meshchera and Baltic Eastern Galindians - all together formed ethnic Russians. In 15th century Moscow conquered Novgorod Slovenes (Slavic tribe whose state was Novgorod Republic). Now Novgorod Slovenes (though with a distinct dialect) are also part of ethnic Russians. Russification of Finnic Mordvins (Erzya) and Turkic Volga Tatars lasted for centuries and continues today - thousands of these are also ethnic Russians today. Belarusians (were part of medieval Kyivan Ukrainian empire, hence Rus legal subjects too) are mixture of 3 other distinct Slavic tribes (Drehoviches, Radymiches and Polotsk Kriviches) with local Balts (Yatviags), that is why their historic name is "Litvins" (Lithuanians), just as their folklore and folk costume are heavily Baltic. Hence Ukrainians, Belarusians, Russians, Poles all come from specific distinct Slavic tribes, who spoke different dialects and were quite different on genetic and cultural level too. In video everything is explained much better. Basically, modern Russia is a new state like the USA, with most of its lands being newly discovered territories and Russian ethnicity is very much multi-ethnic in its origin (Stalin was Ossetian for example, just as Obama is Kenyan), as is the case with Americans. Just as the USA, Russians adopted foreign symbols (coat of arms from Roman Byzantium, flag from Holland, the empire name Rossia from old Ukraine-Rus. Rossia (as the state is called now) is just a Greek name (not Slavic) for Ukraine-Rus. Russian language is conversation Church Slavic (which was Latin in the Kyivan state), just as English is the "international" tongue, lingua franca in the US. Moscow (founded only in the middle 12th cen) claims for being an ancient nation, are just as those of American mormons who claim that they came from the Lost Tribes...Among eastern Slavs, Russians are the youngest ethnicity, as humble Russian Orthodox clairvoyant saint of late 20th century I. Krestiankin called Ukrainians "Our OLDER brothers"! However this is not the case with sick Russian nationalists...unfortunately. Just as Romanians arent Romans (Italic Latins), so Russkiye (Russians) arent Rusyns (Ukrainians). A small part of the Transcarpathians (due to isolation in Slovakia) that were part of the west Ukrainian (Rusyn) tribe of Carpathian Croats (just very minor part of it) failed to adopt the new name Ukrainian instead of old medieval name Rusyn (that survival move Ukrainians did to preserve their identity), are still using name Rusyn, and started to claim being a different nation from all other millions of Rusyns-Ukrainians from the mainland Ukraine. But this applies only to isolated Rusyn population in Slovakia and the US, as this is not a problem in Transcarpathian Ukraine, where only some 10.000 declared themselves as still being Rusyns and not Ukrainians. All other 800.000 Zakarpattya population declared themselves Ukrainians during last census and are very much patriotic Ukrainians too.

• published: 21 Nov 2012
• views: 683