Ukraine and the Persecution of Religion Commented [RB1]: Notes for the paper in general:
Its difficult to straight correct things on a topic I know
Religion is something that can bring large groups of people togethera powerful tool due
to its power to band large groups of people together in the same beliefs, ideals, and lifestyles.
However, differences in religions can alsowhen religions clash, they create conflict in society.
Ukraine has a of conquest, and that history has an interesting impact of religion. While religious
persecution is not unique to Ukraine, Tthe constant persecution throughout history in Ukraine is
near constantmakes religion a common agent of change in Ukraine. While the focus of
persecution changes, Mmost groups have faced some persecution at some point, though the focus
and degree of persecution . The degree of persecution has also varied over time. The main
religions that have faced persecution are Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, and Judaism.
Religion in Ukraine began with paganism. Different tribes had different beliefs. These
traditions and beliefs were passed down orally in small groups. That was how religion in
Ukraine worked until about the turn of the first millennium, when Ukraine. This saw the
introduction of Judaism from Greek traders. The Jewish population increased in the 7th century
after neighboring Khanates became influenced. Christianity began to be practiced as the
Byzantine Empire in around the 10th century, although later there emerged a legend about the
Apostle Andrew visiting the future site of Kiev. The influence of Christianity continued to
increase from that point until Eastern Orthodoxy became the dominate religion. Islam was
introduced in the 14th century by the Golden Horde. The Crimean Tartars made Islam the state
religion in 1313. Islam was deepened during the Ottoman Empires rule in the 15th century. The
introduction of Islam did not significantly decrease the power of the Christian Orthodoxy. While
nothing about, so I mainly added a bunch of comments.
This reads like a history book. Maybe its supposed to, Im
not sure, but normally for INTA writing there needs to be an
argument. How has this persecution positively/negatively
affected Ukraine? Is there something about the culture of
Ukraine that causes this constant upheaval in religion? Has
the religious persecution affected other systemic issues in
Ukraine?
Of the top of my head, I would look into how the
Moscow/Kiev Russian Orthodox groups have attacked each
other, and how that could have been a cause of the
Ukrainian-Ethnic Russian divide that is the official cause of
the current war.
This would be an interesting resource for you (I havent read
the Ukraine one but it should have any current religious
persecution in there):
https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/269122.pd
f
Commented [RB2]: Define paganism explain the type of
paganism that was practiced in Ukraine, and list some
differences between tribes.
Commented [RB3]: This needs to be replaced with some
concrete differences (see above). Its too vague. If not, just
remove it.
Commented [RB4]: Who are the Khanates? Why does it
matter if a neighbor became influenced? Did they convert
to Judaism and passed it to Ukraine through migration and
trade, or did they invade?
Commented [RB5]: I dont get it. Christianity began to be
practiced in the Byzantine Empire around the 10th century,
and there is a legend that the Apostle Andrew left the
empire visited the future site of Kiev? Again, youre talking
about a different place, and you dont say how it effects
Ukraine. Did Christianity come to Ukraine because Andrew
visited?
Commented [RB6]: How did Eastern Orthodox show up?
Who brought it?
Commented [RB7]: as they invaded?
Commented [RB8]: Why be these people in charge?
Commented [RB9]: Need a bit about how Ukraine
became part of the empire.
Commented [RB10]: What is so powerful about Eastern
Orthodox that Islam couldnt shake it? Theyve been
switching to each religion without resistance so far, but
theyre holding on to this one. Why?
Eastern Orthodoxy was the dominant religion, there were multiple branches that had power at

different times. When Russia began to take over Ukrainian lands in the 17th century, the

traditional Uniate Catholicism that had control since the 16th century was taken over by the Commented [RB11]: Who are these people and where
did they come from?
Russian Orthodoxy. With the vast influence of Russias influence on the region was also was

seen in thise takeover byof Russian Orthodoxy. The Russian Orthodoxy was, which became the

dominant religion until the beginning of the Soviet takeover in 1919. Ukraine became a Soviet

state in 1919. Under the Soviet regime, religionReligion was discouraged from then on,. and

lLegal restrictions on religion were not lifted with until Ukraine regained independence in

December of 1991.

Christianity branched offwas born from Judaism, and both religionsbecause of this shared

history, they have the same basic teachings. However, eEven with their shared history and

philosophies, there is alsoremains a history of conflict between the two. Part of this conflict was

due to Jews tending to handle money. Anti-Semitism increased around Europe during the 20th
century and . Tthe situation reached a head in several countries, such as Nazi Germany and
Commented [RB12]: What else caused conflict?
Examples and further descriptions are good! But having just
the one sentence here makes it really awkward. So it needs
expansion.

Ukraine, specifically in the Pale Settlement which housed approximately a third of European
Jews, (about 5 million at the peak), until 1917. The situation led to tragedy after the Russian
Revolution of 1905. Jews began to protest the government in public demonstrations. This
started a wave of pogroms. A pogrom is , the ____ name for an organized massacres. The
people who initiated the pogroms and participated in the killing of Jewish citizens were
Commented [RB13]: In the Pale Settlement, located in
______, which housed
Commented [RB14]: Until 1917 when something terrible
happened?
Commented [RB15]: Weve gone back in time here? You
mention 1917, then how the situation led to tragedy in
1905. Were the people in the Pale Settlement the ones
demonstrating? If so, take out the until 1917, talk about
what the people in this settlement did, in 1905-6 first, then
end with whatever happened in 1917.

industrialists, traders, and craftsmen. Approximately 660 pogroms occurred in 64 cities, initiated

by industrialists, traders, and craftsmen.. Thousands were killed and even more were injured.

The violence led to many Jews leaving. They leftcaused many Jews to abandon their homes and
searched for safe places such asin Israel, the United States, and ParisFrance. After a while1906,
active violence slowedd down after 1906, although there were still some isolated incidents.
Violence erupted from 1918 to 1921 after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Over 1,200
Commented [RB16]: There wasnt an Israel in 1906. They
were going to Palestine.
Commented [RB17]: It feels weird to list two countries
and then a city. Did they only go to these places? If there
are other countries too, add the United States, France, and
other friendly nations.

violent incidents occurred in over 500 towns. I and itt is estimated that somewhere between Commented [RB18]: So why is a Russian Revolution
effecting Ukraine? Why is a Russian Revolution causing anti-
Semitism in Ukraine? You need to explain how these things
30,000 and 60,000 Jews were killed. Various armies carried out most of these attacks. These are connected.

Aarmies came from Russia and Poland carried out some of these attacks, but the worst were

carried out by Ukrainian Peoples Republic under Symon Petliura. Symon PetliuraAt the time,

he was a hero to most of Ukrainianse for being aas the leader who fought for Ukrainian

independence after the Russian Revolution. During this timeFearing for their lives, even more Commented [RB19]: Which revolution. These people
rebel all the damn time.
Jews fled the countrypogroms, some aided by. During these pogroms, there are some Christians

who helped the Jews. Unsurprisingly, the situations for JewsFor those Jews that remained, their

situation did not improve during the German occupation during Operation Barbarossa of 1941,

which reduced. tThe Jewish population was reduced from about 870,000 to around 17,000.

Ukraine did not have the concentration camps of Central Europe, and as such the violence was

widespread, which lead to participation by both Ukrainian citizens and militia.Due to the Commented [RB20]: This is true in Lithuania, MIGHT BE
TRUE IN UKRAINE?
widespread nature of the decimation, Ukrainians, both citizens and militia, also participated in

the violence.

Christianity in Ukraine did faced some of its own challenges before the Soviets came to

power. During this time, the main patriarchate was highly influential as the main religious

influencer. The Kiev Patriarchate and the Moscow Patriarchate were locked in a power struggle,

and . Wwhile violence did not reallyrarely occurred, the two powers did include teachingoften

taught that the other subsection of Eastern Orthodoxy was lesser. Commented [RB21]: ADD MORE. How is this relevant
today? Return to my first comment.
 The Islam population did not play as large a part in Ukraine as a whole, as they wereit

was much moreonly influential in the southern portion of the areacountry, especially particularly

Crimea. The Crimean Khanate was Islamic in the 15th century, but the lost power with the Commented [RB22]: Who are these people? How do
they differ from the Jewish Khanate mentioned earlier.
partial takeover of the Ottoman Empire. The Islam population was Sunni, but the religion was

based locally. When the Khanate was annexed by the Russian Empire, persecution of the
Muslim population began. About 160,000 Tartars were forced to leave. Still, when tDespite this
persecution, the Muslim population was about a third of the Crimean population at the turn of the
20th century.
Commented [RB23]: Based locally? What does this
mean? Who was in charge?
Commented [RB24]: What is the Khanate today? Are you
still talking about Crimea, or is this another part of Russia?
Commented [RB25]: Also, if this isnt Ukraine, why is it
important?
Commented [RB26]: What is the Muslim population in
Crimea now? Highly relevant due to Crimeas annexation
because of their predominantly Russian population.

After World War II, Soviet Ukraine fell under the U.S.S.R. Under the Soviet regime, all

religions were persecuted, and atheism was taught instead. Schools taught atheism. In 1944,

Joseph Stalin accused the Crimean Tartars of collaborating with Nazi Germany during the war.

Over 200,000 people were forced from their homes in Crimea, to Central Asia. where Nnearly

half of those people diedwould die during the deportation to Central Asia. The number of

unreligious people who became unreligious increased greatly, although the number is most likely

over-inflated. Many people practiced in secret, although there was risk in that. , because there

were consequences Iif the authorities found that you weresomeone practicing, there were

consequences.. During this time, many people who went to Ukraine who were ethnic Russians.

Many of these people movedsent to Crimea to replace the deported Crimean Tartars. These

ethnic Russians were followers of the Moscow Patriarchate. Many followers of the Kiev

Patriarchate began to follow the Moscow Patriarchate because that was less risky to beas it was

less of a risk.
 Ukraine became an independent state in 1991. This, which lead to a large resurgence of

religious practices. After so long in the Soviet Union, Ppeople were desperate for any sort of

belief. In 2000, 58% of the population responded that they had some sort of spiritual beliefs. In

2000,, and two thirds of the population were Orthodox. While over a third of that population
was Just Orthodox, the next largest was the Kiev Patriarchate and then the Moscow
Commented [RB27]: How can 66.6% of the population be
Orthodox if only 58% of the population is religious? Is this
66% of the 58%? If so, it should say two thirds of this
group

Patriarchate. A large portion of the Moscow Patriarchate, at that time, followers were the ethnic

Russians who moved to Ukraine. The Crimean Tartars started to return after their exile in

Central Asia.. In the 2000 census, there were aA quarter of a million Crimean Tartars were in

the 2000 census. The total Muslim population in Ukraine was about 0.7% of the population.

When Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014, the number of Muslims in Ukraine decreased

from about 2 million to 1 million. The Jewish population never righted itself. In 2000, it was Commented [RB28]: AH HA I FOUND IT. Expand on this.
Where did they go? Did they leave voluntarily, or did the
Russians boot them?
about 0.3% of the Ukrainian population. Everything was actual alright for a couple of years.

After the religions settled themselves, the persecutions began again,. The largest
persecution was again mainly focused on Judaism. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army that was
Commented [RB29]: This is the strongest paragraph in
the paper. Its much more focused, states the problem,
specific examples, and both sides of the argument. When
revising the rest of it, use this as your example.

behind the massacre of Jews is being hailed by the government as heroes who fought the Soviets.
While it is true that these people did arguably both good and bad, those that speak against the
Commented [RB30]: Persecution is a strong word for
anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. Persecution makes it
sound like theyre still violently murdering people.
Commented [RB31]: Add date.

Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or in any way publicly display disrespect, are prosecuted. Many of

the people behind the Jewish massacres were legally exonerated of their crimes. This is one of

the examples of revisionist history. The government and multiple parties have publicly stated

that they do not support anti-Semite beliefs, and . Tthe police also deny hate crimes. However,

Tthis is in direct contrast to the unsolved vandalisms of Jewish graves, Temples, and memorials.

The Holocaust memorial of Babi Yar has been vandalized multiple times form painted swastikas

and fires being litwith arson and graffiti of swastikas. In particular, on January 1st, 2017, a
march in honor of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army leader, Stephan Bandera, occurred in Kiev.
The group , which began to chant Jews out. Over Seven hundred police officers provided
security and later denied any anti-Semitic activity. The United States, the United Nations, and
Israel have all offered support for Ukrainian Jews.
Ukraine has a history of near systematic religious persecution. Over the past 3 centuries,
there has been almost continuous religious persecution. The persecution has varied in intensity.
All of the religious groups have experienced some persecution, but though some have been more
persecuted than others. The current alt-right ofConservatives in Ukraine seems to be
increasingly prejudiced against none Eastern Orthodoxy religions, specifically the Kiev
Patriarchate.
Commented [RB32]: Have they done anything in
particular?
Fun fact, we have a Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, his
name is Tom Yazdgerdi. He was in Lithuania a few months
ago. Lithuania has similar problems with independence
heroes also accused of taking part in the Holocaust. A big
thing here is also restitution of Jewish property that was
stolen during the war.
Commented [RB33]: Add specifics. Which ones were
more persecuted than others and why?
Commented [RB34]: Add more current facts. This feels
random.
 References Commented [RB35]: You really do need to take these
and put in text citations
Dolinsky, Eduard. What Ukraines Jews Fear. The New York Times, The New York Times,
Also, not sure what style youre formatting in, is it supposed
to be MLA? Its always a tossup if professors care or not.
11 Apr. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/opinion/what-ukraines-jews-

fear.html?_r=1.

Khapeava, Dina. Russian 3222: Confronting Crimea: Russian Empire through 20th Century

Literature & Film. Fall 2016. Georgia Tech, Atlanta.

Kropf, Richard W. Religion and Politics in Ukraine. The Huffington Post,

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Apr. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-w-

kropf/religion-and-politics-in-ukraine_b_5240718.html.

. To the 71st Anniversary of Crimean Tatars Deportation. Ukraine in

Thailand, Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Thailand, thailand.mfa.gov.ua/en/press-

center/publications/2447-do-70-kh-rokovin-deportaciji-krimsykih-tatar.

: ,

[Religion and Church in Ukrainian society,

denominational division. The results of sociological research] (PDF), Razumkov Center,

2016. http://old.razumkov.org.ua/upload/Religiya_200516_A4.compressed.pdf.