Who Are the Rusyns Really? Why Have They Lived in Isolation So Long, and What Future Awaits Them in a Country Consumed by War?
For the umpteenth time, we return to Zakarpattia, the region of Ukraine located on the far side of the Carpathian Mountains. We’ve previously mentioned the city of Uzhhorod and its location near the Hungarian and Slovak borders, which likely makes it one of the safest places in Ukraine right now. But when talking about geography and history, we haven’t yet touched on the key component that makes up any city or region – the people!
We noted that, according to census data, the majority of Uzhhorod’s population identifies as Ukrainian. However, this statistic deserves a deeper look. Yes, most listed themselves as Ukrainians, mainly because more specific identity options weren’t offered. But in reality, the majority of people in Uzhhorod and the surrounding areas belong to a distinct group of Eastern Slavs – the Rusyns.
You may have heard of the Rusyns, or perhaps noticed them on Croatian census records, where 1,936 Rusyns currently live – more than the number of Russians (1,279) and even Ukrainians (1,878).
The name Rusyns originates from the old Slavic state of Kievan Rus’. A long time ago, Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians all identified as “Rusyns,” or residents of Kievan Rus’. Over time, however, they adopted different national names. Today, Rusyns are also known by other names, such as Ruthenians, which was the Latin term for Eastern Slavs. In fact, Ruthenia is the Latin name for Rus’, but today it is almost exclusively used to refer to the Zakarpattia region. Another common term is “Carpatho-Rusyns.”
What Makes Rusyns Different from Other Eastern Slavs?
First of all, it’s important to mention that they lived in relative isolation in this part of the world for a very long time. The first Rusyn migrations began only in the 14th century, mostly driven by poverty, and became more significant in the 17th century. Today, Rusyns can be found in Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, as well as Serbia (Vojvodina) and Croatia (eastern parts). Some also emigrated to the United States, where they worked in industry—often taking on the toughest jobs in steel mills and foundries.
Another key aspect of Rusyn identity is their religious affiliation. Most belong to the Rusyn Greek Catholic Church, which differs from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. This is a Catholic Church that follows the Byzantine rite and is directly subordinate to the Pope in the Vatican. According to the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano, the Rusyn Church has 571,827 faithful, 654 parishes, and 512 priests, and even one saint – Theodore Romzha, a Rusyn bishop killed by the Soviet NKVD in 1947.
In the last 20 years, however, some Rusyns have gravitated toward the Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate. In 2000, the Christ the Savior Orthodox Cathedral was opened in Uzhhorod. Interestingly, this cathedral’s style strongly resembles those in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. However, traditional Rusyn architecture is quite unique, with a strong emphasis on wood. The Zakarpattia region is dotted with many wooden churches, a clear marker of Rusyn cultural identity.
Today, most Rusyns still live in Zakarpattia, but a significant number can also be found just across the border in Slovakia and Poland. Geography has always played a crucial role in Rusyn history. The surrounding mountains kept them isolated from other Eastern Slavs, which led them to develop their own culture and a distinct East Slavic language.
To the west of the Rusyns live the West Slavs – Czechs, Slovaks, and Poles. But if you travel through Slovakia eastward, somewhere around Košice and Prešov, the dialect starts to shift. Move further east, and you reach a linguistic blending point – the Rusyn language begins to emerge, a mix of Western and Eastern Slavic traits.
Is the Rusyn Language Really That Different from Ukrainian or Russian?
Quite a bit. Somewhere halfway between the Rusyn heartland and Kyiv – near Khmelnytskyi, for example – the distinct Rusyn East Slavic language begins to morph into what’s known as “surzhyk.” Literally, surzhyk means “flour or bread made from mixed grains,” but in this context it refers to a hybrid language combining Russian and Ukrainian. Travel even further east, near Kharkiv and Sumy, and surzhyk starts to resemble Russian more and more, until finally, by the time you reach Moscow, you’re firmly in standard Russian territory.
So, we could draw a kind of linguistic curve from Zakarpattia to Moscow, passing through a full evolution of the East Slavic language along the way.
In the 19th century, many Rusyns from Zakarpattia migrated southward to Vojvodina in Serbia and Slavonia in Croatia, where you can still find their communities today. At the same time, others migrated to the USA, especially to New York, New Jersey, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, and Minneapolis.
The most famous American of Rusyn descent is undoubtedly the artist Andy Warhol. His parents emigrated from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the United States, and Warhol himself was born in Pittsburgh in 1928.
As we mentioned yesterday, Zakarpattia has long been a disputed region between Slavs (Kievan Rus’) and Hungarians (Kingdom of Hungary). Hungary prevailed, and for nearly a thousand years, this area was under Hungarian control. But the Rusyns never allowed themselves to be assimilated. A Russophile movement emerged in opposition to forced Hungarian cultural assimilation. This resistance is still visible today, as this part of western Ukraine is something of a political anomaly, often voting pro-Russian in elections, while the rest of western Ukraine leans strongly pro-Western.
An example of this is the electoral map from the 2010 presidential elections between Viktor Yanukovych and Yulia Tymoshenko.
During World War II, the Nazis returned Zakarpattia to Hungarian control. In response, the Rusyns rebelled and declared the Carpatho-Ukraine Republic on March 15, 1939 – but it lasted only one day, quickly crushed by Hungarian forces. Some who didn’t want to live under Hungarian rule fled over the Carpathians into the Soviet Union, only to be arrested for “illegally entering the USSR.” Some were even sent to Gulag camps.
After the war, Zakarpattia became part of the Soviet Union. The Soviets aimed to modernize the region economically, but interestingly, they did not launch their usual anti-religious policies right away. Instead, they attempted to convert the Rusyns to Orthodoxy, though with limited success.
One intriguing detail: when the Soviets took over Zakarpattia, they also inherited a local community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who had spread into Rusyn lands from Czechoslovakia between the two World Wars.
The Soviets were generally fascinated by Zakarpattia – their “lost mountain province” which, after a thousand years, had finally been reintegrated into a Slavic state. Many traveled there to see how the people lived. The famed Soviet-Armenian director Sergei Parajanov even made a film about the region: “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” (1965).
After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Rusyns hoped Ukraine would grant them autonomy. They even held a vote on the matter (and unsurprisingly, a strong majority supported the idea), but it never came to fruition…
Is There Still Separatism in This Region Today? Probably.
In 2008, a group of activists attempted to proclaim the Republic of Carpathian Ruthenia. They were detained by Ukrainian security services for “challenging the territorial integrity of the state.”
Unsurprisingly, Zakarpattia still has a significant Hungarian minority, and the question remains whether Budapest has ever truly given up on the idea of reclaiming this region.
As for the Rusyns, their original homeland, Zakarpattia, once again finds itself caught between worlds. As we discussed yesterday regarding the main city, Uzhhorod, it seems unlikely that the war in Ukraine will reach this far — but the real question is what this war might become.
What if Ukraine collapses?
Will the Hungarians try to reclaim the region?
Will the Rusyns side with the Ukrainians — or the Russians?
Or could the future finally bring independence to Zakarpattia and the Rusyns?
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