| Rusyns are an ethnic group that never | | | | stated their ethnicity as Ukrainian. About |
| attained the status of independent statehood, | | | | 10,100 people, or 0.8%, of Ukraine's |
| except for a half a year period in 1919 | | | | Zakarpattya oblast (province) identified |
| (Podkarpatska Rus) and a few days in 1939 | | | | themselves as Rusyns; in contrast, 1,010,000 |
| (Carpatho-Ukraine). As such, their fortunes | | | | considered themselves Ukrainians.[3] Research |
| have rested in the hands of larger powers, | | | | conducted by the University of Cambridge |
| such as Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, | | | | during the height of political Ruthenianism |
| Poland, the Soviet Union, Ukraine, and | | | | in the mid-nineties, that focused on five |
| Russia. In contrast to the modern Ukrainian | | | | specific regions within Zakarpattya oblast |
| national movement that united Western | | | | with the strongest pro-Ruthenian cultural and |
| Ukrainians with those from the rest of | | | | political activism, found that only nine |
| Ukraine, the Rusyn national movement takes | | | | percent of the population claimed Rusyn |
| two forms: one considers Rusyns as a separate | | | | ethnicity.[4] These numbers may change with |
| East Slavic nation, while the other is based | | | | the further acceptance of Rusyn identity and |
| on the concept of fraternal unity with | | | | the Rusyn language in educational systems in |
| Russians. | | | | the area, but at the moment most Ruthenians |
| | | | consider themselves Ukrainians. |
| Most if not all of the Eastern Slavic | | | | |
| inhabitants of present-day Western Ukraine | | | | The Rusyn national movement is much stronger |
| referred to themselves as Rusyns (Ukrainian: | | | | among those Rusyn groups that became |
| ??????, translit. Rusyny) prior to the | | | | geographically separated from present-day |
| nineteenth century, the majority of these | | | | Ukrainian territories, for example the Rusyn |
| people became active participants in the | | | | emigrants in the United States and Canada, as |
| creation of the Ukrainian nation and came to | | | | well as the Rusyns still included within the |
| call themselves Ukrainians (Ukrainian: | | | | borders of Slovakia. A census in the latter |
| ????????, translit. Ukrayintsi). There were, | | | | country in 2001 showed that 24,000 people |
| however, ethnic Rusyn enclaves which were not | | | | considered themselves Rusyn while 11,000 |
| a part of this movement: those living on the | | | | considered themselves to be Ukrainians. The |
| border of the same territory or in more | | | | Pannonian Rusyns in Serbia, who migrated |
| isolated regions, such as the people from | | | | there during the rule of the Austro-Hungarian |
| Carpathian Ruthenia, Poleshuks, or the Rusyns | | | | Empire, also consider themselves to be |
| of Podlachia. With no reason to change their | | | | Rusyns. In the nineteenth and early twentieth |
| self-identifying monikers, these isolated | | | | centuries, some Rusyns resettled in Vojvodina |
| groups continued to refer to themselves as | | | | (in present day Serbia), as well as in |
| Rusyns even after the majority of their | | | | Slavonia (in present-day Croatia). Still |
| people had switched to a Ukrainian | | | | other Rusyns migrated to the northern regions |
| self-identification. In this sense, Rusyns | | | | of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, |
| are similar to other borderland ethnicities, | | | | although many of this ethnicity in Bosnia |
| and their national awakening can be viewed by | | | | identify themselves as Ukrainians. Until the |
| some as a negation of Ukrainian nationalism. | | | | 1971 Yugoslav census, both Ukrainians |
| | | | (Serbian: ?????????, tr. Ukrajinci) and |
| Some scholars consider the Lemko, Boyko, | | | | Rusyns (Serbian: ??????, tr. Rusini) in these |
| Hutsul, Verkhovinetses (Verkhovyntsi, or | | | | areas were recorded collectively as |
| Highlanders), and Dolinyanin (Haynal) ethnic | | | | "Ruthenes". Podkarpatskije Rusiny is |
| groups to be Rusyn. Indeed, as with the rest | | | | considered the Rusyn "national anthem", Ja |
| of the inhabitants of present-day Western | | | | Rusyn byl jesm' i budu the national song. |
| Ukraine in the 19th century and first part of | | | | |
| the 20th century, these peoples referred to | | | | Historically, in order to separate the |
| themselves as Rusyns. However, some of these | | | | Ukrainian people, the Polish and Hungarian |
| ethnic groups consider themselves to be | | | | states are considered to have helped in the |
| wholely separate ethnicities, while some | | | | development of a Rusyn identity as a separate |
| claim to be Ukrainians and still others | | | | one from that of Ukrainians. Rusyns were even |
| identify themselves as Rusyns. According to a | | | | recorded as a separate nationality by the |
| recent Ukrainian census, an overwhelming | | | | censuses taken in pre-WWII Poland (see Cezary |
| majority of Boykos, Lemkos, Hutsuls, | | | | Chlebowski's Wachlarz). |
| Verkhovinetses and Dolinyanins in Ukraine | | | | |