National Minorities

Hungarians of Ukraine. Who are they?

Hungarians are one of the biggest minority groups in Ukraine. Their presence in the area dates back to the 10th century. Currently there are over 150 thousand Hungarians residing near the border in Zakarpattia. Despite that over the past 11...

The Synagogue in Ostroh: Reconstruction of the ruins

One of the largest synagogues in Eastern Europe is located in Ostroh. It has been reconstructed for 20 years by a local, an ethnic Jew — Hryhorii Arshynov. Hryhorii is a professional builder who decided to save the historic monument....

Albanians of Ukraine. Who are they?

The Albanian community has been living on the territory of Ukraine since the late 18th – early 19th centuries. The Orthodox Albanians had first migrated to Bulgaria, then together with the Gagauzes and Bulgarians, trying to escape the oppression of...

The Jews of Ukraine. Who are they?

The Jewish is one of the oldest communities living in Ukraine. The vast majority of Ukrainian Jews are descendants of one of the largest sub-ethnicities of the Jewish people, the Ashkenazi. Now, there are approximately 300,000 Jewish in Ukraine, according...

Bulgarians of Ukraine. Who are they?

Today, the Ukrainian Bulgarians are one of the largest communities that once migrated to the lands of present-day Bessarabia, Tavria, Pryazovia, and Prychornomoria. Together with the Albanians and Gagauzes, they founded many settlements where they now live compactly, speak numerous...

Greeks of Ukraine. Who are they?

Greeks have lived on the territory of modern Ukraine since antiquity and consider themselves an autochthonous people. Countless remnants of ancient Greek civilization exist in Ukraine such as Olbia, Panticapaeum, and Tauric Chersonesus. Later historical Greek landmarks date from the...

Crimean Tatars. Who are they?

Crimean Tatars (Crimean Tatar: qırımtatarlar) are indigenous people of Turkic origin formed on the Crimean Peninsula and in the steppe areas of Ukraine.

They have survived three occupations. First in 1783 when the Crimean Khanate was annexed by the Russian Empire....

The Meskhetian Turks of Ukraine. Who are they?

Meskhetian Turks are Turkic speaking people that follow Islam and originate, allegedly, from the territory of historic Meskhetia (Georgia). The Meskhetian Turks community resides in Ukraine since the 1990s. They had to re-settle two times: at first in 1944 when...