Russian propaganda says: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson are Russian lands where Russian people live.
Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson are internationally recognized as part of Ukraine. Between 68.6% and 90.1% of the population of those regions identify as Ukrainians.
Even after 300 years of Russification, Ukrainians have preserved their ethnic and linguistic identity. Year after year, the numbers show that more and more people identify as Ukrainians and consider Ukrainian their native language.
Nationality
According to the 2001 All-Ukrainian Population Census data, the number of people who identify as Ukrainians changed between 1989 and 2001 as follows:
- Donetsk region:
- Ukrainians 50.7% -> 56.9% ⬆(+6.2%)
- Russians 43.6% -> 38.2% ⬇(-5.4%)
- Kherson region:
- Ukrainians 75.7% -> 82.0% ⬆(+6.3%)
- Russians 20.2% -> 14.1% ⬇(-6.1%)
- Luhansk region:
- Ukrainians 51.9% -> 58.0% ⬆(+6.1%)
- Russians 44.8% -> 39% ⬇(-5.8%)
- Zaporizhzhia region:
- Ukrainians 63.1% -> 70.8% ⬆(+7.7%)
- Russians 32% -> 27.7% ⬇(-4.3%)
- Cremea:
- Ukrainians 26.7% -> 24.3% ⬇(-2.4%)
- Russians 65.6% -> 58.3% ⬇(-7.3%)
- Crimean Tatars 1.9% -> 12.1% ⬆(+10.2%)
Ethnic and linguistic Identity
Ethnic identity
According to study conducted by the sociological service of the Razumkov Center from March 3 to 9, 2017:
92% of respondents consider themselves ethnic Ukrainians, 6% identify as ethnic Russians, and 1.5% belong to other ethnic groups (see the diagram “What is your nationality?” on p. 26). There is a trend of increasing identification as ethnic Ukrainians among younger respondents—from 87% among those aged 60 and older to 96% among those aged 18 to 29—while the share of ethnic Russians has declined (from 10% to 3%).
The study also addressed issues of biethnicity and multiple ethnic identities as aspects of ethnic identity formation. 74% of respondents in Ukraine feel they belong to only one nationality, 12% identify with two or more nationalities, 6% do not feel a connection to any nationality, and 8% are undecided (see the diagram “Do you feel a connection to a particular nationality?” on page 26.
90.1% of the population in the southern region, 88.7% in the eastern region, and 68.6% in the Donbas region identify as Ukrainians.
60.6% of the population in the southern region, 58.1% in the eastern region, and 49.6% in the Donbas region feel a sense of belonging to the Ukrainian nationality.
Among the remaining population, 24.1% in the southern region, 19% in the eastern region, and 26.5% in the Donbas region feel a sense of belonging to two or multiple nationalities.
Source: page 26
Language
More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents consider Ukrainian their native language, 14%—Russian, 17%—both Ukrainian and Russian equally, and 0.7%—other languages (see the diagram “What is your native language?” on page 27 of the Rozumkov Center study).
In the Western region, 93% of respondents consider Ukrainian their native language, in the Central region—84%, in the Southern region—42%, in the Eastern region—36%, and in Donbas—27%. The share of those who consider Russian their native language is 2%, 6%, 31%, 24%, and 42%, respectively. Those who equally consider both Ukrainian and Russian their native languages make up 3%, 10%, 26%, 38%, and 29%, respectively.
Among ethnic Ukrainians, 73% named Ukrainian as their native language, 9%—Russian, and 18%—both languages. Among ethnic Russians, the figures are 4%, 81%, and 14%, respectively.
Among ethnic Ukrainians, 59% predominantly speak Ukrainian at home, 19% speak Russian, and 21% use both languages equally. Among ethnic Russians, these figures are 4%, 82%, and 13%, respectively.
Among those who consider Ukrainian their native language, 80% primarily speak Ukrainian at home, 8% speak Russian, and 12% use both languages equally. Among those who consider Russian their native language, the figures are 4%, 89%, and 7%, respectively. Among those who consider both languages their native languages, 5% primarily speak Ukrainian, 25% speak Russian, and 63% use both equally.
Source: The study of the Rozumkov Center, page 27
The study was conducted by the sociological service of the Razumkov Center from March 3 to 9, 2017, in all regions of Ukraine, except for Crimea and the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A total of 2,016 respondents aged 18 and older were surveyed. The theoretical margin of error does not exceed 2.3%.
Conclusion
Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson are internationally recognized as part of Ukraine. 90.1% of the population in the southern region, 88.7% in the eastern region, and 68.6% in the Donbas region identify as Ukrainians, and between 56.5% and 74.4% speak either Ukrainian or both Ukrainian and Russian.
What's next
In the near future, there will be an article or a series of articles dedicated to the so-called "referendums" in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, and other occupied territories. Stay tuned!