For centuries, Russian imperial propaganda has repeated the same tired claim: that the Ukrainian language is “just Russian spoiled by Poles.” In one form or another, this myth has been used to delegitimize Ukraine’s nationhood, erase its cultural identity, and justify Moscow’s expansionist ambitions.
But history, linguistics, and lived experience tell a very different story. Ukrainian is not a dialect. It is a full, independent language with deep roots, rich vocabulary, and stronger ties to its Western neighbors than to Russian itself.
Let’s dismantle this myth once and for all.
1. Ukrainian dictionaries came first
If Ukrainian were merely a derivative of Russian, one would expect Russian to have a much earlier, richer lexicographic tradition. In fact, the opposite is true.
- The first Ukrainian-printed dictionary, Lexis by Lavrentii Zyzanii, was published in 1596.
- The first comprehensive Ukrainian dictionary, Lexicon Slovenoroskyi by Pavlo Berynda, followed in 1627.
- By contrast, the first Russian dictionary, compiled by the Russian Academy, did not appear until 1789–1794, more than 150 years later.
Far from being a late offshoot of Russian, Ukrainian had already established itself in written form when Russian lexicography was still in its infancy.
2. Vocabulary richness: twice the words
Modern Ukrainian is exceptionally rich in synonyms, poetic expressions, and regional variations.
- The Great Orthographic Dictionary of Modern Ukrainian Vocabulary contains around 253,000 entries.
- The Great Academic Dictionary of Russian has only about 130,000.
One striking example: Ukrainian has 12 synonyms for the word “horizon” (obriy, nebozvid, kruhovyd, vydnokruh, and more). This linguistic abundance reflects centuries of independent development and interaction with neighboring European languages.
A “dialect” does not outpace its supposed “parent” language in both historical documentation and vocabulary depth.
3. Who is Ukrainian closest to? (Hint: not Russian)
If vocabulary similarity defines closeness, Ukrainian is firmly part of the Central-Eastern European linguistic family:
- Belarusian: 84% shared lexicon (mutually intelligible)
- Polish: 70%
- Slovak: 68%
- Russian: 62%
- Czech: 62%
For context, Portuguese and Romanian share 72% similarity. English and German hover around 60%. By Moscow’s logic, English should be a “dialect of German.”
But Ukrainians know better. Their language sits comfortably between Slavic East and West, with a unique grammar, sound system, and historical evolution.
4. Grammar and phonetics: a distinct identity
Vocabulary is only part of the story. Ukrainian phonetics and grammar align more closely with its Western Slavic neighbors:
- Ukrainian shares 22–29 features with Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, and Polish.
- With Russian, it shares just 11.
Examples:
- Ukrainian preserves the soft “l” (lyudyna – людина), similar to Polish, while Russian hardens it more often.
- Ukrainian uses the vocative case (like Polish or Latin), absent in Russian.
- Ukrainian stress and vowel systems also diverge sharply from Russian.
These structural features make Ukrainian immediately recognizable, not as a variant of Russian, but as a distinct Slavic language.
5. Historical names: Ruthenian, Cossack, Prosta
At different times in history, the Ukrainian language was known by many names: Ruska mova (Ruthenian), Prosta mova (simple language), Rusynska, and even Kozatska (Cossack).
The most common name until the mid-19th century was Ruthenian, the language of Kyiv Rus’ heritage, distinct from Muscovite dialects. Only in the 19th century, with rising national consciousness, did the modern name “Ukrainian” become standard.
The fact that it carried multiple names across centuries only underscores how deeply rooted and widely recognized it was as a separate language community.
6. Anecdotes of misrecognition and mutual understanding
Propaganda collapses quickly when tested in everyday life. Ukrainians themselves often encounter moments that reveal how different their language is from Russian:
- Mistaken Identity: While speaking Ukrainian on holiday, one couple was mistaken by Russians for Slovaks. The Russian family didn’t even recognize Ukrainian when they heard it.
- Mutual Understanding: In Slovakia, a Ukrainian speaker managed to converse with police for over an hour: the officer speaking Slovak, the Ukrainian replying in his own language. They understood each other with only minor adjustments.
- Everyday Polish: In Kraków, Ukrainian phrases worked well enough for daily communication with Poles once the ear adjusted to phonetic differences.
These anecdotes highlight a simple fact: Ukrainian naturally bridges to Western Slavic languages and is not readily understood by native Russian speakers without prior exposure.
7. Survival under pressure
The distinctiveness of Ukrainian is even more remarkable given the immense pressures it faced.
For centuries, Russian authorities attempted to ban or erase the Ukrainian language:
- The Ems Ukaz of 1876 forbade publications in Ukrainian.
- Tsarist and later Soviet policies restricted Ukrainian in schools, media, and administration.
- Writers and poets were censored or persecuted for using Ukrainian.
Despite this, the language survived, adapted, and flourished. Today it thrives not only as the state language of Ukraine but also as a symbol of resistance, resilience, and independence.
Conclusion: Ukrainian stands tall
The myth of Ukrainian as a “dialect” of Russian is not just a linguistic falsehood. It is a political weapon, an attempt to erase a nation by erasing its tongue.
But facts, history, and everyday experience prove otherwise. Ukrainian dictionaries came first. Its vocabulary is richer. Its closest relatives are Western Slavic languages, not Russian. Its grammar is distinct. And its people continue to speak it proudly, even after centuries of bans and persecution.
Ukrainian is not “spoiled Russian.”
It is a beautiful, vibrant language of its own, the living heartbeat of a nation that refuses to be silenced.
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