Armenians in Ukraine
Encyclopedia
Armenians in Ukraine are ethnic Armenians
who live in Ukraine
. They number 99,894 according to the 2001 Ukrainian census. However, the country is also host to a number of Armenian guest workers which has yet to be ascertained. The Armenian population in Ukraine has nearly doubled since the dissolution of the Soviet Union
in 1989, largely due to instability in the Caucasus. Today, Ukraine is home to the 11th largest Armenian community
in the world.
. During the 10th century individual Armenian merchants, mercenaries and craftsmen served at the courts of various Ruthenia
n rulers. A larger wave of Armenians settled in southeastern Ukraine after the fall of the Armenian capital of Ani
to Seljuks in the 11th century. They arrived mainly at the Crimean peninsula and established colonies in Kaffa (Feodosiya), Sudak
and Solcati (Staryi Krym
). Their numbers were further strengthened throughout the 12th-15th century by Armenians fleeing from a Mongol invasion. This gave the peninsula the name Armenia Maritima in medieval chronicles. Smaller Armenian communities were established in central Ukraine, including Kiev
, and the western regions of Podolia
and Halychyna, concentrating around Lviv
which in 1267 became the center of an Armenian eparchy.
After Crimea fell to the Ottoman Turks
in 1475 many Crimean Armenians moved further to the north west to the already flourishing Armenian communities which gradually integrated into the local Polish population while maintaining their distinct identity through the Armenian Catholic Church
. In the 18th century Crimea fell under influence of the Russian Empire
, which encouraged Crimean Armenians to settle in Russia and a large group of them came to the town of Rostov on Don in 1778, twenty years later Russia having conquered the peninsula called to colonize it and many Armenians arrived from Turkey, establishing new Armenian colonies. During World War II
in 1944 Armenians were deported en masse along with Greeks, Bulgarians and Tatars as a "antisoviet element" and allowed to return only in the 1960s. During Soviet rule Armenians came together with people from other Soviet ruled nations to Ukraine to work in the heavy industry located in the eastern parts of the country.
holds the greatest number of Armenians in Ukraine (~16 000, 0.33% of the population). Armenian communities can also be found in Dnipropetrovsk
, Kharkiv
, Kherson
, Kiev
, Luhansk
, Mykolaiv
, Zaporizhia
, and Odessa
where the late Ukrainian-Armenian artist Sarkis Ordyan
spent most of his life.
The Armenians continue to have a historic presence in Crimea, which is today an autonomous republic of Ukraine. The 9 000 Armenians make up 0.43% of the population in the area and are numerous in major urban centers such as Sevastopol
where they comprise 0.3% of the city's population. Hovhannes Aivazovsky, the world-renowned Armenian
painter lived and worked his entire life in the Crimean city of Feodosiya.
Many Armenians living in Ukraine have been Russified
with about half speaking Armenian
as their mother tongue but over 43% speaking Russian and only 6% Ukrainian.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
who live in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. They number 99,894 according to the 2001 Ukrainian census. However, the country is also host to a number of Armenian guest workers which has yet to be ascertained. The Armenian population in Ukraine has nearly doubled since the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
in 1989, largely due to instability in the Caucasus. Today, Ukraine is home to the 11th largest Armenian community
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the Armenian communities outside the Republic of Armenia and self proclaimed de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic...
in the world.
Early history
Armenians first appeared in Ukraine during the times of Kievan Rus'Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
. During the 10th century individual Armenian merchants, mercenaries and craftsmen served at the courts of various Ruthenia
Ruthenia
Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...
n rulers. A larger wave of Armenians settled in southeastern Ukraine after the fall of the Armenian capital of Ani
Ani
Ani is a ruined and uninhabited medieval Armenian city-site situated in the Turkish province of Kars, near the border with Armenia. It was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey...
to Seljuks in the 11th century. They arrived mainly at the Crimean peninsula and established colonies in Kaffa (Feodosiya), Sudak
Sudak
Sudak or Sudaq is a small historic town located in Crimea, Ukraine situated to the west of Feodosiya and to the east of Simferopol, the capital of Crimea...
and Solcati (Staryi Krym
Staryi Krym
Staryi Krym is a small historical town in the Eastern Crimea, approximately 25 km west of Theodosia. The population of Staryi Krym in 2001 was 9,960 people.-History:...
). Their numbers were further strengthened throughout the 12th-15th century by Armenians fleeing from a Mongol invasion. This gave the peninsula the name Armenia Maritima in medieval chronicles. Smaller Armenian communities were established in central Ukraine, including Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, and the western regions of Podolia
Podolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
and Halychyna, concentrating around Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
which in 1267 became the center of an Armenian eparchy.
After Crimea fell to the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
in 1475 many Crimean Armenians moved further to the north west to the already flourishing Armenian communities which gradually integrated into the local Polish population while maintaining their distinct identity through the Armenian Catholic Church
Armenian Catholic Church
|- |The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church sui juris in union with the other Eastern Rite, Oriental Rite and Latin Rite Catholics who accept the Bishop of Rome as spiritual leader of the Church. It is regulated by Eastern canon law...
. In the 18th century Crimea fell under influence of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, which encouraged Crimean Armenians to settle in Russia and a large group of them came to the town of Rostov on Don in 1778, twenty years later Russia having conquered the peninsula called to colonize it and many Armenians arrived from Turkey, establishing new Armenian colonies. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1944 Armenians were deported en masse along with Greeks, Bulgarians and Tatars as a "antisoviet element" and allowed to return only in the 1960s. During Soviet rule Armenians came together with people from other Soviet ruled nations to Ukraine to work in the heavy industry located in the eastern parts of the country.
Armenian community in modern Ukraine
Today, the Donetsk OblastDonetsk Oblast
Donetsk Oblast is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Donetsk. Historically, the province is an important part of the Donbas region...
holds the greatest number of Armenians in Ukraine (~16 000, 0.33% of the population). Armenian communities can also be found in Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
, Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
, Kherson
Kherson
Kherson is a city in southern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kherson Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast. Kherson is an important port on the Black Sea and Dnieper River, and the home of a major ship-building industry...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Luhansk
Luhansk
Luhansk also known as Lugansk is a city in southeastern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Luhansk Oblast . The city itself is also designated as its own separate municipality within the oblast...
, Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
, Zaporizhia
Zaporizhia
Zaporizhia or Zaporozhye [formerly Alexandrovsk ] is a city in southeastern Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative center of the Zaporizhia Oblast...
, and Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
where the late Ukrainian-Armenian artist Sarkis Ordyan
Sarkis Ordyan
Sarkis Ordyan was a Ukrainian-Armenian painter. He was born to unknown parents in the village of Aigedzor, in the Shamshadin region of Armenia...
spent most of his life.
The Armenians continue to have a historic presence in Crimea, which is today an autonomous republic of Ukraine. The 9 000 Armenians make up 0.43% of the population in the area and are numerous in major urban centers such as Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
where they comprise 0.3% of the city's population. Hovhannes Aivazovsky, the world-renowned Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
painter lived and worked his entire life in the Crimean city of Feodosiya.
Many Armenians living in Ukraine have been Russified
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
with about half speaking Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
as their mother tongue but over 43% speaking Russian and only 6% Ukrainian.
Distribution
Armenians in Ukraine by oblasts according to 2001 Ukrainian Census.| Rank | Oblast | Number of Armenians Armenians Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian.... |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Donetsk. Historically, the province is an important part of the Donbas region... |
15,700 |
| 2 | Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast is an oblast in eastern Ukraine. The oblast borders Russia to the north, Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the south-east, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the south-west, Poltava Oblast to the west and Sumy Oblast to the north-west... |
11,100 |
| 3 | Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine, the most important industrial region of the country. Its administrative center is Dnipropetrovsk.... |
10,600 |
| 4 | Autonomous Republic of Crimea | 8,700 |
| 5 | Odessa Oblast Odessa Oblast Odesa Oblast, also written as Odessa Oblast , is the southernmost and largest oblast of south-western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Odessa.-History:... |
7,400 |
| 6 | Luhansk Oblast Luhansk Oblast Luhansk Oblast ) is the easternmost oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the name Voroshilovgrad Oblast in honor of Kliment Voroshilov.... |
6,600 |
| 7 | Zaporizhia Oblast Zaporizhia Oblast Zaporizhia Oblast is an oblast of southern Ukraine. Its capital is Zaporizhia.This oblast is an important part of Ukraine's industry and agriculture.-Geography:... |
6,400 |
| 8 | City of Kiev Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press.... |
4,900 |
| 9 | Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast is an oblast in southern Ukraine, just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson. The area of the region is 29000 km², its population is 1.12 million.Important cities in the oblast include:... |
4,500 |
| 10 | Mykolaiv Oblast Mykolaiv Oblast Mykolaiv Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Mykolayiv.-Geography:The Mykolaiv Oblast is located in the southern half of Ukraine... |
4,300 |
| 11 | Poltava Oblast Poltava Oblast Poltava Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Poltava.Other important cities within the oblast include: Komsomolsk, Kremenchuk, Lubny and Myrhorod.-Geography:... |
2,600 |
| 12 | Kiev Oblast Kiev Oblast Kyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine... |
2,300 |
| 13 | Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine located along the Dnieper River. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Cherkasy).-Geography:... |
1,700 |
| 14 | Sevastopol Sevastopol Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa.... (city council) |
1,300 |
| 15 | Sumy Oblast Sumy Oblast Sumy Oblast is an oblast in the northeastern part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy.Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka.... |
1,200 |
| 16 | Vinnytsia Oblast Vinnytsia Oblast Vinnytsia Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsia.-Geography:The area of the region is 26,500 km²; its population is 1.7 million.... |
1,100 |
| 17 | Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on September 22, 1937.... |
800 |
| 18 | Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. As is the case with most other oblasts of Ukraine this region has the same name as its administrative center – which was renamed by the Soviets after the Ukrainian writer, nationalist... |
300 |
| 19 | Rivne Oblast Rivne Oblast Rivne Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The area of the region is 20,100 km²; its population is 1.2 million... |
300 |
See also
- Armenians in CrimeaArmenians in Crimea- Background :The Armenian presence in the Crimea region dates back to the 8th century. The first wave of Armenian immigration into this area began during the mid-11th century and, over time, as political, economic and social conditions in Armenia proper failed to improve, newer waves followed them...
- Armenian Cathedral, LvivArmenian Cathedral, LvivThe Armenian Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary ) in Lviv, Ukraine is located in the city's Old Town, north of the market square.A small Armenian church was built in the years 1363–1370, founded by an Armenian merchant from Caffa and established as the mother church of an eparchy. It is said to...
- Ukrainians in ArmeniaUkrainians in ArmeniaThe Ukrainians in Armenia are people of full or partial ethnic Ukrainian origin who reside in Armenia.- Origins :The first Ukrainians in Armenia came in the mid 19th century after the migration to Transcaucasia by “the Cossacks from Minor Russia” to seal the Empire’s Southern borders...
- Armenian-Ukrainian relations
- Armenians in PolandArmenians in PolandArmenians in Poland have an important and historical presence going back to the 14th century. According to the Polish census of 2002, there are 1,082 self-identifying Armenians in Poland,, although Armenian-oriented sources cite estimates as high as 92,000....
- Armenians in RussiaArmenians in RussiaArmenians in Russia or Russian Armenians are ethnic Armenians who live in Russia. The 2002 Russian census recorded 1,130,491 Armenians in the country, but most probably did not take into account the Armenian guest workers, most of whom do not hold Russian citizenship...
- Armenians in RomaniaArmenians in RomaniaArmenians have been present in what is now Romania and Moldova for over a millennium, and have been an important presence as traders since the 14th century...