Petition in Ukraine to change Russia’s name. What Ukrainians want to call the country that occupied them

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Aerial view of Kremlin and center of Moscow. Photo: Profimedia Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday considered an online petition whose author proposed renaming Russia officially Muscovy, replacing “Russian” with “Muscovite” and “Russian Federation” with “Moscow Federation”. The Kiev leader asked Prime Minister Denis Shmihal to reconsider the plan, prompting an angry reaction from Moscow.

The author of the petition, which has already collected 250,000 signatures, recalls that “the historical name of Russia is Muscovy.”

“The name was used in Europe and in some Asian languages. The name also appears on many historical maps from the 16th to 19th centuries produced in Europe before and after the Muscovy Empire was renamed the Russian Empire,” the petition says, according to the publication Ukrainska Pravda, which was acquired by Akerpres.

The author of the appeal points out that “Russia has actually only existed for 301 years” – since October 22, 1721, when the Muscovite Tsar Peter I declared the Moscow Kingdom the “Russian Empire”.

In his response, Volodymyr Zelensky said, “The issue raised in the petition should be carefully analyzed from the point of view of historical and cultural context and in light of possible international legal implications.”

Zelensky also announced that he has asked Prime Minister Denis Mihal to thoroughly study the proposal in cooperation with the country’s scientific institutions.

Earlier, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Serhii Kislyta, estimated that Ukraine could ratify a law that would call Russia Muscovy.

Russia’s reaction

Moscow’s reaction was not long in coming: former President Dmitry Medvedev and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded strongly to the initiative.

Russian MFA spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded on her Telegram account that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s task to Prime Minister Denis Shmihal to explore the possibility of renaming Russia as Muscovy was “evidence of an anti-Russia effort.” .

In an even harsher tone, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev wrote in his Telegram account that Ukraine should be renamed the “Swedish Bandera-Reich” because “Hollandia” – derived from “hole”, Russians pejoratively. Call the Ukrainians – and Malorossiya is ahead.

“The Supreme Nazi issued instructions from Kiev to resolve the issue of renaming Russia Muscovy. (…) Our answer? No, certainly not Hollandia. Certainly not Malorasia. Only Schweinisch Bandera-Reich. Exact!” wrote Dmitry Medvedev in Telegram, currently deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, according to RBC.

A petition to change the name of Russia to Muscovy was published on the website of the President of Ukraine at the end of November last year. As of February, the petition has already collected 250,000 signatures, a sufficient number to be considered by the country’s authorities, Ukrainska Pravda notes.

Publisher: BP

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