Anton Koluntaev, Student
“History is a thing that everyone manipulates. We need to say that Anna Yaroslavna was Ukrainian. But if you think about it, she was a princess from the 10th century, and at that time neither Russians nor Ukrainians existed.”
Anastasia Mazurok, Project manager
“I think that Russia has the same roots as Ukraine, but I don’t think that it’s a good thing for Russian history to appropriate all the achievements.”
Iryna Djenjera, Engineer
“I think she (Anna Yaroslavna) is a native of (our land). Putin talks a lot and tries to glorify Russia in every sentence. He targets people who don’t know Ukrainian history.”
Anna Dovgal, Student
“I think that Russia doesn’t have a right to do so – Russia is not the Kyivan Rus. The fact that Putin appropriates history is caused by his lack of knowledge.”
Olga Arbuzova, Entrepreneur
“It’s a difficult question and you need to know history and learn all the details before making any conclusions. From time immemorial, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus were almost one thing, their histories are very interconnected.”
Anna Kaluger, Art historian
“Putin hasn’t said anything new: his words wouldn’t surprise anyone who knows that Russia appropriates Kyivan Rus. I’m just wondering how people logically explain to themselves that the history of their country begins with the history of another country.”
