www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Russia Today Television: YouTube Video on The Rusyns

A friend sent me a link to a very interesting video called "The Rusyns" which was presented by "Russia Today". Interesting perspective. [It's long - 26 minutes.]

I had the privilege of meeting Fr. Dymtry when he visited Metropolitan Nicholas and ACROD some years ago. He came to our parish on St.Nicholas Day and was most impressive as a singer and speaker. He is an interesting and charismatic man. The strength of his personality is witnessed by the Holy Exaltation Cathedral whose construction he has been shepherding in Uzhorod these past ten years.

I realize that many of our Ukrainian friends do not view him or his movement with any sympathy, viewing them as pawns of the Russians. The issue is really not so simple.

As you know by now, my family and I are hardly russophiles - quite to the contrary. But, in Father's defense, I would suggest given the antipathy that he and the Rusyn movement have met within the Uzhorod area from the the regional authorities, that one has to seek friends wherever one can find them. This is nothing new for the Rusyns as it dates back to Duchnovich's time and Duchnovich's beliefs themselves.

While he is not formally allied with the Rusyn Greek Catholics in Transcarpathia, I understand that they face many of the same pressures from within the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church headquartered in L'viv.

Let us pray that our brothers and sisters in that long troubled region find some peace and learn to respect the many cultures, traditions and dialects that made Uzhorod a multi-ethnic crossroads of the old Austrian empire and made it a geopolitical pawn of the superpowers in the 20th century.

Very slanted video makes Ukraine look like an ogre.
The video is produced by "Russia Today" and clearly is not a Rusyn or Ukrainian production.
Russia has not exactly been a friend of Ukraine, if you get my drift.

Metropolitan +Volodymyr of blessed memory had a proposal to offer Uzhorod metropolitan status within the UGCC when the UGCC came out of the underground fully allowing particular Rusyn customs (liturgical music, etc.).

Perhaps metropolia status within a Patriarchal church would have been better than the current "eparchial church sui iuris" which is essentially completely dependent on Rome for higher administrative decisions.

The greater "pressure" seems to be rather to attempt to reintegrate all parties back into the MP.

The treatment of Fr. Dimitri and other Rusyn activists by the Ukrainian regional authorities in Transcarpathia has hardly been evocative of friendship.

I agree with this comment. It seems to make sense. However, my comments carry little weight because I came into the "Rusyn" Church from the outside.

Dn. Robert

Interesting video. That bride nearly threw her back out bending over for that fairly voracious kiss. Lol.

I also find the somewhat "mongoloid" look of Rusyns to be interesting. Of course this makes ethnographic sense and is also a trait I've noticed among many European Russians and Ukrainians as well.

The way religion permeates life there is also encouraging and amazing to see.

Alexis

Welcome back, LA.

I passed this Youtube along to a Ukrainian-American friend who expressed his opinion, making a couple of points: (1.) The program was from 2009, before Ukraine became re-alligned with Russia. Russia was trying to drive a wedge between Ukraine and its Rusyn population in a "divide and conquer approach". (2.) Now that Ukraine has a pro-Russian government, all such programming has ceased, because Russia no longer needs to "use" the Rusyns to foster its agenda. Just some food for thought.

Dn. Robert

This is true and typical of the historic treatment by Russians, both secular and religious, in their treatment of the Rusyns over the past two centuries.

Also, the earlier 'mongoloid' comment is really, to say the least offensive and rather ignorant given the events of mid-twentieth century history and the reality of the complex history of the peoples of north-central and east Europe.

Facts please!

To whom are you addressing your question?

In regards to mongoloid, I think you better say Mongolin looking!

Rusins are not just those peoples who live in the Carpathians or its foothills, be they of Ugro-Rusin, Lemko Rusin, Carpatho Rusin or Prjashev Rusin backgrounds. (Where one begins with the Russian settlements here determines alot of which parts of Rus' influenced these peoples most, be it with the forts of Grand Prince Sviatoslav or the Russo-Varangian retinues of the Avars, the settlers who came with Koriatovich or those who came here with Gaidamaks and Cossacks. There are at least three distinct groups of Rusins here.

No, Vohlynians are historically Rusins (Vohlynia = Black Rus'). So too Galicians (Galicia = Red Rus'). So too Bukovinans. It would be accurate, then to understand that the territory of the Ukraine west of the Dniester is not "Ukrainian" territory, but a confederation of Rusin (or "Ruthenian" territories). And the terms "Rusin" was used in the Ukraine as an ethnic appelation until the Russian Brotherhoods of Kiev, Lvov, Ostrogh, et al. supplanted it with Little Russian ethnic appelation.

Actually, it isn't until now that "Russia" is giving attention to the Rusins and there was only support for their cause in some Orthodox Church circles before. While the Yanukovich government may be open to creation of an autonomous republic which I think is long overdue.