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Comment by Mikeb85 | Hacker News Reader

> Right now, there's a growing nationalist sentiment growing in Ukraine

Yes there is, but Ukrainian Neo-Nazis aren't exactly known for their understanding of history.

> Imagine shouting about the Armenian genocide in Instanbul, or about the extermination and oppression of Native Americans in a major city in Texas.

Except Ukrainians and Russians are the same people, and it's Germans and others who slaughtered them.

> Your ancestry might as well be "Polish with a mix of Lithuanian", 'cause who knows at this stage, no? Did you take a DNA test?

Maybe, it's a region that's had many conquests and we're all mixed to some degree. But my ancestors all spoke Ukrainian and were Orthodox, and Slavic culture has always been defined by culture, not necessarily ethnicity.

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> Except Ukrainians and Russians are the same people

I don't think that's for either of us to declare.

I'm at least quarter-Ukrainian from my father's side (I think my parental grandfather was Russian, but parental grandmother was certainly Ukrainian). You sound like you have much less than that in you. We're in no position to dictate who's one people and who aren't.

I do consider Ukrainians and Belarussians brotherly peoples, from my view as a Russian. I wish either of them no harm, and all the best, and hope that no major conflict arises between either of the three.

But they're going to be the ones to tell me what nation they are and what other traits they identify themselves with.

> and Slavic culture has always been defined by culture, not necessarily ethnicity.

I don't think Slavic culture – if there is, indeed, such a thing – defines itself with itself. It can't be its own description, see?

Aside from that... Don't you think there's this whole new massive issue of nationality that defines a people?

> I don't think that's for either of us to declare.

Were the same people then? Historically there were few differences.

> You sound like you have much less than that in you.

Ethnically? Mother is 100% Ukrainian.

> I don't think Slavic culture – if there is, indeed, such a thing – defines itself with itself. It can't be its own description, see?

Historically, Slavs are defined by language and culture. Kind of like various Celtic groups. Just the way archaeologists and historians group them.

> Aside from that... Don't you think there's this whole new massive issue of nationality that defines a people?

Of course nationality matters now and to the future of a country. It's all that really matters. But people shouldn't try to rewrite history.

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