Romanians of Chernivtsi Oblast

Chernivtsi Oblast (Romanian: "Regiunea Cernăuţi") comprises a significant Romanian community.

History

Today's Chernivtsi Oblast of Ukraine was originally part of the historical region of Bukovina, which was annexed by the Soviet Union from Romania in June 1940. Its Romanian population was persecuted by Soviet authorities on ethnic grounds, especially in the 16 years following the annexation. Since the Romanian Revolution of 1989, all official declarations referring to this issue from the representatives of the Romanian community and the Romanian government, have stated that there is no intent to revise the present internationally recognized border. However, the Romanian community has constantly addressed the following seven demands to the Ukrainian government: [ro icon Gabriel Gherasim, [http://noinu.rdscj.ro/article.php?articleID=149&document=1 Românii din Ucraina (2)] ("Romanians in Ukraine (2)"), "Noi, NU!", August 7, 2005. Accessed online October 31, 2006.]
* To be officially recognized with the status of "native population" ("cf." Article 11 of the Constitution of Ukraine).
* To be officially recognized as a "population that was subject to deportations on ethnic grounds", as the Crimean Tatars, Germans, Armenians, Poles, and Jews are recognized, and to have official condemnation of the consequences of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, such as the massive deportations of civilian populations, the massacres at Lunca and Fântâna-Albă, the disappearance of whole villages, such as Frunza, Albovat, etc.
* To have the historic toponyms and geographic names changed back to Romanian; "cf." the 24 December 1989 decision of the Congress of Deputies (Parliament) of the USSR, still legally binding in Ukraine.Fact|date=August 2008
* Representation in the Ukrainian Parliament.
* Re-opening of the Romanian University in Chernivtsi.
* Re-opening of the Metropolitanate of Bukovina.
* Return of the property and real estate of Romanian cultural organizations, confiscated during the Soviet occupation.

Geographic distribution

The bulk or 88% of the Romanian population of the Chernivtsi Oblast is generally concentrated in four of the eleven districts (raions), situated closer to the border with Romania. In the Hertsaivskyi Raion (Romanian: "Herţa"), Romanians comprise about 95% of population. The Hlybotskyi Raion (Romanian: "Adâncata"), has a Romanian population of 45%. Storozhynetskyi Raion (Romanian: "Storjineţ") has a compact Romanian community in the south, especially around the village of Crasna, comprising 37% of the district's population. In the Novoselytskyi Raion (Romanian: "Nouǎ Suliţi"), Romanians represent about 7% of population. Other villages with a Romanian majority and important historical heritage are Boian, Cernăuca (home of the Hurmuzachi brothers).

Other raions have smaller Romanian populations, usually never exceeding several hundred people. Exceptions are the Khotynskyi Raion (Romanian: "Hotin") with 59 Romanians (<1% of the raion's population) and Sokyrianskyi Raion (Romanian: Secureni) with 43 Romanians (<1% of the total raion population). [ [http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/Chernivtsi/ 2001 Ukrainian Census | English version | Results | General results of the census | National composition of population | Chernivtsi region] ]

Demographic evolution

:Note: The data in this table is based on the official census data in Romania (1930), the Soviet Union, and Ukraine, and reflect the composition of the population according to the present boundaries: the administrative divisions in the past were different. The numbers were obtained by adding them settlement by settlement according to today's configuration of the region.

ee also

* History of the Romanians in Ukraine
* Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
* Fântâna Albă massacre

Notes and references

External links

* Gabriel Gherasim, [http://www.ziua.net/display.php?id=182813&data=2005-08-16 "Românii bucovineni sub cizma străină"] , "Ziua", August 16, 2005