ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes to analyze the ethnic situation in Ukraine by looking at the ethnic composition, the Soviet legacy, the first steps of independence, and the new Kuchma regime. The largest ethnic group, the Russians, is scattered throughout Ukraine, although the heaviest concentration of settlement is in the eastern and southern regions. The first steps taken to establish the legal basis of sovereignty and independence were accompanied by an explicitly liberal policy towards ethnic minorities in Ukraine. An independent Ukraine, especially one headed by a member of the nomenklatura, might preserve some of their power positions. Nationalists from western regions feared the worst; elections showed a decisive split in the country, with eastern Ukraine voting for Kuchma and western Ukraine supporting Kravchuk. At the social level, a considerable amount of assimilation and acculturation has occurred, which is perhaps not surprising given the linguistic and cultural similarities between Russians and Ukrainians.
