УКРАЇНСЬКА МЕНШИНА ХОРВАТІЇ: ІСТОРИЧНО-ДЕМОГРАФІЧНИЙ ВИМІР

Abstract

Throughout the history of the existence of the Rusyn-Ukrainian diaspora in Croatia, several important demographic trends can be traced. One particular characteristic of migrants from Ukrainian lands to the South Slavic territories was the presence of a dual ethnonym: the early wave immigrants brought with them a Rusyn identity, while the subsequent ones carried a Ukrainian identity. As a result, descendants of the Rusyn migration have maintained a certain degree of separateness from the Ukrainians, which complicates the preservation of this minority. The demographic indicators of the Ukrainian community have been influenced by the policies of various governments (Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the Royal and Socialist Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia) and military conflicts throughout the 20th to the early 21st century (World Wars, the Serbian-Croatian War, Russian aggression against Ukraine). Determining the exact number of migrants was challenging until population censuses were conducted in Austria-Hungary. Until the 1930s, there was a relatively sharp increase in the number of the Rusyns and the Ukrainians in Croatia: prior to the First World War, thanks to targeted agrarian policies of the Austro-Hungarian government, and during the time of the first Yugoslavia, due to the arrival of Ukrainians as part of Russian White emigration. The period from the 1930s to the 1970s saw a relative stagnation in the size of this minority. Demographic losses during the Second World War were compensated by the resettlement of Rusyn-Ukrainian population from other Yugoslavian republics. Starting from the 1970s, we have observed a steady decline in the Rusyn-Ukrainian diaspora. This process was further complicated by the consequences of the Serbian-Croatian War of 1991–1995, divisions within the Rusyn-Ukrainian organizations, and globalization processes, which resulted in the assimilation of these small ethnic groups. At the same time, the demographic crisis was mitigated by a favorable policy of the Croatian government towards national minorities, which provided relatively generous funding while simultaneously dividing the Rusyns and the Ukrainians. As a result of these negative factors, the Rusyn and Ukrainian minorities in Croatia faced the risk of disappearance in the coming decades. However, the full-scale aggression of Russia against Ukraine led to a significant wave of refugees, some tens of thousands of whom settled in Croatia. This expands the possibilities for preserving the Ukrainian community by integrating the newly arrived individuals into the cultural and social life of the minority. However, nothing has changed for the Rusyns, and their path to overcoming depopulation and assimilation is seen through consolidation with the Ukrainians.