Gustave Faberge the founder of the House of Faberge was born in Pärnu, present day Estonia, and there is an amusing anecdote in Estonian novelist Jaan Kross's Professor Marten's Departure representing one of his children as a member of the significant Estonian community in St Petersburg, yet they will forever be labeled russian Jewlers. This is an amusing and relatively harmless anecdote only because Estonia has narrowly managed to avoid Ukrainian and Belarusian fates by becoming a free and independent member of the EU and NATO--otherwise we'd be like the Ingarians and Karelians and a host of other Finno-Ugric peoples absorbed and dissolved into the russian Federation. russia is a vain insecure state which wreaks havoc upon those unable to resist. Ukraine must be armed for victory and allowed to win.
I didn't know that Gustave Faberge was Estonian, but you just educated me, and I will remember it. So, I think we shouldn't say "forever," as the more we speak up, the more we challenge the Russian version of history.
I’ll be doing Belarus soon in my women writers around the world project. I’ve chosen Nobel prize winner Svetlana Alexievich for that post but I will check out the poet you mentioned!
While Svetlana Alexievich might be an obvious choice, I would love to see Larysa Hienijuš mentioned as well. She deserves it so much. I wrote an essay about her life and translated several of her poems:
Absolutely! Since the city where Immanuel Kant was born was taken over by Russia, they have been trying to claim Kant’s legacy as their own. Russians even renamed a university in Kaliningrad as Immanuel Kant Russian State University — not because they admire Kant’s work so much, but because it’s one step forward in appropriating his achievements and using them for Russian propaganda.
You share the truth so beautifully. Through you I've become more aware of what russia has done to Belarus and that matters. A lot. Never doubt that. russian colonialism is fueled by hate, rage, and despair. The antidote for all of that is embracing truth and sharing it with everyone. Just yesterday I had another chance to explain where "the Ukraine" came from and correct it. Being able to do that matters. I decolonized another American with no direct ties to Ukraine and it matters. She can now do it for the next person.
Thank you for your kind words and your advocacy, Rachel! I agree that sharing the truth is the only way forward. Like you, I hope that people who read my articles will spread the knowledge further, and it will bring change.
Ivan Loiko was Belarusian. He was born into a Belarusian noble family in a village near Minsk, grew up there, and studied in Minsk. Later, he moved to Moscow to become a pilot, as since he accomplished so much throughout his pilot career, first in the Russian Empire and then in the Soviet Union, Russians completely erased his Belarusian identity and claimed that he was Russian.
During the Soviet times, his entire family was arrested and sent to the Gulag, where they died. His home and all belongings in Belarus were confiscated by the Soviets. Loiko was also arrested and spent years in the labor camp in the Arctic. When he was freed, he had nowhere and no one to return to in Belarus, and he stayed in the settlement near the labor camp. He died by suicide.
P.S.: it's Belarusian, pronounced as be-la-roo-si-an, not Bela-russian. Bela-russians is a colonial name that Russians gave to Belarusians in order to show that they "belong" to Russia.
The unfortunate truth is that only the oppressed truly know how it feels to be oppressed. As challenging as it must be to convey those feelings, you did it masterfully. It makes me cringe and want to cry that you have to justify your nationality and culture and in effect your identity. Russian colonialism is a sinister force and as they flood the internet with propaganda, AI now spits out answers based on that propaganda. What a world we live in. And in the true spirit of upside down thinking, Stalin is renowned in Russia as a great leader. Sickening, deeply sickening. But generally speaking, when has colonialism ever been beneficial for colonized peoples??
From learning about the history of Ukraine I’ve become aware that Wikipedia is often compromised with russian disinformation. Now I usually just look over the text on Wikipedia and then search for books or other sources to verify. There are a few Ukrainian writers that I follow who I know can be trusted. Your work and insight into the history of Belarus and Ukraine is also invaluable.
Reading through the comments to this piece I was struck with your quick explanation of ‘White Rus.’ That it originates with the ancient Scandinavian tribes who settled in parts of Eastern Europe. I already knew about the history of Kyivan Rus but somehow my mind had not fully made the connection with ‘Bela Rus’ and the old Scandinavian tribes. I have not formally studied history in many years and just read what I can these days and am now really curious about the story of the Bela/White Rus.
Sorry if I’m getting something wrong or missing something obvious. Most of all thank you for your work, Darya.
Also, I’ve been meaning to get Maksym Eristavi’s book, Russian Colonialism 101.
Thank you, Paul! I probably need to write an article about the history behind the name of Belarus and explain it in more detail. In short, there were White Rus, Black Rus, and Red Rus, which were the names of modern Belarus, the Western part of Belarus, and the Western part of Ukraine accordingly. The word Rus was the name of the Scandinavian tribes that settled in Eastern Europe. It means "men who row." There are different theories about what colors mean. Some of the most popular are that they meant the appearance (darker or lighter hair), religion (Christians and pagans), or that it came from Mongol culture where white was west, red was south, and black was north.
My maternal grandparents always said their families were from Russia (or sometimes Poland) but they were actually from Belarus and Ukraine. I suppose Belarus was never a country before they came to the USA. (My Lithuanian paternal grandparents never made that mistake.)
Belarus was not a country in the eyes of people in the West. All Belarusians who came to the U.S., even if they specifically stated they were Belarusians, were written down as Russians in the immigration papers. As someone who, centuries later, still has to explain that I’m Belarusian, not Russian, I can imagine how it was almost impossible for those first immigrants to fight the colonial bias. So they just said they were Russians, as it simplified their immigrant life. It is how Russian colonialism works — making it very hard for people to claim their identity in order for them to give it up.
It is the name that Russians gave to Belarus to show that it “belongs” to Russia. In reality, the original name was White Rus — the name of the ancient Scandinavian tribes who settled on the territory of Belarus. Rus has nothing to do with Russia, but Russians appropriated it and used it in their colonial propaganda, and the world believed them.
And I’m sure you know, Russia stole stuff from all over the places occupied in the Russian empire and has them in museums in St Petersburg, saying they are all from Russian culture. Lots of Lithuanian stuff disappeared into Russian museums.
Yes, absolutely. Whenever I try to find the location of a Belarusian painting or historical book, I find it in Russian museums. They continue to steal art and historical artifacts from Ukraine and loot countless museums, bringing everything to Russia and parading it as “Russian art.”
Wikipedia is, for all its strengths, sadly quite vulnerable for coordinated manipulation by state actors, probably even more so for languages with fewer active editors than English.
Well, the articles I tried to edit were in English. The information on Ukrainian or Belarusian Wikipedia is much more accurate, while Russian Wikipedia is just pure propaganda.
In the 1980s I majored in Slavic Languages & Literatures at an American university. In reality it was all about Russia. And I pretty much fell for it. For three years now I am coming to grips with the extent of colonialist thinking about Russia in my country. What has helped me is the recent very healthy debate here in the American South about the Confederacy, and the need here for dominance and control.
Yes, unfortunately, the majority of Slavic studies in the U.S. still teach only about Russia and present Eastern Europe through Russian colonial lenses and perspective. Slowly, things are starting to change as new, younger professors enter the field. However, the change is not only happening too slowly but is constantly reversed by the people who blindly admire everything Russian and hold high positions in the academic world.
I cannot fight Russian bots, there are millions of them, and it would be just a waste of my time. I want people to be aware of how biased and compromised Wikipedia is and critically approach the information posted there.
Gustave Faberge the founder of the House of Faberge was born in Pärnu, present day Estonia, and there is an amusing anecdote in Estonian novelist Jaan Kross's Professor Marten's Departure representing one of his children as a member of the significant Estonian community in St Petersburg, yet they will forever be labeled russian Jewlers. This is an amusing and relatively harmless anecdote only because Estonia has narrowly managed to avoid Ukrainian and Belarusian fates by becoming a free and independent member of the EU and NATO--otherwise we'd be like the Ingarians and Karelians and a host of other Finno-Ugric peoples absorbed and dissolved into the russian Federation. russia is a vain insecure state which wreaks havoc upon those unable to resist. Ukraine must be armed for victory and allowed to win.
I didn't know that Gustave Faberge was Estonian, but you just educated me, and I will remember it. So, I think we shouldn't say "forever," as the more we speak up, the more we challenge the Russian version of history.
This is an essay well worth sharing.
It's crucial to call out Russian colonialism for what it is.
Thank you!
I’ll be doing Belarus soon in my women writers around the world project. I’ve chosen Nobel prize winner Svetlana Alexievich for that post but I will check out the poet you mentioned!
While Svetlana Alexievich might be an obvious choice, I would love to see Larysa Hienijuš mentioned as well. She deserves it so much. I wrote an essay about her life and translated several of her poems:
https://daryazorka.substack.com/p/resistance-and-love-larysa-hienijus
https://daryazorka.substack.com/p/a-light-in-the-window
Let me know if you need help with finding information or with translation of the poems for your article!
I read and saved your essay in my notes on Belarus!
Keep fighting, Darya!
🙏
Remember when Russians tried to claim Immanuel Kant, Prussian-born, to be Russian? What a prime example to add.
Thank you for this very important article!
Absolutely! Since the city where Immanuel Kant was born was taken over by Russia, they have been trying to claim Kant’s legacy as their own. Russians even renamed a university in Kaliningrad as Immanuel Kant Russian State University — not because they admire Kant’s work so much, but because it’s one step forward in appropriating his achievements and using them for Russian propaganda.
You share the truth so beautifully. Through you I've become more aware of what russia has done to Belarus and that matters. A lot. Never doubt that. russian colonialism is fueled by hate, rage, and despair. The antidote for all of that is embracing truth and sharing it with everyone. Just yesterday I had another chance to explain where "the Ukraine" came from and correct it. Being able to do that matters. I decolonized another American with no direct ties to Ukraine and it matters. She can now do it for the next person.
Thank you for your kind words and your advocacy, Rachel! I agree that sharing the truth is the only way forward. Like you, I hope that people who read my articles will spread the knowledge further, and it will bring change.
Reminds me when I was trying to check if Russia Empire WWI fighter ace Ivan Alexandrovich Loiko was Belarussian.
Ivan Loiko was Belarusian. He was born into a Belarusian noble family in a village near Minsk, grew up there, and studied in Minsk. Later, he moved to Moscow to become a pilot, as since he accomplished so much throughout his pilot career, first in the Russian Empire and then in the Soviet Union, Russians completely erased his Belarusian identity and claimed that he was Russian.
During the Soviet times, his entire family was arrested and sent to the Gulag, where they died. His home and all belongings in Belarus were confiscated by the Soviets. Loiko was also arrested and spent years in the labor camp in the Arctic. When he was freed, he had nowhere and no one to return to in Belarus, and he stayed in the settlement near the labor camp. He died by suicide.
P.S.: it's Belarusian, pronounced as be-la-roo-si-an, not Bela-russian. Bela-russians is a colonial name that Russians gave to Belarusians in order to show that they "belong" to Russia.
The unfortunate truth is that only the oppressed truly know how it feels to be oppressed. As challenging as it must be to convey those feelings, you did it masterfully. It makes me cringe and want to cry that you have to justify your nationality and culture and in effect your identity. Russian colonialism is a sinister force and as they flood the internet with propaganda, AI now spits out answers based on that propaganda. What a world we live in. And in the true spirit of upside down thinking, Stalin is renowned in Russia as a great leader. Sickening, deeply sickening. But generally speaking, when has colonialism ever been beneficial for colonized peoples??
I agree, it is very sad, but we need to keep speaking the truth.
For Darya
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiKkIDJ-ZmNAxXrLFkFHVwGFBgQFnoECB8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FCircassians&usg=AOvVaw2sDrEaCG1qdio40GGtt4ps&opi=89978449
From learning about the history of Ukraine I’ve become aware that Wikipedia is often compromised with russian disinformation. Now I usually just look over the text on Wikipedia and then search for books or other sources to verify. There are a few Ukrainian writers that I follow who I know can be trusted. Your work and insight into the history of Belarus and Ukraine is also invaluable.
Reading through the comments to this piece I was struck with your quick explanation of ‘White Rus.’ That it originates with the ancient Scandinavian tribes who settled in parts of Eastern Europe. I already knew about the history of Kyivan Rus but somehow my mind had not fully made the connection with ‘Bela Rus’ and the old Scandinavian tribes. I have not formally studied history in many years and just read what I can these days and am now really curious about the story of the Bela/White Rus.
Sorry if I’m getting something wrong or missing something obvious. Most of all thank you for your work, Darya.
Also, I’ve been meaning to get Maksym Eristavi’s book, Russian Colonialism 101.
Thank you, Paul! I probably need to write an article about the history behind the name of Belarus and explain it in more detail. In short, there were White Rus, Black Rus, and Red Rus, which were the names of modern Belarus, the Western part of Belarus, and the Western part of Ukraine accordingly. The word Rus was the name of the Scandinavian tribes that settled in Eastern Europe. It means "men who row." There are different theories about what colors mean. Some of the most popular are that they meant the appearance (darker or lighter hair), religion (Christians and pagans), or that it came from Mongol culture where white was west, red was south, and black was north.
Really cool info! Thank you for the short summary!
My maternal grandparents always said their families were from Russia (or sometimes Poland) but they were actually from Belarus and Ukraine. I suppose Belarus was never a country before they came to the USA. (My Lithuanian paternal grandparents never made that mistake.)
Belarus was not a country in the eyes of people in the West. All Belarusians who came to the U.S., even if they specifically stated they were Belarusians, were written down as Russians in the immigration papers. As someone who, centuries later, still has to explain that I’m Belarusian, not Russian, I can imagine how it was almost impossible for those first immigrants to fight the colonial bias. So they just said they were Russians, as it simplified their immigrant life. It is how Russian colonialism works — making it very hard for people to claim their identity in order for them to give it up.
"White Russia," I've seen mentioned a lot referring to Belarus. Which is even more confusing!
It is the name that Russians gave to Belarus to show that it “belongs” to Russia. In reality, the original name was White Rus — the name of the ancient Scandinavian tribes who settled on the territory of Belarus. Rus has nothing to do with Russia, but Russians appropriated it and used it in their colonial propaganda, and the world believed them.
And I’m sure you know, Russia stole stuff from all over the places occupied in the Russian empire and has them in museums in St Petersburg, saying they are all from Russian culture. Lots of Lithuanian stuff disappeared into Russian museums.
Yes, absolutely. Whenever I try to find the location of a Belarusian painting or historical book, I find it in Russian museums. They continue to steal art and historical artifacts from Ukraine and loot countless museums, bringing everything to Russia and parading it as “Russian art.”
I would say most Americans have no clue. They probably still don’t even know how bad the USSR was.
But of course. And because it was called Kyivan “Rus” they say that’s Russia too.
Wikipedia is, for all its strengths, sadly quite vulnerable for coordinated manipulation by state actors, probably even more so for languages with fewer active editors than English.
Well, the articles I tried to edit were in English. The information on Ukrainian or Belarusian Wikipedia is much more accurate, while Russian Wikipedia is just pure propaganda.
In the 1980s I majored in Slavic Languages & Literatures at an American university. In reality it was all about Russia. And I pretty much fell for it. For three years now I am coming to grips with the extent of colonialist thinking about Russia in my country. What has helped me is the recent very healthy debate here in the American South about the Confederacy, and the need here for dominance and control.
Yes, unfortunately, the majority of Slavic studies in the U.S. still teach only about Russia and present Eastern Europe through Russian colonial lenses and perspective. Slowly, things are starting to change as new, younger professors enter the field. However, the change is not only happening too slowly but is constantly reversed by the people who blindly admire everything Russian and hold high positions in the academic world.
Don't give up on editing! And I think it would be a good idea to unmask the Russian bots. you could probably get them banned from editing.
I cannot fight Russian bots, there are millions of them, and it would be just a waste of my time. I want people to be aware of how biased and compromised Wikipedia is and critically approach the information posted there.
Thank you for the interesting information and the
Apart from that I thank you for the interesting information and the important point that you state with your comment!