Ukrainians in Kuban - Ukrainian Settlement

Ukrainian Settlement

Ukrainian settlement of Kuban first started in 1792 when the Black Sea Cossack Host was given the rights to these lands by the Empress Katherine II. According to the Ukaz of 30.6. and 1.7.1792 these lands were handed over to the Black Sea Cossacks "for eternity". These included the Phanagorian peninsula and the lands on the Right bank of the Kuban River. From 1792-93 25,000 people settled the area, marking the first wave of Ukrainian settlement to Kuban. The Cossack navy consisting of 51 boats with 3247 people landed on the shores of Kuban on August 25, 1792. A second group of 600 people arrived with cattle overland. In October, 1792 under the command of otaman Zakhary Chepiha a third group arrived. The final group arrived from Ukraine in 1793 under the command of Antin Holovaty.

From 1806-09 about 562 Ukrainian Cossacks who had settled previously beyond the Danube were given a pardon and also arrived on the shores of the Taman peninsula.

In 1809-11 41,635 settlers arrived from Poltava and Chernihiv. This marked the second wave of settlers from Ukraine. During the 3rd wave in 1820-25 59,455 people of both gender moved. The fourth wave of 11,949 people arrived from Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Poltava regions in 1848-9. In all from 1792-1850 105 thousand people moved to Kuban from Ukraine.

The lands settled by the Ukrainians were known as the Lands of the Black Sea Host. 40 kurin settlements were allowed, which not only were administrative units, but specific territories. The settlers from Ukraine founded the town, which became known as Yekaterinodar. In 1860 the Kuban oblast was formed.

After the February Revolution (1905) a temporary Kuban Military government was formed. Two sides struggled to obtain supremacy: a pro-Ukrainian and a pro-Russian faction. The pro-Ukrainian faction supported autonomy for Kuban and the formation of a Union with Ukraine. Also Ukrainian cultural life flowered. Ukrainian language school were opened and 6 newspapers began to publish in Ukrainian. In May 1918 a delegation headed by the head of the Kuban Rada M. Riabovol visited Kiev. Diplomatic ties were announced between the Kuban People's Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic.

To cement its hold in Kuban, the Soviet government allowed a period of Ukrainianisation in the 1920s where Ukrainian cultural life was allowed to flower. This was suddenly and brutally stopped in 1932.