The chicken or the egg?  Nah, that’s not the question. We all know it was the chicken. What I’m asking is which came first Russia or Ukraine? I thought Russia.

‘No,’ said L. my Ukrainian guest, ‘Absolutely not, just look at the history.’

So over tea and cake, she gave me a history lesson. At the time when England was conquered by William in 1066, the major empire of Belarus, Ukraine, Poland and Western Russia was under the rule of Kievan Rus.  

Kiev was the big hub, and predecessor to the capital. 

Moscow was a pile of wood huts, that gave rise to Rus – much later.

Not until 1686 did this part of the empire become something resembling Russia.

Yes that’s right – 1686, less than a century before the Boston Tea Party in what was to become the USA. 

America makes reparations to the Native Americans for taking over their land.  Do you think Russia does the same to Ukraine? Of course not. 

Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.   FDR (1940)

Joseph Goebbels: If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually believe it.  

Russian policy, straight from a Nazi’s mouth.

So just to recap: Russia is the more recent country. Ukraine is the older country. Which came first? Ukraine. No doubt about it.