Chernihiv Oblast (Ukrainian:Чернігівська область,romanized: Chernihivska oblast), also referred to asChernihivshchyna (Ukrainian:Чернігівщина), is anoblast (province) in northernUkraine. Theadministrative center of the oblast is the city ofChernihiv. There are 1,511 settlements in the oblast, with a total population of959,315 (2022 estimate).[3]
The oblast is bisected into northern and southern sections by theDesna River, which enters the Dnieper just north of theKyiv city limits. It is located in the historic regions ofLeft-bank Ukraine andPolissia.
The capital city of Chernihiv has known human settlement for over 2,000 years, according toarchaeological excavations. Chernihiv Oblast comprises a very important historical region, notable as early as theKievan Rus' period, when the cities of Chernihiv andNovhorod-Siverskyi were frequently mentioned. The city of Chernihiv was the second most importantUkrainian city during the Rus' period of Ukrainian history, often serving as a major regional capital.Danylo of Chernihiv wrote of his pilgrimage toJerusalem during this era. The region at various times was ruled by the Kievan Rus',Mongol Empire,Lithuania,Poland andRussia. Numerous tragic events have taken place in the region, such as theBattle of Kruty and theKoriukivka massacre.[6] DuringWorld War II, the province was occupied by Germany in 1941–1943.
According to the2001 Ukrainian census,Ukrainian was the native language for over 89% of Chernihiv Oblast's population: it was the dominant language in all of the city and town councils, as well as in the absolute majority of the village councils of the oblast. In the extreme north of Chernihiv Oblast, near the border with Russia and Belarus,Russian was the dominant language in twelve village councils, all of which also had significant (over 20%) Ukrainian-speaking minorities.
Due to theRussification of Ukraine during the Soviet era, the share of Ukrainian speakers in the population of Chernihiv Oblast gradually decreased between the 1970 and 1989 censuses, while the share of Russian speakers increased.[14] Native language of the population of Chernihiv Oblast according to the results of population censuses:[15][16][17][18][19][20]
Ukrainian is the only official language on the whole territory of Chernihiv Oblast.[22]
According to a poll conducted byRating from 16 November to 10 December 2018 as part of the project «Portraits of Regions», 80% of the residents of Chernihiv Oblast believed that the Ukrainian language should be the only state language on the entire territory of Ukraine. 12% believed that Ukrainian should be the only state language, while Russian should be the second official language in some regions of the country. 3% believed that Russian should become the second state language of the country. 5% found it difficult to answer.[23]
On 21 March 2023, Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration approved the «Programme to promote the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language in Chernihiv Oblast for 2023—2028», the main objective of which is to strengthen the positions of the Ukrainian language in various spheres of public life in the oblast.[24][25]
According to the research of theContent Analysis Centre, conducted from 15 August to 15 September 2024, the topic of which was the ratio of Ukrainian and Russian languages in the Ukrainian segment ofsocial media, 76.2% of posts from Chernihiv Oblast were written in Ukrainian (67.8% in 2023, 56.6% in 2022, 18.1% in 2020), while 23.8% were written in Russian (32.2% in 2023, 43.4% in 2022, 81.9% in 2020).[26][27]
After Ukraine declared independence in 1991, Chernihiv Oblast, as well as Ukraine as a whole, experienced a gradualUkrainization of the education system, which had beenRussified[28] during the Soviet era. Dynamics of the ratio of thelanguages of instruction in general secondary education institutions in Chernihiv Oblast:[29][30][31][32][33][34][35]
According to theState Statistics Service of Ukraine, in the 2023—2024 school year, all 89,872 pupils in general secondary education institutions in Chernihiv Oblast were studying in classes whereUkrainian was the language of instruction.[36]
The province has experienced long-term population decline. The population has fallen 37% from the 1959 figure of 1,554,000, the steepest decline of any Ukrainian oblast. It has the lowest population density in the country.
The local administration of the oblast is controlled by the Chernihiv Oblast Rada. The governor of the oblast is the Chernihiv Oblast Rada speaker, appointed by thePresident of Ukraine.
TheSlavutych municipality is located in Chernihiv Oblast on the eastern bank of the Dnieper, but officially belongs toKyiv Oblast (being an administrativeexclave).
Chernihiv Oblast was famous for its specific style of folk icon-painting. Brightness and realistic depictions of the saints were typical for it, with red and hot yellow paints used. The icons were decorated by flowers in a manner reminiscent ofSlavonic pre-Christian traditions. The icons from Chernihiv Oblast were spread outside its territory. Many of them are preserved in theMuseum of Ukrainian home icons of theRadomysl Castle.[citation needed]
Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after theircapital cities, officially referred to as "oblast centres" (Ukrainian:обласний центр,translit.oblasnyi tsentr). The name of each oblast is arelativeadjective, formed by adding a femininesuffix to the name of respective centre city:Chernihiv is the centre of theChernihivs'ka oblast' (Chernihiv Oblast). Most oblasts are also sometimes referred to in a feminine noun form, following the convention of traditional regional place names, ending with the suffix "-shchyna", as is the case with the Chernihiv Oblast,Chernihivshchyna.
^Barbara A. Anderson and Brian D. Silver, "Equality, Efficiency, and Politics in Soviet Bilingual Education Policy, 1934-1980," American Political Science Review 78 (December 1984): 1019-1039.
^«Статистичний щорічник України за 1998 рік» — К., 1999."Джерело".pics.livejournal.com. Retrieved26 December 2024.
Kardash, Peter.Ukraine and Ukrainians. Ed. Peter Lockwood. Melbourne: Fortuna Publishers, 1988.
(1972)Історіа міст і сіл Української CCP - Чернігівська область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR - Chernihiv Oblast), Kiev.(in Ukrainian)
