Ukrainians in Greece

The traditions of trade, cultural and political ties between the peoples of Ukraine and Greece go back centuries. Historical facts indicate the presence on the Greek lands of immigrants from the Ukrainian lands who made a significant contribution to the history of the peoples of Ukraine and Greece ^[2] .

The well-known representative of polemic literature of the 16th – 17th centuries, the Orthodox monk and spiritual writer Ivan Vishensky, who moved to Greece in the 70s and 80s of the 16th century, lived and worked for a long time in Greek monasteries ^[2] .

Greek sources indicate that immigrants from Ukraine, who were part of a separate Ukrainian Cossack detachment during the fighting in Greece and Turkey, lived in the central mainland of Greece ^[2] .

A significant contribution to the development of cultural ties was made by the Ukrainian traveler Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky , also known as Vasily Kievsky ^[2] . From 1736 to 1743 he lived on the island of Patmos , where he studied language, logic, metaphysics. At the same time he taught Latin at a local school. In addition to Latin, Grigorovich-Barsky knew Greek and Arabic, understood Turkish, knew natural science, geography, history, ethnography, statistics, architecture, geology, commerce, painting, music. In 1744 he was sent to Mount Athos with the goal of studying Orthodox monasteries and their libraries. 1744-1746 spent on Mount Athos, in Athens and on. Crete ^[2] . During his travels, Grigorovich-Barsky wrote detailed diaries, where he described everything that happened to him, recorded personal observations. These materials and personal observations became the basis of his fundamental work “The Wanderings” ^[2] .

The development of cultural Ukrainian-Greek ties is closely connected with the name of the Ukrainian writer and composer Pyotr Ivanovich Nishchinsky , a native of modern Vinnitsa region. In 1850, Kiev archimandrite Anthony was appointed rector of the Russian embassy church in Athens and invited Peter Nishchinsky to come to sing in the city church choir. It should be noted that in Greek monasteries and churches the musical works of Ukrainian composers D. Bortnyansky , M. Berezovsky, A. Wedel and others were performed. Nishchinsky studied the cultural heritage of the Greek people, improved the Greek language, took part in the restoration of Christian monuments. He graduated from the philological and theological faculty of the University of Athens, received a master's degree in theological sciences, and taught Greek at the gymnasium of Athens throughout the year ^[2] .

It is worth noting that for a long time Ukraine was often identified with Russia, since at that time modern Ukrainian lands were part of the Russian Empire, and then the USSR. That is why, until the beginning of the 90s of the XX century, the concept of “Ukrainian community” ^[2] was hardly noticeable in archival materials.

The modern stage of history, starting from the 80-90s of the XX century, due to the deterioration of the economic situation in the USSR and its subsequent collapse, is characterized by the emigration of Ukrainian Greeks from the Black Sea regions, places of compact residence in the Donetsk region ^[2] .

The basis of the current Ukrainian diaspora is made up of immigrants who arrived in Greece in the late 80s of the 20th century. XXI centuries Initially, these were Greek repatriates , natives of Ukraine, mainly from areas of the Black Sea region : Odessa , Donetsk regions , etc., later ethnic Ukrainians joined the Greek emigrants ^[3] .

According to the 2011 census, Ukrainians took 6th place among foreign citizens permanently residing in Greece, taken into account by the census ^[1] :

An essential factor in strengthening the invariably friendly relations between Ukraine and Greece is the intensive humanitarian ties and the presence of the Ukrainian community in Greece and the Greek diaspora in Ukraine . About 20 thousand immigrants from Ukraine live in Greece. The Ukrainians of Greece are united in the national-cultural societies “Ukrainian-Greek thought”, “Ukrainian Crane Territory”, “Bereginya” . The powerful center of Ukrainians in Greece is the church community of St. Nicholas as part of the Greek Catholic parishioners of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in the city of Athens. Successfully work Ukrainian schools ^[4] .

In 2010, a monument to Taras Shevchenko was unveiled in the Goody Park in Athens, which was built at the expense of Ukrainian and Greek patrons. There is a project to open a memorial plaque in the city of Rethymnon to his native, a famous philanthropist of the city of Lviv in the 16th century. Konstantin Kornyaktu ^[4] .

Over the past few years, Ukrainian artists, performers and art groups have participated in international festivals and professional competitions held in Greece.

In the educational area, the potential of Ukrainian-Greek cooperation in higher education is being actively realized. To date, more than 20 direct cooperation agreements between universities in Ukraine and Greece have been concluded and are being implemented. Since 2009, at the National University of Athens, at the Department of Slavic Languages ​​of the Philosophical Faculty, she began teaching the Ukrainian language. Long-term cooperation brings together Kiev National University, Kiev University of Civil Aviation Engineers, Kiev National University of Trade and Economics, Kharkov National University, Kharkov Polytechnic University, Kharkov National Law Academy, Odessa National Maritime University, Ternopil Academy of National Economy, Mariupol State University with Athens universities, Thessaloniki, Patras and Ioannina. Higher educational institutions of Ukraine and Greece cooperate within the framework of the European Union 's TEMPUS-TACIS program. In general, recent years are characterized by positive dynamics in the development of bilateral relations in the field of education. There is significant mutual interest in the educational circles of Ukraine and Greece to expand cooperation, which is reflected in the intensification of contacts between Ukrainian universities and higher educational institutions of the Hellenic Republic ^[4] .

A significant stage in the development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Ukraine and Greece was the beginning in 2008 of work in Athens, a cultural information center as part of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Hellenic Republic. The center has a separate room and is actively working on a wide representation of the cultural heritage of Ukraine in Greece . During its existence, the center held more than 60 different cultural events (exhibitions, concerts, presentations, etc.) for the Greek public and the Ukrainian community of Greece ^[4] .

• The Ukrainian Diaspora Society in Greece “Ukrainian-Greek Thought” , a member of the World Congress of Ukrainians , has branches in Patra and on about. Rhodes The association operates Ukrainian Saturday school ^[5]
• Ukrainian cultural and educational center "Bereginya" , the Ukrainian Saturday school operates with the union
• The Center for Support and Development of the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage “Trembita” , with the association, a Ukrainian Saturday school operates ^[5]
• Public Association "Association of Ukrainians of Greece - Ukrainian Crane Territory" . The association has a Ukrainian cultural center and a library named after B.I.
• Non-governmental organization “United Ukrainian Diaspora of Greece”
• Public Association "Ukrainians of Greece " ^[5]