Abstract

Russia and Ukraine, although they are now politically independent of each other, share a long common history. The first state of Rus’ was established in Kiev between the ninth and the twelfth centuries, and ruled the territories of today’s Ukraine, Belarus and Western Russia. The city was entirely destroyed in the thirteenth century by a Mongol invasion. The capital of the state accordingly moved from Kiev to Moscow: Muscovy succeeded Kievian Rus’. From this moment and periodically, there were demands for the return of the capital to Kiev, as well as separatist movements. Moscow managed to remain the capital of this new state until the early eighteenth century. In 1713, Peter the Great transferred the capital of his Empire to Petersburg (later known as St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad and back to St. Petersburg). The capital was transferred back to Moscow in 1918 by Soviet leaders.