Russian-Ukrainian dialogue on the pages of the magazine “Ukrainian Life” (1912–1917)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of the Moscow magazine “Ukrainian Life” (1912–1917) and the role that it played in the discussion around the Ukrainian question on the eve of and during World War One. One of the tasks stated by the editorial board of the magazine was to inform the Russian public about the main tasks and problems of the Ukrainian national movement. From the first issues the magazine became a space for acute controversy: contributions of both prominent supporters and opponents of the Ukrainian movement were published on its pages: F. Korsh, M. Hrushevsky, D. Dontsov, as well as P. Struve, S. Shchegolev, E. Trubetskoy. The outbreak of World War One led to a change in the nature of the discussion around the prospects of the Ukrainian movement in Russia. The magazine, initially open to a broad discussion with the Russian liberal movement, gradually refused to publish articles by Russian authors, primarily by those critical of “Ukrainism”. As a result, the discussion on the Ukrainian issue turned out to be curtailed, and the events of 1917 put an end to the very existence of the magazine.