Explained: Why does Ukraine want to change Russia’s name to Muscovy? What it means for the war?

Russia and Ukraine are relentless in the war — for the past 386 days the two sides have been warring on the front lines. The war has seen both sides doing all they can to stop the other; Ukraine has begged for weaponry from its allies and the West and has sought international sanctions against the Vladimir Putin-led country.Now, it’s taking the war to Russia in a unique manner — Kyiv is moving to rename Russia.What’s in a name, you ask? Nothing really, as the move is purely symbolic, but let’s take a closer look at Ukraine’s proposal to change Russia’s name and how it’s been received in Moscow.Ukraine’s name change proposalCreated on 23 November last year, the proposal, which has until now received over 25,000 signatures, urges Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to officially change Russia’s name to “Muscovy” and the Russian Federation to the Muscovite Federation.The proposal argues that this name change should be put into effect because “Russia” sounds like “Kyivan Rus,” the medieval precursor state that included territory in both modern-day Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia have a long-standing dispute over who the true successor of Kyivan Rus is.Valeriya Oleksandrivna Shakhvorostova, the brains behind the petition, wrote in favour of the name change: “For foreigners, the names ‘Rus’ (as Kyivan Rus was marked on maps) and ‘Russia’, ‘Russie’, ‘Russland’ (as Russia was marked) look almost identical.”“This leads to confusion at the international level. Fiction books are being written, films are being shot where Russia is presented as Rus, which is unacceptable,” she added.“We have a responsibility to reclaim our identity and our history.”Now, President Zelenskyy has responded to the petition, saying that changes are within the jurisdiction of Ukraine’s government. The Ukrainian president said the issue “requires careful study on the level of historical and social context, as well as taking into account possible international legal consequences.” He said he’d asked the prime minister to review the petition.Russia, Muscovy… the history of it allRussia was initially known as Muscovy and was a much smaller state than it is today. In 1721, Peter the Great, a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia, renamed the Moscow Kingdom or “Muscovy” as the Russian Empire.It is said that Peter the Great’s significance in Russian history is difficult to overestimate. His reign from 1682 to 1725, the year he died, transformed Russia. According to historical books, many reforms undertaken in Russia on the initiative of Peter the Great allowed Russia (and thereafter the Russian Empire) to attain status as one of the leading powers in Europe.He also was instrumental in shaping Russia into a bigger kingdom through the Great Northern War that he waged for 21 years (1700-1721) and conquered lands from the Baltics to the Black Sea, including what is considered today as modern Ukraine.Incidentally, Vladimir Putin is a huge admirer of Peter the Great and in June last year also compared himself to the Russian Tsar. Comparing himself to the Russian tsar, Putin equated Russia’s invasion of Ukraine today with Peter’s expansionist wars some three centuries ago.“You might think he was fighting with Sweden, seizing their lands,” Putin said referring to the Northern Wars, “But he seized nothing; he reclaimed it!”“It seems it has fallen to us, too, to reclaim and strengthen,” Putin had then concluded.Significance of name changeUkraine sees the move as striking Russia emotionally — the term ‘Muscovite’ is considered by Russians to be a slur.However, it is a symbolic gesture. The change, if it does take place, would only be visible on Ukrainian government and educational documents. It is unlikely that it would pass on an international level. In fact, Ukraine has no standing to change the name of Russia, as countries are generally considered to be in charge of their own names and can’t be compelled to change them.Also read: Will the Russia-Ukraine war end in 2023?The official way for a country to change its name is by announcing it at the UN, as when Turkey in 2022 asked to be called Türkiye. Earlier in 2019, the Republic of Macedonia officially became the Republic of North Macedonia owing to political motivations.Russia’s reaction to name changeDespite it having no real bearing on the war, Russia seemed incensed by Ukraine’s proposal. Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on her Telegram channel that Kyiv’s move demonstrated its deepening anti-Russia sentiment. She called the petition “another piece of evidence of the attempt to make Ukraine into an ‘anti-Russia’.”Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, also reacted to the news, saying that they will not consider changing the name, according to The New Voice of Ukraine.“The Supreme Nazi of Kyiv (Zelensky) instructed to work out the issue of renaming Russia to Muscovy. Well, what can I say… Our answer? No, of course not,” Medvedev said.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.