Bulgarian Colonists in Southern Ukraine: Representation in Ukrainian and Russian Periodicals (Latter Half of the 19th – Early 20th Century)

Bulgarian Historical Review, 54 (2026), No. 3, pp. 81-106
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/BHR3.26.AHOI03

Anna Hedo, Oleh Ivaniuk

Prof. Anna Hedo, DSc - Head of Department of History of Ukraine Boris Grinchenko Kyiv University, 18/2 Bulvarno-Kudriavska Str., Kyiv, 04053, Ukraine, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4151-0747, E-mail: a.hedo@kubg.edu.ua

Oleh Ivaniuk, PhD - Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University. 18/2 Bulvarno-Kudriavska Str., Kyiv, 04053, Ukraine, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6750-5423, E-mail: o.ivaniuk@kubg.edu.ua

Abstract: The article presents a comparative discourse analysis of how Bulgarian colonies in Southern Ukraine (the Taurida, including Crimea, Kherson, and Bessarabia governorates) and Crimea were represented in periodicals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The study focuses on discursive differences between imperial and nationally oriented newspapers in their portrayal of the colonists’ economic development, their socio-cultural distinctiveness, the pressing issue of Russification, and attitudes toward education in the native language.

An examination of the sources – particularly the publications of the newspaper ‘Rada’ reveals that interest in the socio-cultural development of Bulgarian communities was shaped by a national framework and the idea of solidarity among oppressed peoples. Ukrainian publicists intentionally foregrounded resistance to the tsarist policy of Russification and the necessity of preserving the native language, turning the narrative of Bulgarian life in Ukraine into a tool of anti-imperial journalistic discourse. Conversely, the imperial press primarily focused on events in Bulgaria itself, using local Bulgarian colonies merely to reinforce ideological narratives of loyalty and economic usefulness.

Keywords: Bulgarians, Bulgarian colonization, Dnieper Ukraine, periodicals, ‘Rada’ newspaper, Russification policy, discourse analysis

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