Romanians of Chernivtsi Oblast

Chernivtsi Oblast (Romanian: Regiunea Cernăuți) of Ukraine comprises a significant Romanian community, a part of the Romanians in Ukraine.

Today's Chernivtsi Oblast of Ukraine was part of Romania between 1918 and June 1940, when it was occupied by the Soviet Union, and on 2 August 1940 it was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR. The region constituted the northern part of the historical region of Bukovina, the northern part of Hotin County of the region of Bessarabia, and the north-western corner of Dorohoi County of the region of Moldavia proper. As a result, among Ukrainians of Romanian descent in Chernivtsi Oblast are descendants of Ukrainians who underwent Romanianization policies of Bukovina in the past.

The Romanian population of Chernivtsi Oblast was persecuted by Soviet authorities on ethnic grounds, especially in the years following the annexation until 1956; because of this, Russification laws were imposed on Romanian population. In neighboring Bessarabia the same persecution did not have a predominantly ethnic orientation, being based mostly on social, educational, and political grounds.

Since the Romanian Revolution of 1989, the official statements referring to this issue from the representatives of the Romanian community in Chernivtsi Oblast and from the Romanian government, have stated that there is no intent to revise the present internationally recognized border. However, the Romanian community has constantly addressed the following seven demands to the Ukrainian government:

The bulk or 88% of ethnic Romanian population is concentrated in four of the eleven districts (raions) of the Chernivtsi Oblast situated closer to the border with Romania and Moldova. In the Hertsaivskyi Raion (Romanian: Herța), Romanians comprise about 95% of population. In Hlybotskyi Raion (Romanian: Adâncata), Romanians sum up to 45%. Storozhynetskyi Raion (Romanian: Storjineț) has a compact Romanian community in the south, especially around the village of Crasna. Romanians comprise 37% of that district's total population.

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