Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, officially recognized the tsarist Russian Empire’s actions toward the Circassian people as genocide during the Caucasian War of 1817–1864. The Jan. 9 decision makes Ukraine the second country after Georgia to acknowledge the atrocities committed against the Circassians.
Ukrainian lawmakers stated that the goal of their resolution was to support Russian captive people who were oppressed in their efforts to honor their language, traditions, and history, as well as to protect their identity, and right to self-determination.
The resolution followed a formal appeal from representatives of the Circassian National Movement, submitted to Ukraine’s parliament on June 6, 2024.
The mass extermination of Circassians by the Russian Empire occurred during Russia’s conquest of the Caucasus, spanning from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century. Circassian settlements were attacked and destroyed by Russian forces, who also used starvation as a weapon of war. Following the subjugation of Circassia, over 1.5 million Circassians were forcibly deported to the Ottoman Empire, with nearly half perishing during the arduous journey.
As a result of the genocide, approximately 90 percent of the Circassian population was forced to leave their ancestral homeland. The Russian Empire repopulated Circassian lands with other ethnic groups loyal to its rule. Today, an estimated 700,000 to 800,000 Circassians live in their historical homeland, while around 3 million reside in the diaspora, primarily in Turkey and Jordan.
The Circassian genocide, which led to the near-total annihilation of the Circassian people, is considered one of the largest genocides of the 19th century. The Russian Federation continues to deny these events. In 2011, Georgia became the first country to officially recognize the Circassian genocide.
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