Ukraine: Treatment of Armenians in Ukraine and availability of state protection
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 30 June 2004 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | UKR42792.E |
| Reference | 7 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ukraine: Treatment of Armenians in Ukraine and availability of state protection, 30 June 2004, UKR42792.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/41501c6c15.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on the treatment of Armenians in Ukraine could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, the following information may be relevant.
Various sources place the size of the ethnic Armenian community in Ukraine at between 57,000 (Joshua Project n.d.) and 60,000 persons (Ethnic Groups Worldwide 1998, 92; Professor, n.d.), most of home reside in Kyiv City and eastern and southern cities (ibid.). More recent population estimates of the Armenian population in Ukraine could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
On 18 May 2003, several prominent Armenians including singer Charles Aznavour, as well as Ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk, attended the re-consecration of an Armenian cathedral in Lviv (The Ukrainian Weekly 8 June 2003). After 50 years in government hands, the cathedral was given back to the Armenian community, and approximately 1,000 people walked in a procession through city streets to celebrate the event (ibid.).
According to an Itar-Tass article quoting Ukrainian premier Viktor Yanukovich during a 60th anniversary commemoration of the forcible deportation of Tatars, Armenians, Bulgarians, Greeks and Germans from Crimea, Ukraine, "there has been not a single acute ethnic conflict in Ukraine throughout its existence as an independent state ... " (Itar-Tass 17 May 2004). However, this statement could not be corroborated by any other source consulted by the Research Directorate (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook. 1998. David Levinson. "Europe - Ukraine." Phoenix: Oryx Press.
Itar-Tass [Moscow]. 17 May 2004. Lev Ryabchikov. "Ukraine: Prime Minister Says No Room for Ethnic Strife at Tatar Remembrance Meeting." (Dialog)
Joshua Project. n.d. "Armenian of Ukraine." Professor Volodymyr Yevtoukh. Centre for Ethnosociological and Ethnopolitical Studies. n.d. "National Minorities in Ukraine: Status, Rights, Prospects." The Ukrainian Weekly [Parsippany, NJ]. 8 June 2003. No. 23, Vol. 71. "Armenian Cathedral in Lviv is Reconsecrated." Additional Sources Consulted
A professor at the Armenian Studies Program of California State University in Fresno did not provide information within time constraints.
Unsuccessful attempts to contact the Armenian Studies Program at the University of Michigan, Embassy of Armenia in Kyiv, and the Union of Armenians in Ukraine.
Internet sites, including: Amnesty International (AI), The Economist, Embassy of Armenia in Ottawa, Ethnologue, Freedom House, European Country of Origin Information Netowrk (ECOI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Netarménie.com, United Kingdom Home Office Country Information (IND), United States Department of State, World News Connections (WNC).
Publications: World Directory of Minorities.
