President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky considered an electronic petition, the author of which proposes to officially rename the name “Russia” to “Muscovy” and replace the terms “Russian” with “Moscow”, and “Russian Federation” with “Moscow Federation”.
Source: President’s response to the petition
Details: The author of the petition, which has gained more than 25,000 signatures, points out that “the historical name of Russia is Muscovy.”
“This name was used in European and some Asian languages. Many historical maps of the 16th-19th centuries, which were made in Europe before and after the renaming of the Moscow kingdom into the All-Russian Empire, also featured this name,” the petition says.
The author of the appeal notes that “Russia has existed only for 301 years” – since October 22, 1721, when the Moscow Tsar Peter I proclaimed the Moscow kingdom the “Russian Empire”.
In his response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out that “the issue raised in the petition requires careful study both in the historical and cultural context and taking into account possible international legal consequences.”
Zelensky also said that he had appealed to Prime Minister Denys Shmygal with a request to comprehensively work out this issue together with scientific institutions.
Recall: Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Serhiy Kyslitsa believes that Ukraine can pass a law according to which it will call Russia Muscovy.
