Roots of the Rift: Ukraine, Russia and the History of Identity and Territory

This episode takes a clear-eyed deep dive into the complex history behind modern Ukraine’s borders—from the national cradle of Kievan Rus' claimed by three modern-day states, Viking invasions and imperial shifts to Soviet-era decisions—examining how competing historical narratives have shaped both Russia and Ukraine’s territorial claims and international responses. With negotiations involving Russia and Ukraine possibly imminent, we explore likely demands, legal and political obstacles, and look at where we might focus intentions and prayers to support what will likely be a very sensitive and difficult area for either side to reach compromise over. Suggested Intention Focus for this week This week, as the prospect for negotiating a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine edges closer, we suggest holding as our main intention: We will for wisdom for the facilitators of any forthcoming peace talks involving Russia and Ukraine, to be sensitive to the personalities and motivations of those present, while steering a course that may allow open and respectful discussion. Please join us in holding this. Prayers and intentions start at 26 minutes 40 seconds. Chapter markers: 00:00:00            Introduction 00:01:02            Recent Developments in Ukraine 00:03:41            Understanding Ukraine’s Complex History 00:09:11            The Breakup of the USSR 00:14:14            Russia’s Claim to Ukrainian Territory 00:17:55            Russia’s Territorial Demands in Negotiations 00:26:40            Intentions and Prayers Sources referenced in this episode: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181 https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lseih/2020/07/01/there-is-no-ukraine-fact-checking-the-kremlins-version-of-ukrainian-history/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ukraine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kievan_Rus' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Historical_Unity_of_Russians_and_Ukrainians https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Soviet_transition_in_Ukraine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Ukraine_relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_War https://guides.lib.uconn.edu/ukraine/pre1914 https://kyivindependent.com/how-russia-steals-and-rewrites-ukrainian-history-to-justify-its-claims-in-ukraine/ https://kyivindependent.com/kyivan-rus-then-and-now/ https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-says-he-will-discuss-territory-with-putin-as-ukraine-signals-readiness-for-unconditional-peace-talks-with-russia/ https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/03/finding-insights-in-history-for-war-in-ukraine/ https://news.sky.com/story/trump-zelenskyy-putin-ukraine-latest-live-updates-12541713 https://news.sky.com/story/vladimir-putin-demands-key-parts-of-ukraine-in-exchange-for-peace-13413322 https://opir.weareukraine.info/ukrainian-statehood-in-1917-1921/ https://ppr.lse.ac.uk/articles/10.31389/lseppr.86 https://research.kent.ac.uk/emcentraleu/ukraine-chronology/ https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/GEOP/article/download/96493/4564456569584/4564456721219 https://theconversation.com/how-moscow-has-long-used-the-historic-kyivan-rus-state-to-justify-expansionism-178092 https://theconversation.com/trump-putin-summit-veteran-diplomat-explains-why-putting-peace-deal-before-ceasefire-wouldnt-end-russia-ukraine-war-263314 https://ukraineworld.org/en/articles/basics/ukraines-statehood-formation https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-16-2025 https://visitukraine.today/de/blog/1850/russias-crimes-with-a-thousand-year-history-how-muscovy-tried-to-appropriate-kyivan-rus https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/19/trump-proposes-putin-zelenskyy-summit-in-push-to-end-ukraine-war https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Russia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia https://daily.jstor.org/the-birth-of-the-soviet-union-and-the-death-of-the-russian-revolution/ https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia/History https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj0q964851po https://www.britannica.com/summary/Ukraine https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/ukraine-conflict-crossroads-europe-and-russia https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/08/russias-longstanding-problem-ukraines-borders https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-putin-zelensky-ukraine-news-08-17-25 https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-war-ukraine-identity-history-and-conflict https://www.dw.com/en/russia-ukraine-war-which-possible-territorial-concessions-are-under-debate/a-73630386 https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/01/29/a-short-history-of-russia-and-ukraine https://www.ispionline.it/en/publication/borders-in-the-post-soviet-region-unfinished-business-190265 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/russia-and-ukraine-the-tangled-history-that-connects-and-divides-them https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/would-ceding-territory-to-russia-actually-bring-lasting-peace-to-ukraine-experts-weigh-in https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/08/19/7526808/ https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115047128460078066 https://www.publicinternationallawandpolicygroup.org/lawyering-justice-blog/2025/2/13/legal-basis-for-ukraines-territorial-reintegration https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trump-tells-zelenskiy-us-would-help-with-ukraines-security-peace-deal-2025-08-18/ https://www.reuters.com/world/china/outline-emerges-putins-offer-end-his-war-ukraine-2025-08-17/ https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/ukraine-history-fact-checking-putin-513812/ https://www.sipri.org/publications/2018/sipri-insights-peace-and-security/protracted-armed-conflicts-post-soviet-space-and-their-impact-black-sea-security https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/trump-ukraine-russia-peace/683907/ https://www.worldatlas.com/middle-ages/kyivan-rus-the-first-east-slavic-state.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBpNNEHIktA https://www.zois-berlin.de/en/publications/contested-post-soviet-borders-ukraine-as-a-case-in-point Join us in person for intention holding:   https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/events-1 Labyrinth Activist Network Zoom calls   https://insighttimer.com/cliverj Daily intention holding with Clive on Insight Timer.   Our websites:    www.heartfulimpact.com/   Our show website.   https://globalhealingresponse.com/ Global Healing Response ~ Offers a wealth of prayers, suggested practices and prompts in response to environmental catastrophe, conflict, and other world events.   https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/ Legacy Labyrinth Project ~ Creating global energetic connections through the labyrinth; inspiring active intention sending using the labyrinth via labyrinth activism.   https://www.clivejohnsonministry.com/ Clive Johnson Ministry ~ Events and offerings aimed at building beloved community, including weekly energy holding vigils and Power of Eight group.   https://insighttimer.com/cliverj ~ Daily intention holding.   Impact! Is presented by Ellen Bintz and Clive Johnson. It is produced by Impact Productions.   Our show content is hosted by Podbean and available from all major podcast platforms.   Our theme music is by Chris Collins. indiemusicbox.com.   Our logo artwork is by AltoClassic (Getty Images/istock).   Contact us via Facebook Messenger from the Impact! Facebook group, or using any of the contact methods mentioned on our websites.   Impact! www.heartfulimpact.com.