The year 1988 marked one thousand years since the baptism of Rus by Grand Prince Volodymyr of Kyiv. Christianity was introduced in the area which is now Ukraine from Byzantium. There is evidence of Christian missions along the Black Sea coast, where Byzantine towns such as Chersonesus and Dorus were founded. The first ruler of Rus to convert to Christianity was Olha (Helga). This may have influenced her grandson Volodymyr in his choice of religion, but more likely his conversion was...

The year 1988 marked one thousand years since the baptism of Rus by Grand Prince Volodymyr of Kyiv. Christianity was introduced in the area which is now Ukraine from Byzantium. There is evidence of Christian missions along the Black Sea coast, where Byzantine towns such as Chersonesus and Dorus were founded. The first ruler of Rus to convert to Christianity was Olha (Helga). This may have influenced her grandson Volodymyr in his choice of religion, but more likely his conversion was pragmatic, as it resulted in closer ties with the powerful Byzantine Empire, as well as his marriage to Anna, Emperor Basil’s sister.

The rejection of paganism also offered protection from enslavement from other monotheistic groups. The celebrations of 1988 had particular importance for the Ukrainian diaspora community, who felt the obligation to commemorate the event as this was not possible under the Soviet system. Additionally, there are conflicting narratives around who inherited Rus and the conversion. Present day Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia all have claim to Rus through its various principalities which now fall within their modern borders, but since the fifteenth century, Russia has sought to raise its claim above those of its neighbours. The commemoration of 988 by Ukraine was therefore seen in the diaspora as an act of de-colonisation of Russian narratives of the history of religion in Ukraine, and an act in support of the freedom of religious beliefs.