Volodymyr, the Great is one of Ukraine’s most famous figures. From the year 980 to the year 1015, he ruled Kyiv, initiating major building projects, unifying divided tribes, and introducing Christianity. He is honored today with a tall statue in Kyiv that overlooks the Dnipro River, which runs through the city.
Russia claims him to be central to its religious and political history. They call him Vladimir the Great, the Russian version of his name. Russia created a larger statue outside of the Kremlin walls six years ago.
This is not a minor historical dispute, where Russia tries to outdo Ukraine when it comes to monument building. It speaks to fundamentally differing narratives about the past and the ongoing debate over Ukrainian and Russian statehood.
In a televised speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Ukraine is more than a “neighboring country” and this was just three days before Russian troops invaded Ukraine. It is an inalienable piece of our history, culture, as well as spiritual space.
The statue of Volodymyr is located in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. It’s just a short walk from the office where the man currently leads the country aEUR” another guy named Volodymyr. aEUR” President Zelenskyy.
Both are protected from a possible Russian attack. Volodymyr, the president, works out of a fortified compound. Volodymyr, the president, is surrounded by scaffolding and draped in green canvas. It notes that he has occupied this spot since 1853.
George Kovalenko, a priest, religious scholar and priest, stated that the elder Volodymyr said, “It’s His City.” In the shadow of Volodymyr’s statue, he spoke to NPR.
He said that Volodymyr put Kyiv on the map. He unites his realm and also opened trade to Europe. He was also a skilled diplomat. Kovalenko stated that his greatest legacy was the 988 year, when he “brought Christianity to Kiev and established the Christian state.”
He is also a man with many titles. Kovalenko said he had just invoked Volodymyr’s name in church, calling him, “Holy, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Grand Prince Volodymyr.”
Vladimir the Great is the name of Moscow’s grand prince. Another well-known Vladimir aEUR”, Russia’s President Putin aEUR”, was instrumental in bringing this monument to Moscow in 2016.
Putin spoke at the unveiling ceremony of the statue, surrounded by Orthodox priests as well as politicians. He stated that Prince Vladimir’s embrace for Christianity had set the stage for modern Russia aEUR”, as power shifted from Moscow over the centuries.
Putin stated that Prince Vladimir was a “unifier and defender” of Russian lands and a visionary politician who established the foundations for a strong, centralized, unified state which eventually unites different languages, cultures, and religions.
Sergei Chapnin, an Orthodox Christian scholar who used to work in the Moscow patriarchate, stated that these words are a reflection of Putin’s messianic vision of modern-day Russia.
This name is not only for Great Prince Vladimir. You need to find out who the main Vladimir is among them. Chapnin speaking to NPR.
According to Chapnin, the Moscow monument is part a larger Kremlin effort at defining modern Russia as the center of Slavic spiritual and political life aEUR,” a concept Putin has been increasingly accepting as the country drifts towards the West.
Chapnin stated that he had erected a huge monument in the center of Moscow to symbolize this idea: that Prince Vladimir’s heritage is somehow transferred from Kyiv into Moscow.
The Ukrainians see a Russian attempt at taking over their history just like Russia is trying to take control of their country today.
Kovalenko, a religious scholar, stated that Russian leaders, dating back to Peter The Great in the early 1800s, have tried to crush the idea of an independent Ukraine.
He said, “It is very important to understand this is a long history of imperial conquer.”
He stated that Moscow would conveniently ignore important historical facts. His territory, which included areas of the modern-day Ukraine and Russia, was part of Volodymyr’s empire. Moscow was not built.
NPR’s Kovalenko spoke to Kyiv on the same day. It was celebrating its 1,540th birthday. Moscow, he said dryly, is less that 900 years old.
One millennium ago the Kremlin right next to Prince Vladimir was a patch in marsh.
In fact, the initial plans to place it on the Moscow river’s high bank were scrapped due to concerns that the soil might give way and send Vladimir into the water below.
The Moscow monument was revealed in 2016 by Patriarch Kirill. He defended the construction of a statue of an unidentified man.
Kirill said, “A monument to the father can be wherever his children live.” It’s terrible when these same children forget that their father was there from the beginning.
Indeed, observers at the Moscow monument saw signs of increasing militarism within the Kremlin.
Russian historian Nikita Sokolov noted that both statues depict the Grand Prince with a cross. However, Moscow’s Vladimir is dressed for battle. He conspicuously carries his sword.
NPR’s Sokolov stated that it was an act symbolically war against Ukraine. “Unlike his Kyiv counterparts, the Moscow statue does not represent imperial and militaristic power.
George Kovalenko, a Kyiv resident, said that Russia treats Vladimir like a fairy tale character. He said that Volodymyr’s legacy was very real in Ukraine.
He said that Moscowers see Volodymyr “a mythical figure”, as an idea that is far away. He’s not mythic for people living in Kyiv. He was there. He made the buildings we walk past every day, which we pray in and see every day.
He stated that Volodymyr wasn’t a perfect man.
He said, “He was at times brutal ruler, and it is important to understand the context in that he lived and ruled.” We can praise him but also understand that he was a figure from his time.
He is also, it seems to me, a figure in these difficult times. Two names, one man, dueling statues, and conflicting narratives are all part of today’s battle.
Charles Maynes is NPR’s Moscow correspondent.
Greg Myre, a NPR national security correspondent, is currently in Ukraine. Follow him @gregmyre1.
