In the ancient times of Kyivan Rus, Church Slavonic was used in writing, but common people used a colloquial language close to modern Ukrainian in everyday activities. Moreover, they employed the Ukrainian word order, and Prince Volodymyr was never mentioned as “Prince Vladimir”. Doctor of Historical Studies, Deputy Director of the Sofiya Kyivska National Reserve, Vyacheslav Kornienko, who studies the graffiti inscriptions on the walls of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, explains some curious features of the Ukrainian language used in ancient princely times.
RFE/RL: Historian says the population of Kyivan Rus spoke Old Ukrainian
Activists are seen through an Ukrainian flag near small city of Boryspil, Kyiv region on July 25, 2016.
