>>512232323 (OP)Nice source, faggot. Totally not propaganda. But then I open the old Rus' Primary Chronicle and for some reason the language resembles modern Russian much more than Ukrainian. And even more, I open the text of so called "first Ukrainian constitution", just a Cossack document really. And the language sounds exactly like surzhyk (which wrongly called as Russified version of rural Ukrainian), not as distinct from Russian as modern literary Ukrainian.
This is utter bs that modern Ukrainian is "ancient", same as old Rus' language. it was severly polonized throughout centuries under PLC rule. And has a lot of turkisms too. Meanwhile Rus' principalities in the north didn't lose the statehood. The Mongols didn't incorporate Rus' principalities or destroy the Rurikid ruling dynasty. They only wanted tribute. And there was quite a strict border between Horde and Rus' principalities, so that Black Death didn't came directly from it, but from west. Unlike the south principalities, which got turned into mere provinces or colonies of Polish crown. The Orthodox Church remained strong in the north. Again because of Mongols ironically, who even exempted it from taxes. Unlike in the south, where it was under assault of Catholic church and was forced into union.
As the result in south - polonization, latinization, catholicization. And Cossacks mingled directly with Turkics of course. And north principalities thanks to retaining statehood and the Orthodox church were able to preserve old Rus' traditions, culture and of course the written language. Hence Russian resembes old Rus' much more.
But going much more forward. Modern literary Ukrainian is artificially and on purpose made distinct from Russian. That's why simple spoken surzhyk is still close, just like old Cossack texts.
