On April 27, 2023, the Russian-language anonymous Facebook account “Злой Ёжик” published a photo of a Ukrainian hryvnia banknote, noting that on Ukrainian hryvnias, “even the truth is Russian”. The inscription “Правда Руська” is outlined in red on the photo.
The same claim was circulating on Russian-language websites in the past years as well (1, 2, 3).
The photo is being disseminated in a manipulative manner. The 2-hryvnia note of Ukraine’s national currency indeed features a photo of a document with the inscription “PRAVDA РУСЬКА”, although this does not mean “Russian truth”. The document is not related to Russia but to the state of Kyivan Rus, which is considered the basis of modern Ukraine.
On the national currency of Ukraine, namely 2 hryvnias, we do find the inscription ПРАВДА РУСЬКА, although its history is not connected with the Russian state.
“ПРАВДА РУСЬКА” represented a collection of legal acts of the Kyivan Rus, which was created in the XI-XII centuries and was edited several times in the following centuries. Yaroslav the Wise, ruler of Kyiv in 1019-1054, is considered the originator of the document. It was he who started the process of codification of legal statutes, which subsequently laid the foundation for the creation of “PRAVDA РУСЬКА”. It is for this reason that the portrait of Yaroslav the Wise is depicted on the other side of the 2 hryvnia banknote.
The Kyivan Rus existed on the territory of Eastern Europe in the 9th-13th centuries. It included parts of modern Ukraine, Belarus and Russia and united Slavic and later Finnish tribes; Its capital was Kyiv. Some historians suggest that the name Rus (Rus) is Scandinavian, and that Kyivan Rus was ruled by the Viking dynasty, inviting the people living in these lands. The close ties of Kyivan Rus with the Byzantine Empire became the reason for the adoption of the Orthodox religion and the economic and political strengthening of the state. The power of Kyivan Rus reached its peak in the eleventh century, during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise.
Notably, the state of Kyivan Rus is considered the basis of modern Ukraine, while Moscow was a small trading place bordering Kyivan Rus, which instead of Slavs, was inhabited by people of Finno-Hungarian origin, who were significantly behind the development of Kyivan Rus.
For more information on the formation of the Russian kingdom on the territory of Moscow and modern Russia and the reason for taking the name “Rus”, read the articles by “Myth Detector:”
- The Origin of the Kyivan Rus and the Myths about Ukraine Created by Lenin (in Georgian)
- Bishop Spiridon’s Myth of “Older Brother” about “Kyivan Rus”
About the Source
The Russian-language Facebook account Злой Ёжик frequently publishes posts with anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western content, including false information. This user has appeared in the articles of “Myth Detector” a number of times.
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