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You've heard of ‘the Ukraine’? A Ukrainian news website is now writing ‘the Russia’

Source: depo.ua

The Ukrainian website Depo.ua has decided to change the way it writes the phrase "in Russia," replacing the common "в России" (v Rossii) with "на России" (na Rossii). The change is meant to give Russians a taste of their own medicine, who traditionally write "на Украине" (na Ukraine) when describing occurrences in Ukraine.

The в/на distinction is a subtlety of the Russian language, denoting roughly "in" and "on." The phrase "в России" indicates that Russia is a proper place with its own center, while "на Украине" suggests that Ukraine is itself the edge of something else. (The Russian word Ukraina derives from the word krai, which means "edge.") 

In English, there is a similar controversy (albeit now resolved in formal writing) when it comes to saying "the Ukraine," which has given way to saying simply "Ukraine," now that it is an independent country.

Journalists at Depo.ua say their new policy of writing "на России" is intended to show Russians why Ukrainians dislike it when they read "на Украине," instead of "в Украине."

While it is considered grammatically incorrect in Russian to write "в Украине," several Russian media outlets have in recent years begun using this formulation, presumably out of respect for practices in Ukraine and Kiev's wish to emphasize its independence from the foreign powers that have ruled it for most of history.

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