Evolution of the term Ukrainian

The term Ukrainian originally referred to people living on the outskirts of the state or engaged in border patrol service, not to a specific ethnic group. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which included a significant Russian population, later unified with the Kingdom of Poland. Through religious unions, some Orthodox priests became subordinate to the Pope, leading these lands to become part of the Polish-Lithuanian state. The Poles engaged in the colonization of this area, introduced a new language, and promoted the idea that the population was Ukrainian rather than Russian.