Poles in Ukraine
Concert of Polish Children Choir in the Lviv Roman Catholic cathedral | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 144,130 (2001 census) – 2,000,000 (Polish estimates) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Zakarpattia Oblast, Zhytomyr Oblast, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Lviv Oblast, Kyiv Oblast, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ternopil Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast | |
| Languages | |
| Polish, Ukrainian, Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Polish diaspora |
The Polish minority in Ukraine officially numbers about 144,130 (according to the 2001 census), of whom 21,094 (14.6%) speak Polish as their first language. The history of Polish settlement in the current territory of Ukraine dates back to 1030–31. In the Late Middle Ages, following the extinction of the Rurik dynasty in 1323, the Kingdom of Poland expanded eastwards in 1340 to include the lands of Przemyśl and in 1366, Kamianets-Podilskyi (Kamieniec Podolski) as well. The settlement of Poles became common there after the Polish–Lithuanian peace treaty signed in 1366 between Casimir III the Great of Poland, and Liubartas of Lithuania.