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Russian Jewish Roots

Genealogy in the 21st Century.

Ukrainian Research

The Wikipeda map below shows administrative divisions within modern day Ukraine while under Russian Empire. This is the quick regional composition for those of us who are history-challenged.
  • Volynia, ‪Kiev and Chernigov were the oldest remnants from the Kiev Russia times.
  • Podolia was developed mainly during Lithuanian times.
  • Poltava and Kharkov gubernias were in Russian pocession and administration even before the Polish partitions.
  • Crymean khanante was conquered by Russia in 1783 and the provinces of Kherson, Ekaterinoslav and Tavria were formed. These provinces were collectively known as Novorossiya (i.e. New Russia)
  • Historical Galicia at the time was part of Austria-Hungarian empire.

Until the end of the 18th century Jews primarily inhabited Volynia, Kiev and Podolia. Poltava province was added to the Pale of Settlement while Kharkov was never part of it. At the same time Jews were allowed and encouraged to settle newly acquired lands in the southern Ukraine.

This is the list of districts of each of the Gubernias within a Pale.

Western Ukraine:

  • Volynia: Vladimir-Volynsky, Kovel, Lutsk, Dubno, Kremenets, Rovno, Novograd-volynski, Ovruch, Ostrog, Zaslavl, Starokonstantinov, Zhitomir.
  • Kiev: Kiev, Berdichev, Radomysl, Vasylkov, Uman, Cherkassy, Skvira, Lipovets, Zvenigorodka, Tarascha, Chegirin, Kanev.
  • Podolia: Proskurov, Letichev, Litin, Vinnitsa Bratslav, Gaysin, Kamenets-Podolskiy, Ushitsa, Mogilev-Podolsky, Yampol, Olgopol, Balta


  • Eastern Ukraine:
  • Chernigov
  • Poltava
  • Kharkov
  • Southern Ukraine (New Russia):
  • Kherson: Odessa, Ovidiopol, Tiraspol, Kherson, Elisavetgrad, Aleksandriya
  • Ekaterinoslav:
  • Yekaterinoslav, Pavlograd, Bakhmut, Novomoskovsk, Aleksandrovsk, Slavyanoserbsk, Verkhnodneprovsk, Taganrog
  • Tavria