Editing Bohdan Khmelnytsky (section)

===Russian and Soviet history===
The official Russian [[historiography]] stressed the fact that Khmelnytsky entered into union with Moscow's Tsar [[Alexei Mikhailovich]] with an expressed desire to "re-unify" Ukraine with Russia. This view corresponded with the official theory of Moscow as an heir of the [[Kievan Rus']], which appropriately gathered its former territories.<ref name="HeroRosSov">{{cite book|editor1=Georgiy Kasianov|editor2=Philipp Ther|title=A Laboratory of Transnational History: Ukraine and Recent Ukrainian Historiography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjFjTRL5O_4C&pg=PA54|year=2009|publisher=Central European University Press|isbn=978-963-9776-26-5|pages=54–55}}</ref>

Khmelnytsky was viewed as a national hero of Russia for bringing Ukraine into the "eternal union" of all the Russias – Great (Russia), Little (Ukraine) and White (Belarus) Russia. As such, he was much respected and venerated during the existence of the Russian Empire. His role was presented as a model for all Ukrainians to follow: to aspire for closer ties with Great Russia. This view was expressed in a monument commissioned by the [[Russian nationalism|Russian nationalist]] [[Mikhail Yuzefovich]], which was installed in the centre of [[Kiev]] in 1888.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CE%5CM%5CEmsUkase.htm|title=Ems Ukase|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Ukraine|access-date=11 June 2016}}</ref><ref>Mikhail Yuzefovich was also known for his contribution to the [[Ems Ukase]], which restricted the use of Ukrainian in [[Ukraine]].</ref>

Russian authorities decided the original version of the monument (created by Russian sculptor [[Mikhail Mikeshin]]) was too [[xenophobic]]; it was to depict a vanquished Pole noble, Jewish landlord, and a Catholic priest under the hooves of the horse. The inscription on the monument reads "To Bohdan Khmelnytsky from one and indivisible Russia."<ref>{{cite web|first=Viktor|last=Kyrkevych|url=http://www.oldkiev.info/pamyatniki_kieva/pamyatnik_Bogdanu_Xmelnickomu.html|script-title=ru:Памятник Богдану Хмельницкому|trans-title=Monument to Bohdan Khmelnytsky|language=ru|publisher=oldkiev.info|access-date=11 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416002235/http://www.oldkiev.info/pamyatniki_kieva/pamyatnik_Bogdanu_Xmelnickomu.html|archive-date=16 April 2016}}</ref> Mikeshin also created the Monument to the [[Millennium of Russia]] in [[Novgorod]], which has Khmelnytsky shown as one of Russia's prominent figures.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.novgorod.ru/english/read/information/architecture/millennium-russia/|title=The Monument to the Millennium of Russia|publisher=novgorod.ru|date=2007|access-date=11 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092045/http://www.novgorod.ru/english/read/information/architecture/millennium-russia/|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

[[Soviet historiography]] followed in many ways the Imperial Russian theory of re-unification while adding the [[class struggle]] dimension to the story.<ref name="HeroRosSov"/> Khmelnytsky was praised not only for re-unifying Ukraine with Russia, but also for organizing the class struggle of oppressed Ukrainian peasants against Polish exploiters.