Roma in the Ukraine [a long thread on the history]
Ukraine’s largest Romani community are the Servos, who sometimes call themselves ‘Ukrainian Roma’ & whose dialect is closely tied with the Ukrainian language. Members of Servo Roma communities have a long history in the region /1 with the earliest mention of a Roma presence in Ukraine dating back to the 15th century. At the time, most of modern Ukraine’s territory formed part of the Grand Lithuanian Duchy. The traditional crafts of Roma, such as blacksmithing and barter trade, enjoyed considerable local/2