
Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa became a symbol of Ukrainian independence and the nation’s struggle for freedom after he led a rebellion against the Russian Empire, said Serhii Plokhiy, a Ukrainian history professor at Harvard University, in an interview with the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard.
Plokhiy commented on the significance of Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk’s gesture in Saudi Arabia, where he raised a saber once owned by Mazepa, following his championship victory in the ring.
“Mazepa was considered to be the arch enemy of Tsar Peter I and of the Russian Empire. His name was anathematized until the end of the Russian Empire in the 20th century,” Plokhiy said.
Anyone who advocated for Ukrainian cultural or political rights, or fought for Ukraine’s independence, was labeled a “Mazepist” – a supporter of Mazepa – by the Russian Empire.
“And that was happening years and decades and centuries after he [Mazepa] died,” Plokhiy said.
When Ukrainians saw Usyk holding Mazepa’s saber in the ring, symbolizing his victory, they felt it represented more than just a boxing win. It was a reminder of Ukraine’s enduring fight for independence.
The symbolism behind the saber “is not only about the [Mazepa’s] revolt,”, Plokhiy said, “it is also about ultimate victory.”
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