This new slogan in support of peaceful Kiev Maidan on my tour guitar in translation literally means: “Ukraine, not an outskirt but a centre.” But full meaning of it comes through only in Ukrainian: “Ukraine is not an outskirt as it is romoured to be, but a centre of new rising consciousness.” Yes, paradoxiacally, “Ukraine”, which is historically and geographically the origin of Russia (see Kievan Rus state), literally means “far corner, or an outskirt”. This confusion perhaps will get straightened out now as people of Ukraine r putting themselves in the avanguarde of positive political consciousness. Is there even a one person who has not been impressed with such a tremendous peaceful actions of Kiev Maidan people and their delicate organization!
Word “Okraina”(outskirt) indeed exists in russians… however it is equally well understood as an “outskirt” by ukrainians, even though it is not part of ukrainian standard official vocabulary. Simply because both languages are closely related and indeed come from the same “drevne-slavjansky”(old east slavic) language. Consequently the compartmentalization of the words and their exact storage adress is entirely artificial and has no real life basis.