republic · Poland, Lithuania and Russia

Lemko-Rusyn Republic

1918 CE – 1920 CE · capital Florynka

A small Rusyn republic in the Carpathian foothills, proclaimed by the Lemkos in 1918 and suppressed by Poland in 1920.

Origins

After the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the Lemkos, an East Slavic highland people of western Galicia, held a council at Florynka in December 1918. Led by pro-Russian leaders, they refused to join either Poland or the West Ukrainian People's Republic and proclaimed their own republic, with Yaroslav Kachmarchyk as president.

Rule and society

The republic had a small council and local administration among Lemko villages but no real army or economy of its own. Its leaders hoped for union with Russia or with the Rusyns of Czechoslovakia and sent delegates to the Paris Peace Conference, without success.

Decline and legacy

Polish authorities tolerated the republic for a time but ended it in March 1920, arresting its leaders. The region became part of the Second Polish Republic, and most Lemkos were later deported during the Second World War and after it.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lemko-Rusyn Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lemko-rusyn-republic
MLA
“Lemko-Rusyn Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lemko-rusyn-republic. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lemko-Rusyn Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lemko-rusyn-republic.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lemko-Rusyn Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lemko-rusyn-republic (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻