This was relevant about 1000 years ago when there was no “Ukrainian”, “Russian” or “Belorussian” languages, but only Old Russian (with many dialects). Today, three independent East Slavic languages exist within the borders of three separate post-Soviet states. Historically, the separation of languages was often explained by political reasons. Ukraine and Belarus are no exception. Since the 14th century, they developed within the borders of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, whose historical development differed from Russia.