Gene pool similarities and differences between Ukrainians and Russians of Slobozhanshchina based on Y-chromosome data

Results from studying Y-chromosomal polymorphisms of Russian and Ukrainian populations are presented for Slobozhanshina, which is a contemporary border region, inhabited in the 17th–18th centuries at the “Wild Field” boundary due to migrations of both the Russians from the north and Ukrainians from the west. In general, the Ukrainian and Russian populations of Slobozhanshchina are very close genetically; their set and frequency range of Y-chromosome haplogroups are typical for Eastern Europe. However, a detailed analysis of highly informative Y-chromosome markers showed that both nations retain the ethnic specificity of their gene pools after 3.5 centuries of coexistence in the same historical territory: the Ukrainian populations are similar to the rest of Ukraine, and Russian populations gravitate towards the south of European Russia. The persistent genetic differences may be due to the spatial characteristics of marriage migration and the predominant ethnic environment.