Lemko Republic

Lemko-Rusyn People's Republic Руска Народна Република Лемків (Rusyn)
1918–1920
Flag
The approximate extent of the territory claimed by the Lemko Republic (yellow).
Capital	Florynka
Common languages	Rusyn
Government	Republic
President
• 1918-1920	Jaroslav Kacmarcyk
Historical era	Interwar period
• Established	5 December 1918
• Disestablished	March 1920
Preceded by Succeeded by Austria-Hungary Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Second Polish Republic
Today part of	Poland

Lemko-Rusyn People's Republic (Rusyn: Руска Народна Република Лемків, romanized: Ruska Narodna Respublika Lemkiv, lit. 'Rusyn National Republic of Lemkos'), often known also as the Lemko-Rusyn Republic, just the Lemko Republic, or the Florynka Republic, was a short-lived state founded on 5 December 1918 in the aftermath of World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.^[1] It was centered on Florynka, a village in the south-east of present-day Poland. Being Russophile, its intent was unification with a democratic Russia and was opposed to a union with the West Ukrainian People's Republic. A union with Russia proved impossible, so the Republic then attempted to join Subcarpathian Rus' as an autonomous province of Czechoslovakia. This, however, was opposed by the then governor of Subcarpathian Rus', Gregory Žatkovič.

The Republic was headed by Jaroslav Kacmarcyk as President of the Central National Council. It was ended in March 1920 when the Polish government arrested Kacmarcyk and other members of the Lemko government.^[2] Its fate was sealed by the September 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain, which gave Galicia west of the San to Poland^[3] and by the Peace of Riga in March 1921 whereby the fait accompli was recognized by Moscow.

This state should not be confused with the Komancza Republic of eastern Lemko Region, another short-lived republic. This was a smaller pro-Ukrainian state that existed between November 1918 and 23 January 1919.