Ristovsky

🇲🇰 Macedonian in Vienna 🇦🇹 | Artist 🎨
History • Culture • Art • Life
Creating. Thinking. Occasionally causing a discussion. 😏

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

Let’s speak openly about Macedonia for once.

It is truly fascinating how one single word — MACEDONIA — can provoke such a strong reaction in some people around us.

Say “Macedonia,” and suddenly someone from Greece feels the need to explain that the name belongs to them, someone from Bulgaria insists that your language and identity are foreign or “invented,” while someone from Serbia reaches for “Vardar Banovina,” as though history conveniently ended wherever their preferred narrative begins.

And I genuinely have to ask: what exactly is it about our existence that bothers you so much?

For decades, Balkan states competed for influence over Macedonia. Following the Balkan Wars, the geographical region of Macedonia was divided among several states. That is not an insult. It is history.

And yet, more than a century later, instead of finally learning something from that history, we are still watching other people explain to us who we are, what we are, what language we speak, and since when we are supposedly allowed to exist.

I would never tell a Greek that they have no right to be Greek. I would never tell a Bulgarian that their language does not exist. I would never tell a Serb that their nation was invented. I would never tell an Albanian that they are not allowed to call themselves Albanian.

So what makes anyone think that doing the same to Macedonians is acceptable?

And perhaps the greatest irony of all is that Macedonia is supposedly “irrelevant,” “invented,” and “non-existent” — yet some people devote an astonishing amount of time and energy to proving that it should not exist.

If we are really so insignificant, why does the word Macedonia bother you so much?

We are not asking for Thessaloniki. We are not asking for Sofia. We are not asking for Belgrade. We are not asking for anyone else’s identity.

We are asking for something far simpler:

Stop reaching for ours.

The history of Macedonia is complex and intertwined with the histories of all the peoples of the Balkans. Nobody owns the copyright to the past. Alexander did not carry a modern passport. Samuel did not live in a world of today’s nation-states. And people who lived in the 19th century cannot simply be forced into whichever modern national box happens to suit us today.

History should be researched, debated and understood — not weaponized to erase the identity of living people in the 21st century.

So argue about empires, maps, treaties and medieval rulers for as long as you like. But there is one thing that is not up for negotiation:

I am Macedonian.
My language is Macedonian.
My homeland is Macedonia. 🇲🇰

I do not say this against Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbs, Albanians, or anyone else. Quite the opposite. I want every one of them to be free and proud to be exactly who they are.

I simply expect the same respect in return.

And anyone who needs to deny my identity in order to protect their own should perhaps finally stop obsessing over Macedonia — and start asking themselves why my existence bothers them so much.

We do not have to disappear for you to be who you are.
And you do not have to become any less of who you are for us to be Macedonian.

It really is that simple. 🇲🇰

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

You keep giving very precise percentages for things that appear to be personal assumptions first 95%, now “over 50%.”

If you genuinely believe that more than half of Macedonians would vote to dissolve their own state and join Bulgaria, I’d be interested to see the polling or evidence behind that claim.

Otherwise, we’ve moved from discussing Macedonia to inventing referendum results for a referendum that has never taken place.

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

Let’s speak openly about Macedonia for once.

It is truly fascinating how one single word — MACEDONIA — can provoke such a strong reaction in some people around us.

Say “Macedonia,” and suddenly someone from Greece feels the need to explain that the name belongs to them, someone from Bulgaria insists that your language and identity are foreign or “invented,” while someone from Serbia reaches for “Vardar Banovina,” as though history conveniently ended wherever their preferred narrative begins.

And I genuinely have to ask: what exactly is it about our existence that bothers you so much?

For decades, Balkan states competed for influence over Macedonia. Following the Balkan Wars, the geographical region of Macedonia was divided among several states. That is not an insult. It is history.

And yet, more than a century later, instead of finally learning something from that history, we are still watching other people explain to us who we are, what we are, what language we speak, and since when we are supposedly allowed to exist.

I would never tell a Greek that they have no right to be Greek. I would never tell a Bulgarian that their language does not exist. I would never tell a Serb that their nation was invented. I would never tell an Albanian that they are not allowed to call themselves Albanian.

So what makes anyone think that doing the same to Macedonians is acceptable?

And perhaps the greatest irony of all is that Macedonia is supposedly “irrelevant,” “invented,” and “non-existent” — yet some people devote an astonishing amount of time and energy to proving that it should not exist.

If we are really so insignificant, why does the word Macedonia bother you so much?

We are not asking for Thessaloniki. We are not asking for Sofia. We are not asking for Belgrade. We are not asking for anyone else’s identity.

We are asking for something far simpler:

Stop reaching for ours.

The history of Macedonia is complex and intertwined with the histories of all the peoples of the Balkans. Nobody owns the copyright to the past. Alexander did not carry a modern passport. Samuel did not live in a world of today’s nation-states. And people who lived in the 19th century cannot simply be forced into whichever modern national box happens to suit us today.

History should be researched, debated and understood — not weaponized to erase the identity of living people in the 21st century.

So argue about empires, maps, treaties and medieval rulers for as long as you like. But there is one thing that is not up for negotiation:

I am Macedonian.
My language is Macedonian.
My homeland is Macedonia. 🇲🇰

I do not say this against Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbs, Albanians, or anyone else. Quite the opposite. I want every one of them to be free and proud to be exactly who they are.

I simply expect the same respect in return.

And anyone who needs to deny my identity in order to protect their own should perhaps finally stop obsessing over Macedonia — and start asking themselves why my existence bothers them so much.

We do not have to disappear for you to be who you are.
And you do not have to become any less of who you are for us to be Macedonian.

It really is that simple. 🇲🇰

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

I actually agree with your broader point that a multiethnic country does not need to be divided. But I completely disagree with your last sentence.

Macedonian identity does not exist because Albanians live in Macedonia, nor would it somehow disappear without them. Macedonians and Bulgarians are distinct modern peoples with their own identities, standard languages and historical development.

We can defend the rights of Albanians in Macedonia without questioning the identity of Macedonians. One does not require denying the other.

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

Forget the AI for a second. You’re still skipping the most important part: where is the evidence that 30% of North Macedonia’s population actually wants independence?

Being Albanian does not automatically mean wanting to leave the country. You’re treating an entire ethnic community as if it shares one political opinion. If you have credible polling showing that 30% of the country wants secession, show it. Otherwise, that 30% is your assumption, not a fact.

And yes, I use AI sometimes — it’s 2026. 😂 It helps me phrase my English more clearly since it isn’t my first language. The arguments are still mine. Using a tool to express an argument doesn’t make the argument disappear. So let’s debate the point, not the keyboard. 😉

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

You’re assuming that territory belongs to ethnic groups rather than to the citizens of a sovereign state. Albanians in North Macedonia are not foreigners occupying an “Albanian 20%,” just as Macedonians living in mixed areas do not constitute a “Macedonian 80%.”

Multiethnic democracy means sharing a state with equal rights — not drawing new borders every time different ethnic communities live next to each other. Europe has already learned how dangerous that logic can become.

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

“Holding 30% of the population hostage” is a rather extraordinary way to describe citizens of a multiethnic state with constitutional rights, political representation, Albanian-language institutions and parties that have repeatedly participated in government.

You are free to debate history, but claiming that an entire modern ethnic identity is illegitimate and then suggesting that the country itself should eventually be subjected to a referendum on its existence is no longer historical analysis — it is a political position.

Macedonians and Albanians do not need to erase one another for North Macedonia to exist. A democratic state belongs equally to all its citizens.

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

@MaZe8106 Welcome to Macedonia! 🇲🇰❤️ Really glad to hear you’re enjoying Skopje and, especially, the people. Yes, we do have quite a few statues 😄 Hope you have a wonderful stay, enjoy the food, and take some beautiful memories home with you. Greetings from a Macedonian! 😊

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

@burge2u So glad to hear that! 😊🇲🇰 I hope Macedonia treats you well and leaves you with some beautiful memories. Ohrid and Struga are truly special. Enjoy the rest of your holiday! ☀️💙

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

It is remarkable how often Macedonian identity becomes a subject for others to define, reinterpret or “explain.” Macedonians do not need Belgrade, Sofia, Athens — or anyone else — to tell us who we are. Discuss history, challenge interpretations, present evidence — absolutely. But our modern identity and right to self-identification are not up for negotiation. Macedonia has had enough of being spoken about instead of being listened to.

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

An Open Appeal to the European Union 🇲🇰🇪🇺

Dear representatives of the European Union,

This is not a message against Europe. On the contrary, it is a message from someone who still wants to believe in Europe and in the values upon which it claims to be built.

For years, the citizens of Macedonia have been told that we have a European perspective. We were told that reforms, compromise, good-neighbourly relations and political courage would bring us closer to the European family.

Macedonia has made difficult compromises. Some of them have touched upon matters that, for any nation, are far more than diplomatic terminology — our name, our history, our language, our identity and our sense of belonging.

All of this was accepted in the hope that compromise would open the door.

Yet far too often, whenever Macedonia fulfils one condition, another one appears.

And this is where a question arises that the European Union must sincerely ask itself:

How many compromises can you ask of a small nation before compromise ceases to feel like European integration and begins to feel like a constant requirement to prove its own right to exist?

We are not asking for privileges.
We are not asking to join the European Union without reforms.
We are not asking for history to be written according to our wishes.

We are asking for something much simpler: the same rules, the same criteria and the same dignity that Europe promises to all its peoples.

The Macedonian language should not continuously be subjected to political negotiation. Macedonian identity should not depend on the approval of a neighbouring state. Historical disputes should be studied and debated by historians, not turned into political instruments that determine the European future of entire generations.

We are Macedonians. Our language is Macedonian. Our homeland is Macedonia.

By saying this, we take nothing away from anyone else. We do not ask a Greek to be less Greek, a Bulgarian to be less Bulgarian, a Serb to be less Serbian, or an Albanian to be less Albanian.

We simply ask for the same respect in return.

Perhaps the most painful part of this entire journey is not merely the long wait.

It is the gradual loss of trust.

Generations of Macedonians have grown up hearing that their future lies in Europe. The European flag has stood beside the Macedonian flag as a symbol of hope — hope that one day we would belong to a community in which the size of a country does not determine the worth of its people, and in which bilateral disputes are not stronger than European principles.

That is why today we are not asking for another promise.

We are asking for credibility.

If Macedonia meets the European criteria, allow it to advance according to those criteria. If it does not, tell us clearly what must be reformed and assess us according to the same standards applied to everyone else.

But please do not allow the European future of an entire people to depend indefinitely on disputes over who has the right to their name, their language, their history or their identity.

The European Union is not merely a market, an institution or a geopolitical project. It is a promise that dignity, diversity, the rule of law and equality mean something.

Macedonians are not asking Europe to choose a side in our history. We are asking Europe to remain faithful to its own principles.

We have done much to reach Europe.

Now it is time for Europe to show us that this road truly leads somewhere.

We are not asking for pity. We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fair treatment.

And after so many years of waiting, I believe we have earned the right to ask for that.

Respectfully,
a Macedonian who still wants to believe in the European promise. 🇲🇰🇪🇺

@Europarl_EN @EU_Commission @AmbassadorEU @eu_enlargement_ @MartaKosEU

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

@bzsjksndn You came to a post about Macedonian identity to talk about football attendance. I think you just demonstrated the obsession I was talking about. Thanks. 🇲🇰😂

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

@kiceec123 Тополницата пуштила нов DLC за Велес. 👻😂

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

Лешница. ⛰️
Македонијо најубава си🇲🇰❤️💛

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

No matter where life takes me, a part of my heart will always belong here.💛🇲🇰❤️

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

@bigarmsleo59038 Sir, I think your uniform is malfunctioning. 🤭

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

@_rich_hunter Guess I’m bringing the cookies then. 🍪☕

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

@benfrsp Don’t shave 😉

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

One of my latest drawings. ✨
Every piece I create is a small part of my journey.

[Ristovsky @ristovskyAt]

#NewProfilePic