TRANSFORMATIONS OF UKRAINIAN CITIZENS’ IDENTITIES IN THE TIME OF RUSSIAN AGGRESSION

Abstract

The main aim of the article is to analyze the identity transformations of Ukrainian citizens triggered by the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022. Russian military aggression significantly affected the daily life of every citizen of Ukraine, including her or his personal and collective identity. An analysis of sociological surveys shows that, along with the deterioration of such indicators of the social well-being index as professional self-realization, nutrition, leisure time, adaptation to the new reality, etc., the feeling of solidarity more than doubled in March 2022 compared to March 2021. The war also led to a significant rethinking of the values ​​of Ukrainians and encouraged them to value more what they have, as well as reduced the level of expectations and claims regarding the satisfaction of their needs. The full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war sharpened the national self-awareness of Ukrainians and increased their negative attitude toward the “brotherly nations” of Russians and Belarusians as well as toward possible concessions to the Russians in exchange for the cessation of aggression. In time of war, the political views of Ukrainians underwent a significant transformation. They are ready to limit their democratic rights and freedoms for the sake of victory. The article considers Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression as a continuation of Ukraine’s struggle for its freedom and independence.

Keywords

• personal and collective identities
• identity transformations
• social well-being
• competing identities
• war for independence
• ideology of racism
• cohesion and consolidation of the nation