A New National Identity Formed in the Conditions of the Full-Scale Invasion as the Basis for the Consolidation and Stability of Ukrainian Society

Abstract

The article reveals the relevance of the process of forming national identity; characterizes the main stages of its development during the years of Ukraine's independence; attempts are made to analyze and systematize the views of scientists on the factors that influenced the development of national identity at different stages; characterizes the changes and shifts in national identity caused by the full-scale Russian invasion; reveals the role of national identity affirmation in the process of ensuring the consolidation and stability of society. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive analysis and generalization of the main trends in the process of forming national identity during the years of Ukraine's independence, especially during the period of the Russian full-scale invasion. The paper analyzes the evolution of the process of forming a new national identity in Ukraine during the years of independence, which has undergone a certain evolution. Considerable attention is paid to the study of landmark events that became catalysts for change: the August putsch and the December referendum of 1991, the Orange Revolution, the Revolution of Dignity, Russia's aggression in 2014 and the occupation of Crimea, and the full-scale Russian invasion of 2022.

 It is worth emphasizing that it was the full-scale Russian invasion that led to significant/radical changes and shifts in the worldview and national identity of Ukrainians: increased social consolidation and acceleration of the process of forming a political nation; an increase in the level of a clearer awareness of one's own ethnic identity; changes in orientation towards different models of cultural traditions; a forced rejection of the "Soviet past", a sharp decline in nostalgia for the USSR; an emphasized distancing from Russia in almost all spheres of public life; the emergence of new heroes and symbols that consolidate society and contribute to the formation of a new national identity; strengthening of horizontal social ties based on cooperation and common values; growth in society of the desire for Euro- and Euro-Atlantic integration, etc. It is characteristic that practically each of these changes in the worldview of Ukrainians testifies to the strengthening of unity, monolithicity and integrity of the Ukrainian people. All this means that now, in the conditions of a full-scale invasion, an important/definitive stage is taking place in Ukraine in the process of forming a new national identity, which should become a powerful basis for the consolidation and stability of Ukrainian society.