The war has become a driving force of Ukrainians.
In January and the first part of February 2022, the Ukrainian authorities talked a lot about Russia’s potential offensive and military aggression. The New York Times, Washington Post, and Reuters published articles about possible attack scenarios. They reported that Russia had moved 70% of its troops to the border of Ukraine. The civilians did not perceive it as a threat and hoped for a diplomatic solution to the conflicts of both sides. Because of it, the full-scale invasion of Russians on February 24, 2022, had fundamental changes in the internal politics of Ukraine. Before the war, such problems as the pandemic situation, the renewal of the medical reform, the introduction of the “New Ukrainian School,” and the war in Donbas were exacerbated in society.
Since the beginning of the war, Zelenskyy has positioned himself as a political leader of democratic states. Daily direct speeches to Ukrainians and the international community gave him support and military assistance to the Ukrainian army. Publicists compared him to Churchill, the European Commission greeted him with a standing ovation during speeches, the Parliament of Great Britain welcomed him with applause, and honorable Western politicians visited Ukraine during active hostilities. His photo appeared in authoritative international publications. Representatives of the Ukrainian Diaspora in all countries protested Russian aggression and held charity events, exhibitions, and concerts to draw the world’s attention to the war. Ukrainian symbols appeared in media, yellow and blue flags were hung in public places of various countries and even on their balconies. Representatives of Ukrainian culture share their position regarding Ukraine’s war with Russia and show it to the world audience through their creativity. According to the sociological research of the Ukrainian Institute and New Image Marketing Group, the rating of Volodymyr Zelenskyy has periodically changed since he was elected the President of Ukraine. In February 2021, the level of trust was 29%, and in May 2022, this level reached 85%.
The war influenced on Europe. According to public opinions, 50-60% of citizens supported European integration after 2014, while the quantitative indicator of those who sought to unite countries in the post-Soviet space was only 20%. More and more Ukrainians began to identify themselves as Ukrainians by nationality. In 1992, there were 69% of them, while 24% identified themselves as Russians. Over the years, this number has changed. In 2020, the number of Ukrainians who considered themselves as Russian was 6%. The affiliation of Ukrainians influenced this percentage to Crimea and Donbas-occupied territories. At the same time, it is possible to claim about significant changes from the standpoint of national and cultural identity after the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and the annexation of Crimea.
Religion has played an important role in Ukrainian identity since 1991. In 2018, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church separated from the Russian Orthodox Church and created its autocephalous church. This led to the long-standing relationship between the Orthodox churches of both countries. Russian President Volodymyr Putin and Russian Patriarch Kirill had a negative attitude toward the decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to recognize the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as independent of Russia. During the war, Russian troops destroyed Ukrainian cultural monuments, including churches. Until February 2023, almost 500 religious places have been destroyed in Ukraine. Nevertheless, in Russia, representatives of the spiritual community continue to support Putin.
Noticeable changes are also in language and religion. In 1992, Ukrainian was considered a native language by 62% of our fellow citizens and Russian by 35%. In 2019, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law on Ukrainian as the only state language. The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology data showed that 60% of Ukrainians supported language law. Others communicated in ‘surzhyk’ or Russian. Since the beginning of the war, the opinion of Ukrainians regarding the importance of language has changed. Ukrainians are abandoning Russian mass media, which they called their native language before the war. 83% believe that Ukrainian should be the only state language. At the same time, according to indicators in the Duolingo social application for learning foreign languages, the number of foreigners willing to learn Ukrainian has increased to 577%. The Ukrainian language was the 33 in the rating, and now it is 13.
Russia and Ukraine have a century-old history. We are participants and witnesses of the destruction of this connection and the gap between the two countries — Western politics and following Putin’s dictatorial regime, that kill Ukrainians, despite their language, religion, and ethnicity.
