Ukraine鈥檚 identity shift may outlive the war
In a news report on how Ukraine has changed six months after the Russian invasion, a Financial Times reporter went to an underground music club in the capital, Kyiv. There he saw a DJ at the turntables unfurl a large Ukrainian flag.
鈥淕lory to Ukraine,鈥� the DJ screamed.
鈥淕lory to the heroes,鈥� the crowd screamed back.
Such joyful unity among young Ukrainians may seem like merely wartime patriotism. But it is not. In an Aug. 24 speech marking 31 years of independence from the Russia-dominated Soviet Union, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a new nation appeared when Ukraine was invaded Feb. 24.
Six months later, 鈥渨e changed history, changed the world, and changed ourselves. ... We started to respect ourselves,鈥� he said.
As The Kyiv Independent put it, Ukraine is a very different country from a year ago because 鈥渋ts values, ideas, and future are more concrete than ever.鈥�
If love is self-negation and loving one鈥檚 neighbors, then Ukrainians learned quickly how to love their country 鈥� through the sacrifices of soldiers (more than 9,000 killed) and the selfless giving of those supporting Ukraine鈥檚 sovereignty against the second-largest military in the world.
Rather than hold an independence parade on Wednesday, Kyiv displayed the symbols of an empty type of patriotism on its main street: the wrecked tanks from Russia鈥檚 failed attempt to take the city in March. That early victory for Ukraine reflected how much its soldiers have absorbed the democratic values that give them an edge 鈥� enough liberty to take individual initiative on the battlefield but accountability to the goals of a civilian, elected government.
鈥淲e are not afraid because we have complete faith in our defenders, the armed forces of Ukraine,鈥� one civilian, Viktoria Skovroska, told The Wall Street Journal.
Ukraine鈥檚 rapid shift in identity shows up in the latest poll taken in July by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
During the early years of independence, a majority of people associated more with a region, language, or ethnicity than with Ukraine as a nation. After two democratic revolutions in 2004 and 2013, 64.4% put Ukrainian citizenship first. Soon after the war started, support of a national civic identity rose to 84.6%.
Even among ethnic Russians in the areas controlled by Moscow, it鈥檚 78%. These numbers defy a claim by Russian President Vladimir Putin that there is no such thing as the Ukrainian nation.
The country鈥檚 cohesion around democratic ideals 鈥� especially freedom from invasion and the integrity of nation-state borders 鈥� serves a purpose beyond Ukraine. It has united the European Union to make sacrifices on Ukraine鈥檚 behalf.
鈥淲e turned out to be the heart of Europe,鈥� President Zelenskyy told The Washington Post. 鈥淎nd we made this heart beat.鈥�
