Impact of Russian aggression on Ukrainian ethnonational identity

Based on a nationwide survey and a series of focus group discussions in different parts of the coutnry, this paper examines the impact of Russia's full-blown invasion of Ukraine on the salience and content of Ukrainian identity. It demonstrates that, on the one hand, this identity has become more salient vis-a-vis other attchments people feel, having consolidated its position as the most salience of all cultural, social, political and other identities. On the other hand, the meaning of being Ukrainian has considerably changed, including not only stronger civic attachment but also more radical ethnocultural attitudes such as a stronger aliention from Russia, a stronger embrace of the nationalist narraative of the past, and a stronger support for the predominance of the national language. It is argued that while most Ukrainians perceive the membership in the national community as open to all citizens or all those who consider themselves Ukrainian, the inraasingly radical ethnocultural content of Ukrainian identity can alienate some minority members.