Ukrainian National Identity

 

National identity is a collective sense of belonging to a nation that is produced through shared meanings (stories, symbols, memories, norms, practices) and what distinguishes “us” from “others.” Triandafyllidou (1998) says “national identity is defined and/or re-defined through the influence of ‘significant others’, namely, other nations or ethnic groups that are perceived to threaten the ingroup’s distinctive identity and/or independence” (p. 594). The national identity of Ukraine centers on its religion, language, unique culture, and ethnicity. Yet much of its identity also formed and continue to form through struggles with Russia. 

Religion

Religion has been vital in shaping Ukrainian national identity. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine developed as a marker of cultural and political autonomy that allowed Ukrainians to distinguish themselves from Russian Orthodoxy. As Burgess (2025) notes, “national identity became inseparable from Orthodox identity” (p. 22). In a time when religion was the center of many people’s lives, the church held strong social influence. “Orthodox churches redefined their relationship to the state by presenting themselves as guardians of their nations” (Burgess, 2025, p. 21). These developments made religion redefine Ukrainian national identity not just spiritually but also politically and culturally. At the same time, Ukrainian society has remained religiously diverse, as “the public appears to be committed more to secularism, pluralism, and freedom of consciousness than religious nationalism” (Surzhko Harned, 2022, p. 2). 

Language

In Ukraine, language is not just communication; it is also part of politics and identity. Though they originated from the same Slavic root, Ukrainian and Russian have branched into separate languages. Though the languages are similar, the small differences are important to Ukrainians, and in those small differences they find bits of their identity. “Native language has thus come to reflect ethnolinguistic identification much more powerfully than does nationality, while all but ceasing to perform its intended function as an indicator of actual language use” (Kulyk, 2022, p. 17). Language is one of the main ways Ukraine has resisted Russian influence and expressed its independence and unique culture. 

Cultural Performances

Ukrainian identity isn’t just spoken or practiced in churches; it’s also seen in cultural performances. From music to theatre, traditions and history are passed through generations. “This artistic approach enables the representation and transmission to society of cultural narratives such as struggle, historical memory, justice, the people’s existence, freedom” (Reva, 2025, p. 64). Ukrainian theatre is for much more than just entertainment; it is a place to share stories, process collective trauma, and rejoice in resistance. Music is also used to celebrate this independent culture and identity. “choral tradition acts not only act as a form of musical self-expression, but also as a marker of national identity, a carrier of collective memory and spiritual values of the Ukrainian people” (Malutskiy, 2025, p. 182). Performances like these are not just entertainment; they have been used as a way to express rebellion and pass on traditions that would have been eradicated. As Sadovenko (2025) writes, troista muzyka (a traditional Ukrainian instrumental folk ensemble) “substantiates the role… in preserving national identity and ritual tradition,” while also allowing for “the renewal, renovation, and preservation of Ukrainian folk music culture” (p. 37). These performances are more than just art or entertainment; they bring Ukrainian’s history, memory, and past traditions into the present.

Ethnicity

Though religion, language, and culture are all significant aspects of Ukraine, for many Ukrainians, ethnicity is the core concept of national identity. Many scholars believe that ethnicity is “a central cleavage in Ukraine” (Barrington, 2022, p. 365). The different ethnic groups that make up Ukraine (mainly Ukrainian and Russian) often think differently about politics, values, and traditions. Due to hostilities between Russia and Ukraine (dating back to the early 1900s during the Soviet-Ukrainian War), many Ukrainians place a high value on ethnicity. In fact, 70.5% answered that it was a “very important or important part of who they were” (Barrington, 2022, p. 366). One problem many researchers face is defining what Ukrainian ethnicity really means. In one study, “92 percent of the population of Ukraine consider themselves to be ethnic Ukrainian” (Kuzio, 2024, p. 245). Yet in another, “69 percent considered themselves Ukrainian and 20 percent Russian” (Wilson, 2002, p. 32). For Ukrainians, ethnic identity is not just symbolic; it affects real-world politics. “Ethnic divisions have continued to correspond to different views on such issues as attitudes about Russia, unconditional support for Ukraine, and language and education policies” (Barrington, 2022, p. 365). Ethnic identity does more than describe who Ukrainians are; it defines who they are not. It means they are not Russian; they are not the invaders, they are not the others.  

The Russian Others

The ideas of “us” and “others” have been studied in many academic settings. “This belief divides all people into insiders and outsiders, ‘us’ and the ‘others,’ whereby the former are defined by both their similarity to one another and their distinction from the latter” (Kulyk, 2024, p. 2). The “others” for the Ukrainian people are Russians. Ukraine’s national identity is therefore defined largely in contrast to Russia and by historical differences between the two countries before and after the Soviet era. After the disbanding of the USSR, “They (Ukraine) prioritized the attachment to the national language, legitimized historical figures… and finally called for Ukraine’s independence” (Kulyk, 2024, p. 4). Ukrainians, therefore, define themselves not only by shared history and culture but also by all the ways they are not Russians. As Burgess (2025) explains, “Ukrainians assert that they are a distinct people with a distinct language, contrary to the common Russian reduction of Ukrainians to ‘Little Russians’ and the Ukrainian language to ‘a country dialect of Russian’” (p. 21). Because of this, Ukraine’s sense of national identity is closely tied to its separation from Russia. The recent invasions by Russian government have reinvigorated national identity. As “Significant others also become salient in periods of social, political or economic crisis during which the identity of the nation is put in question” (p. 603). Russia has seen this power during their latest invasion when Ukraine fought back. Ukraine will always be proud of all the ways they are not Russia. 

Blended Country

However, developing a truly unique identity in Ukraine has been challenging because Russian culture had blended deeply into Ukraine as the two separated into their own distinct countries. “In the specific Ukrainian context, we focus on three such measures… nationality, native language, and everyday language, each including three main categories, Ukrainian, Russian, and ‘both Ukrainian and Russian’” (Kulyk, 2022, p. 3). Trying to separate Russian culture from Ukrainian culture is often an impossible task. It is not just proximity to other countries that has blurred the boundaries of Ukraine’s national identity. “Ukraine has never belonged wholly to East or West. It has bridged the two worlds while forging an identity of its own” (Burgess, 2025, p. 21). However, only “27 percent of the whole population … saw themselves as having some kind of shared identity” (Wilson, 2002, p. 33). Trying to appease the wishes of Ukrainians, Russians, and Crimean Tatars leaves a country with a slightly fractured sense of self. This tension shows why achieving a unified national identity remains difficult for Ukraine.

All together

Combining the unifying religious, linguistic, cultural, and ethnic influences mixed with hostility towards Russia you get a country shaped by unity and tension. The development of Ukrainian national identity reflects its complicated history and cultural traditions. Hansen and Hesli (2009) say, “belonging to an ethnic nation is determined largely by psychological attachment rather than objective criteria such as language, race or religion” (p. 6). The language, the churches, the very bloodlines- Ukrainian national identity is ultimately rooted in how people understand and feel their connection to the nation. That enduring attachment helps sustain Ukraine’s sense of peoplehood across time and conflict.

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References

Barrington, L. (2022). A new look at region, language, ethnicity and civic national identity in Ukraine. Europe-Asia Studies, 74(3), 360–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2022.2032606

Burgess, J. P. (2025). Orthodoxy at war. First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion & Public Life, (350), 19–25.

Hansen, H. E., & Hesli, V. L. (2009). National identity: Civic, ethnic, hybrid, and atomised individuals. Europe-Asia Studies, 61(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668130802532894 

Kulyk, V. (2024). National Identity in Time of War: Ukraine after the Russian Aggressions of 2014 and 2022. Problems of Post-Communism, 71(4), 296–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/10758216.2023.2224571 

Kulyk, V., & Hale, H. E. (2022). Imperfect measures of dynamic identities: The changing impact of ethnolinguistic characteristics on political attitudes in Ukraine. Nations & Nationalism, 28(3), 841–860. https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12782 

Kuzio, T. (2024). Ukrainian versus Pan-Russian identities: The roots of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism. https://doi.org/10.1111/sena.12422

Malutskiy, V. O. (2025). Choral art as an element of the cultural brand of Ukraine: Traditions, transformations, prospects. National Academy of Managerial Staff of Culture and Arts Herald, (2), 181–187. https://doi.org/10.32461/2226-3209.2.2025.338925

Reva, T. S. (2025). Biographism in Ukrainian theatrical art in 2022–2025 as a means of national identity representation. National Academy of Managerial Staff of Culture and Arts Herald, (2), 64–69. https://doi.org/10.32461/2226-3209.2.2025.338821

Sadovenko, S. M. (2025). Troista muzyka folk ensembles as a phenomenon of Ukrainian traditional musical culture and a factor in preserving national identity under globalization. National Academy of 

Managerial Staff of Culture and Arts Herald, (2), 36–45. https://doi.org/10.32461/2226-3209.2.2025.338817 

Triandafyllidou, A. (1998). National identity and the other. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 21(4), 593–612. https://is.muni.cz/el/1423/podzim2005/SOC765/um/870949/National_identity_and_the_other_Anna_T.pdf 

Wilson, A. (2002). Elements of a theory of Ukrainian ethno-national identities. Nations and Nationalism, 8(1), 31–54. https://doi.org/1111/1469-8219.00037