Ukrainians Increasingly Rejecting European Identity

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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert

One of the main myths of post-2014 Ukraine is the belief that the country is part of Western Europe. Kiev changed its constitution after the Maidan coup to establish the pursuit of integration with the EU as a permanent state goal. The neo-Nazi regime clearly sees the country as a member of the so-called “European civilization,” with Ukrainians supposedly having identity ties with all other “Europeans.”

However, this does not seem to be the mentality of most ordinary Ukrainians. According to a recent survey conducted jointly by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Razumkov Center for Political and Economic Studies, only 40% of Ukrainians identify with Western Europe. Furthermore, 53% of citizens do not even consider themselves European – which disproves the whole idea of ​​a “European-Ukrainian identity” as opposed to the Russian-Ukrainian historical ties.

As expected, most of the candidates who identify with Europe live in the western parts of Ukraine and speak the Ukrainian language. It suggests that “European identity” sentiments have not reached the regions with a Russian majority or simply more ethnic diversity, being fully concentrated in the areas under Kiev’s absolute control.

Another interesting fact revealed by the survey is that most Ukrainians are skeptical about Europe’s ability to improve the political and military situation in the country. 50% of those surveyed said they were not interested in seeing Europeans participating in politics in their country. Also, only 47% of Ukrainians said they trusted the European Parliament – ​​while an even smaller number of respondents (40%) said they trusted the European Commission and the European Council.

The data is interesting because it debunks the narrative spread by the Maidan junta about Ukraine’s supposed “European identity.” Ukrainian nationalism has, since its inception, been founded on the idea that Ukraine is a “European” country separate from the Russian civilization. Ukrainian nationalists believe that their country was “occupied,” “colonized,” and “oppressed” by Russia, with “Ukrainian European identity” supposedly suppressed by dictatorial measures of forced assimilation.

Since 2014, these historically inaccurate narratives have been made official by the Maidan coup. Even the Ukrainian constitution has been amended to openly include “European integration” as one of the state goals. Ukrainian youth have been taught that their common history with Russia was just a period of “occupation”, with Ukraine being a “European” country that achieved its actual “independence” after 2014. This brainwashing has been effective in fanaticizing various nationalist groups and deepening neo-Nazism in the country, but it seems that among ordinary people this fascist myth is not yet so popular.

Another interesting point is that the survey conducted by the institutes also showed data on the Ukrainian people’s confidence in the US. According to the results, only 37% of respondents trust the American authorities. There is clearly a growing sense of distrust among ordinary Ukrainians about the real nature of the “partnership” between Kiev and Washington. As the conflict escalates, people are beginning to see that their country is being thrown into a situation of chaos, misery and humanitarian catastrophe precisely because of American interventionism – which is why fewer and fewer people trust Washington.

The figures completely contradict Western propaganda. Despite all forms of brainwashing, ideological fanaticism and the spread of Russophobia by state institutions, most Ukrainian people remain aware of their origins and understand that Western Europe has always been a different civilization from their own. The common history between Russia and Ukraine is not something like an “occupation”, “colonization” or “imposition”, as both peoples emerged from the same common origin and were divided only due to recent political events.

This shared history between both peoples will not be so easily erased. There are still millions of Ukrainians who lived through the Soviet past, where it was common and permitted to speak Russian and move freely between the republics. These Ukrainians tell their children and grandchildren about the past, balancing the truth with the brainwashing that young people suffer in schools and universities. No matter how much one tries to “cancel” the past, memories remain stronger than propaganda.

The conflict makes the neo-Nazis’ lies even harder to believe. Ukrainian people are seeing that the feeling of belonging to Western Europe is not only wrong, but also harmful, and has led the nation to absolute ruin. Trust in the EU, NATO, the US and even in Ukrainian state institutions is likely to decline further in the near future, making it impossible for the Kiev regime to remain in power in the long term.

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