Geopolitical attitudes of the Ukrainians in the realities of large-scale military aggression in 2014-2022: historical understanding of dilemmas

Abstract

The work examines the problem of geopolitical attitudes of Ukrainians in the realities of large-scale military aggression. The article notes that the number of supporters of democratic Western values is growing in Ukraine. The research is primarily based on the use of empirical research methods: observation and survey. Sociological surveys conducted by Ukrainian sociological research groups: “Rating”, “Democratic Initiatives named after I. Kucheriv” and “Kyiv International Institute of Sociology” In the results, it was noted that the geopolitical attitudes of Ukrainians in the southeastern regions have noticeably transformed. In particular, if in 2013 the idea of joining the Customs Union was supported by the majority of residents (64%), then in 2015 only 33% supported it. In general, the number of Ukrainians who support Ukraine's accession to the EU will continue to grow. The conclusions summarize that the Russian-Ukrainian war influenced a new understanding of Russian-Ukrainian relations in the post-Soviet space. The level of Ukrainian support for the idea of Ukraine's integration into the European Union is particularly high.