National Minorities In Ukraine: Contextualizing Challenges And Searching For Policy Solutions

This chapter discusses the complexities of historical and contemporary context for designing policies aimed at insuring the rights of national minorities in Ukraine. In the spring of 2022, Ukraine passed successfully one of the most difficult and tragic tests that may happen to a sovereign state: a wide variety of ethnic and religious groups showed a remarkably unanimous response in defence of Ukraine against the full-scale military attack of the Russian Federation. It was a powerful manifestation that a great diversity of cultural groups felt included in Ukraine and sufficiently integrated to mobilize their resource networks in defence against the Russian invasion. However, controversies and debates surrounding minority issues are likely to stay on the political agenda for a considerable time. The contextual challenges confronting Ukraine today are unmatched by any other European country: while attempting to overcome the consequences of several centuries of coercive Russian assimilation policies, Ukraine is fighting for its sovereignty against the Russian invasion. This unique context makes it impossible to simply replicate any solutions existing within the EU. Instead, it calls for innovative policy designs that would embrace cultural diversity, inclusion, and integration while constructively addressing the tragic legacy of coercive assimilation and the ongoing external threat to sovereignty.