The Phenomenon of the Ukrainian Volunteer Movement and Its Significance in Latest History, Politics, and Culture of Ukraine

Abstract

The article reviews the participation of people from the Ukrainian volunteer movement in the political processes in Ukraine and in the development of Ukrainian culture in the second half of the 2010s – early 2020s. It explores the influence on the staffing of the deputy corps, as well as the participation in the creation of the extra-parliamentary political agenda, the impact on the formation of state institutions (including the establishment of the Ministry of Veteran Affairs of Ukraine); involvement of volunteers in art and music, literary activity (including the creation of a separate literary phenomenon – volunteer literature), participation in the organization of new centers of cultural life of the country (clubs, hubs, etc.).It clarifies the nature and scope of voluntary influence on Ukrainian politics and culture of this time, and, based on the nature and scope of this impact, determines the role of Ukrainian dobrobats in the national history of this period. The research methodology involves the application of the principles of historicism, the integrity of the study of historical sources and objectivity, the use of methods of description, analysis and synthesis, classification and systematization. The scientific novelty is due to the lack of scientific research on this topic, because to date, academic research on the volunteer movement has concerned only the role of dobrobats in hostilities in eastern Ukraine and the nature of their interaction with law enforcement agencies and state institutions. The prospects for further research is that by determining the level of influence of people from Ukrainian dobrobats on politics and culture in Ukraine it is possible to determine the role of volunteers in the national history of the period in general. A review of the nature and extent of the influence of the Ukrainian volunteer movement on political processes in Ukraine and the formation of national culture gives grounds to talk about the diversity and multi-vector nature of such influence, which makes it appropriate to compare the influence of volunteers on modern national history with the influence of the Cossacks.