Ukrainian Unity, Regional Identity, and the “Russian World” in the Sociocultural Space of Donetsk Region in 2005—2013

Abstract

The defeat encountered by the political powers supported by Russia during the presidential campaign in 2004, as well as the mass mobilization of the Ukrainian citizens for the defense of democracy, the European choice, and state sovereignty, made the Kremlin proceed to a more cruel scenario for implementing its policy in Donetsk region. The choice in favor of the aggressive strategies was also caused by the fact that the events of the Orange Revolution convinced Russian imperialists in the following: the hope for the appearance of at least somewhat active separatist movement in Donetsk and Luhansk regions could be fulfilled only through the financing of the pro-Russian groups directly by the Kremlin and its administrative-political support. For this purpose, the so-called “‘Dontesk Republic’ Community Movement”, fully controlled by Russian secret services and specializing in loud anti-Ukrainian provocations, similar to the fake declaration of the so-called “independence of Donetsk” in February 2009, was founded. It does not seem to be a coincidence that “Donetsk Republic” became the leading political force in the terroristic “DPR”.The concept of the “Donetsk identity”, according to which interests of Donetsk residents fully contradict with those of Galicia and Dnieper Ukraine, has become an ideological paradigm, aimed to legitimate Russian influence in the region, as well as to provide the criminal-oligarch leadership of the Party of Regions with the absolute power on the land of miners. The fundamental denial of the Ukrainian unity idea has become a key method for manipulating the consciousness of the local people.During 2005–2013, activists of the Ukrainian NGOs, political, cultural, and educational establishments, human rights advocates, members of the independent trade unions have made a great contribution to overcoming the influence of the Kremlin and its satellites in Donetsk region; however, their effort has not received respective support from Kyiv authorities.