The Return of History: Ukrainian Identity and Resistance Under Imperial Aggression

The article explores the impact of Russian imperial aggression on Ukrainian identity, focusing on the mechanisms of cultural appropriation, memory politics, and strategies of resistance. It emphasizes that Russia’s attempts to impose its “Russian World” framework are not limited to the military sphere but extend into the domains of history, education, culture, and information space. By distorting historical narratives, banning the Ukrainian language in the past, and currently enforcing russification on occupied territories, Russia systematically undermines the foundations of Ukraine’s cultural subjectivity. This makes the preservation and promotion of authentic Ukrainian identity a matter of existential importance.The article draws upon the civilizational approach, which allows the current war to be interpreted as a struggle over symbolic and value-laden spaces, rather than merely over resources or territory. In this perspective, the war is understood as a “war for identity,” where the capacity to assert cultural autonomy and to resist imperial narratives becomes as decisive as military strength.Thus, the Ukrainian experience provides a unique case study of resilience, in which historical memory, civic solidarity, and democratic aspirations converge into a powerful source of resistance against imperial domination.