Abstract

The peculiarities of the national identity of Ukrainians significantly influenced the process of national and state-building in Ukraine, thereby determining the national identity and subsequently the political behavior of its citizens. One of the striking examples of the influence of national identity in Ukraine is the events of 2013-2014 in Crimea and in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, when, under the influence of the internal political crisis and external influence, part of Ukrainian society took part in rallies, incl. with the aim of changing the social system and even secession from the country, which led to threats to the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The purpose of this article is to identify the features of the national identity of Ukrainians, which created the basis for massive anti-Ukrainian actions in 2013-2014, as well as modern trends in the development of Ukrainian society, and their impact on the national security of the state.

The main results and conclusions of the article: significant regional differences in the identities of Ukrainians formed the conditions for the emergence and external construction of the socio-political crisis. Strong regional identity, low support for Independence, linguistic and political preferences of the inhabitants of the East and South of Ukraine became the key factors that influenced the stability of the state. Changes in Ukraine's policy after 2014, in the context of a military conflict with Russia, changed the characteristics of national identity, and probably contributed to the formation of a stronger Ukrainian state.
The article can be used to further study the problematic aspects of the formation of national identity in the post-Soviet space, as well as to simulate scenarios for the development of political crises in order to develop an effective state policy that will help strengthen national unity, meet the needs of society, and find compromises between different social groups.
Key words: national identity, patriotism, self-identification, the Russian world.