UKRAINE’S RESISTANCE AGAINST RUSSIA: A STRATEGIC CULTURE PERSPECTIVE

The concept of strategic culture is often used to explain Russiaâs decision to invade Ukraine, but its relevance to Ukraineâs resistance is largely overlooked. Neglecting the role the Ukrainian strategic culture has played in defying Russia underrates Ukraineâs agency and disregards the sources of i...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dogachan Dagi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Estonian Academy Publishers 2025-05-01
Series:Trames
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Online Access:https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/TRAMES-2-2025-133-150_20250514152521.pdf
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Summary:The concept of strategic culture is often used to explain Russiaâs decision to invade Ukraine, but its relevance to Ukraineâs resistance is largely overlooked. Neglecting the role the Ukrainian strategic culture has played in defying Russia underrates Ukraineâs agency and disregards the sources of its resilience. This article explores Ukrainian strategic culture as a key to understanding its response to Russiaâs advances since 2014. It argues that three interwoven characteristics of Ukrainian strategic culture, namely, its narrative of insecurity, commitment to sovereignty, and alignment with Western institutions, have shaped and sustained the Ukrainian resistance against Russia. Based on these defining features of Ukrainian strategic culture, this article asserts that Ukraineâs policy options are constrained not only by its physical capabilities but also by the ideational milieu created by its strategic culture.
ISSN:1406-0922
1736-7514