The dissertation is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of separatism in the context of political instability in Ukraine and the EU member states. The intensification of separatist movements and their escalation into armed confrontation in a number of countries makes it necessary to conduct an objective and detailed study of this phenomenon.
In the context of ethno-national politics, the thesis analyses the impact of the dichotomy of Western (civic) and Eastern (ethnic) nationalism proposed by H. Kohn on the study of separatist movements. Although Ukraine gained independence in the process of separation from the USSR and its subsequent collapse, which was heavily influenced by the nationalist-minded creative elite, in the West and by a large part of the Ukrainian population, calls for the Ukrainisation of all spheres of public life were perceived as a retrograde trend, an obstacle to the formation of a modern, civil nation. Under the influence of the dichotomous opposition between «good» and «bad» nationalism, calls for radical Ukrainisation coming from representatives of the western regions of Ukraine were perceived as «Galician separatism» and did not find support in the predominantly Russian-speaking society of the time. The Orange Revolution of 2004 revived the policy of «soft» Ukrainisation, which intensified Russia’s efforts to construct a Russian-speaking pro-Moscow community with separatist demands, especially in the east and Crimea. After the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the occupation of certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014, the importance of the ethnic component (language, religion, traditions) in shaping patriotism and consolidating a civil and political nation to resist an external aggressor is being recognised. Since February 2022, Ukraine has been convincingly proving that the ethnic element (language, culture, worldview) is an integral part of a civil and political nation, acts as a consolidating factor and does not contradict democratic European values.
It is noted that, on the one hand, the European Union creates favourable conditions for the growth of regional autonomy by promoting their development within the framework of cohesion policy and creating the illusion of independent existence outside the parent state, but as part of a multi-level supranational entity, which is the Union. On the other hand, the analysis of separatism in Catalonia and Scotland shows the EU’s consistency in adhering to the provisions of the so-called "Prodi Doctrine": a new state formed by secession from an EU member state becomes a third country in relation to the Union. Accordingly, it finds itself outside the EU, and its citizens cease to enjoy the rights they have as EU citizens (e.g., the right to free movement and residence within the Union). To resume the enjoyment of these rights, the newly independent state must apply for EU membership and go through a lengthy accession process. They also run the risk of being rejected, as the admission of a new member state requires the unanimous consent of EU member states, including the state it has just left.
It is substantiated that the lack of a clear and balanced ethno-national policy in the context of socio-political transformations and destructive influences of neighbouring states is one of the factors that led to the intensification of separatist sentiments in Ukraine. Potential sources of tension on the ethno-political map of Ukraine include the southern and eastern regions, Transcarpathia and Northern Bukovyna. They form a zone of ethno-national instability due to their border location, long and compact residence of the population, the number of national minorities, and their politicisation. A set of domestic political factors played a key role in the spread of separatist sentiment in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine. These included the activities of regional elites, which included active cross-border, economic, social and cultural cooperation with Russia; imbalances in the socio-economic development of the regions; the lack of a balanced national identity policy; the use of the language factor and contradictions in historical memory; and the spread of rhetoric in the information space about the mental and ideological differences between residents of Eastern and Western Ukraine.
The author offers a number of recommendations for preventing and counteracting separatism, in particular by improving the legislation on political parties, taking into account the role of elites in the development of separatism.
