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Ти незламана. Вдосконалена. Від журби та вогню запалена. Ти свободи не будеш позбавлена — Дух твій нашою вірою розбавлений. З Днем Незалежности, Україно! Тетяна Сміт (Терещенко) , Почесний 1-й Відділ, Округа Ню Йорк Окривавлена, але впевнена. Ти мій приклад в житті — неподолана! Процвітай і життям будь наповнена Та від «бруду» чужого звільнена! НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ • Серпень 2026 7 these cities became centers of spontaneous resistance, as cit - izens organized defenses and took leadership into their own hands, often before any orders came from above — exposing the Kremlin’s fatal confusion of cultural familiarity with political loyalty. Putin fundamentally underestimated Ukrainian society, which by late February 2022 had coalesced into a nationwide volunteer movement. Almost everyone assumed a role — large or small — in resisting the invasion and supporting the front line, producing an unprecedented level of civilian wartime mo- bilization that sustained the state under emergency conditions. According to an RTI report, approximately 86 percent of Ukrain- ians reported some form of civilian engagement in wartime efforts, including volunteering, donating, supporting displaced persons, or assisting the armed forces — an unprecedented lev - el of civic mobilization in Europe in recent decades. Crucially, while ethnicity and language use remained largely stable, civic identification with Ukraine strengthened sharply, pointing to the consolidation of a civic — not eth- nic — form of nationalism. The language choice in Ukraine has long reflected everyday practice rather than political al- legiance, while war has accelerated civic identification across regional and linguistic lines. Rather than fragmenting Ukrain - ian society, revolutions, war, and territorial loss accelerated national consolidation and undermined support for align- ment with Russia — even among Russian speakers. Contemporary Ukrainian nationalism consists of three overlapping narratives: romantic cultural revival, collective victimhood, and heroic resistance of foreign domination. While earlier radical discourse emphasized ethnicity, war has reoriented nationalist mobilization toward opposition to an external enemy, enabling broader civic inclusion. Language remains a symbolic marker of identity, but russian-speaking Ukrainians constitute a heterogeneous group whose linguis - tic practices reflect comfort and habit rather than political loyalty. Their number has declined since the war, but they still remain a significant part of Ukrainian society. The outcome of the war will inevitably shape the future trajectory of Ukrainian identity. Yet this process is not merely prospective. It is already unfolding within Ukrainian society. Public debate on iden- tity, language, and belonging has intensi- fied, reflecting both the pressures of war and a growing consensus that Ukrainisa- tion is necessary for long-term sovereignty, national survival, and cultural resilience. At the same time, this transformation can- not occur overnight. Linguistic and cultur - al shifts are generational processes. Even under favorable conditions, experts widely agree that transforming Ukraine into a pre - dominantly Ukrainian-speaking country will take several generations, as linguistic habits formed under centuries of imperial rule cannot be rapidly reversed — even by war. What the war has already transformed, however, is the meaning of Ukrainian nationalism itself. Military service has become a powerful social equalizer and a crucible of civic identity, bringing to- gether doctors, engineers, teachers, law - yers, scholars, and artists in uniform. The Ukrainian army today is not a marginal institution or an ideological vanguard; it is a cross-section of society, embodying the country’s human capital and profes- sional class. Ukrainian nationalism, as it has surged through war, is not driven by doctrine or exclusion. It is grounded in survival, freedom, long-term security, and a basic demand for justice. This reality deepens the tragedy of the war’s human cost. The greatest loss of the current generation lies not only in demo- Continues on page 21
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