UKRAINE’S RESISTANCE AGAINST RUSSIA: A STRATEGIC CULTURE PERSPECTIVE
Trames, vol.29, no.2, pp.133-150, 2025 (AHCI, SSCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 29 Issue: 2
- Publication Date: 2025
- Doi Number: 10.3176/tr.2025.2.02
- Journal Name: Trames
- Journal Indexes: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Central & Eastern European Academic Source (CEEAS), Historical Abstracts, Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, Political Science Complete, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, vLex, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Page Numbers: pp.133-150
- Keywords: Russia-Ukraine war, strategic culture, Ukraine, Ukrainian foreign and security policy
- Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University Affiliated: No
Abstract
The concept of strategic culture is often used to explain Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine, but its relevance to Ukraine’s resistance is largely overlooked. Neglecting the role the Ukrainian strategic culture has played in defying Russia underrates Ukraine’s agency and disregards the sources of its resilience. This article explores Ukrainian strategic culture as a key to understanding its response to Russia’s 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 Ukraine’s policy options are constrained not only by its physical capabilities but also by the ideational milieu created by its strategic culture.