Stability for ourselves, well-being for others. How do we remember?

“Whenever sociologists are being asked to describe how exactly did society change over the past decade, the first reaction is actually bafflement,” says Tymofii Brik, Rector of the Kyiv School of Economics. “That’s because sociologists study a myriad of parameters: from employment to mental health, from tobacco use to religious affiliation, from political views to pet ownership.” So, what criteria should be used for comparison?

In this joint project by Reporters and KSE, we’ve attempted to put together a collective image of Ukrainians. Taking into account sociological research, interviews of experts in various fields, and personal observations, the authors of the following pieces analyzed changes in Ukrainians over the past decade, that is, from 2014 to 2024. Changes in attitudes, values, preferences, ways to remember the past, and visions of building the future.

In the previous two parts, we reflected on the paradoxical combination of a lack of social trust and remarkable proactivity among Ukrainians, as well as analyzed projects dedicated to preserving culinary heritage. In the final piece, graduate students in the Memory and Public History Studies program will explore the balance between heroization, victimization, and dialogue about the past.

May 9, 2013. A stage decorated with a St. George’s ribbon under the Independence Monument. A crowded procession of the Communist Party and the Russian Bloc marches down Khreshchatyk Street.

November 6, 2013. Celebration of the 70th anniversary of the  “liberation ” of Kyiv. A military-historical procession takes place on Khreshchatyk, featuring military equipment from WWII with inscriptions  “For the Motherland! “. In the end, Cossacks dressed in sharovary and bearing sabers dance to music from an army orchestra.

Since the Brezhnev era, the cult of the  “Great Victory ” has been one of the pillars of Soviet ideology. It survived the collapse of the USSR and has been preserved in independent Ukraine. This was successfully exploited by Russia and pro-Russian political forces inside the country.

Considering the aforementioned march, the changes that occurred in May 2014 certainly seem tectonic. It was with a change in approaches to celebrating the victory over Nazism that a large-scale turn in the national policy of commemoration began. Even then, even before the adoption of the decommunization laws, the country began to use the poppy symbol instead of the St. George ribbon. The emphasis shifted from the Russian-style  “victory celebration ” to grief and remembrance. The European slogan  “Never Again ” appeared in the official discourse, the term  “liberation ” was replaced by  “expulsion of the Nazis, ” and the  “Great Patriotic War ” was replaced by  “World War II. ” The chronological timeline was expanded from 1941 to 1939.

However, not everyone embraced these changes. For instance, the Soviet-inspired concert  “Victory. One for All ” aired on the Inter TV channel in 2018. The changes spanned a decade: May 8, as the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation, coexisted with May 9, the Day of Victory over Nazism. It was only in 2023 that Ukraine completely abandoned Victory Day on May 9 for the first time with the decision to celebrate the International Day of Europe. The explanatory note to the corresponding draft law states:  “In order to restore historical truth and justice, Ukraine, as an integral part of the large European family, should celebrate the Day of Victory over Nazism in World War II of 1939-1945 together with the rest of Europe and the entire civilized democratic world on May 8. “

Moving towards European c