Genocide: Philosophical, Theoretical, and Ukrainian Studies Dimensions

Abstract

The article examines the main philosophical and theoretical problems of genocide in their dimensions as Ukrainian studies. In the era of global information and hybrid wars, the true meaning of many classic terms and ethnological concepts can be to a large extent distorted. Information about certain phenomena may be unavailable or misinterpreted by the world community, so there is an urgent need for their clarification and normalisation. The war crimes of the russian federation in Ukraine were recognised as genocide by seven countries, which is a very small number, and it is necessary to convey to the international community the importance of condemning these crimes on a global scale. The concept of genocide was introduced into legal practise and is most widely used in this field. However, we have certain "white spots" with ethnological, philosophical -theoretical, and Ukrainian studies definitions of concepts related to genocide, such as "ethnocide", "linguicide", especially "deicide", which is explained in this article for the first time. The destruction of national memory has been necessary for invaders at all times. The attention of Ukrainian scholars has already been focused on the fact that during the first pogrom (massacre) of Kyiv in 1169 by the Suzdal prince Andrey Bogolyubsky, the aggressors showed terrible signs of sadism against the people of Kyiv. For the first time, this showed the ethnic difference of the “Zalissia” Suzdalians from the Kyivan-Ruthenians, their antagonistic nature, which becomes clear in the context of the existential struggle of two separate nations. Further events of forced coexistence in one state of two nations, one of which did not lose its identity despite all the genocides, ruins, and calamities, were caused by imperial terror. They showed that Ukrainians have not learned the lessons of history, no conclusions have been drawn, and no state strategy for overcoming the Russian-imperial legacy has been developed. Attention was drawn to the fact that all phenomena of ethno-national conflict are important and should be targeted at overcoming the consequences of genocide in all its forms in the future.