Formation of civilizational differences between Ukraine and russia as a prerequisite for the russian crime of aggression in 2022

Abstract

In the modern world, geopolitical trends and international relations largely depend on civilizational differences between states. It should be noted that historical development led to the formation of Russia as a part of the Asian world with a despotic form of government and non-observance of human rights and freedoms. At the same time, the presence of Ukrainians for centuries in the sphere of influence of European civilization ensured the functioning of Ukraine as a democratic and legal state.
In fact, since the reign of Andrii Bogolyubsky, the north-eastern lands of Rus’ refused to recognize the primacy of power of Kyiv and began to build their own state traditions on the principles of totalitarianism. The Mongol-Tatar factor had a significant influence on the formation of the newly created Moscow state as an eastern despotism and empire. But Moscow as an empire needed an ancient history, which could be provided by belonging to the «Kyiv heritage». The ideological basis of Moscow’s claims to Ukrainian lands was formulated in the «Legend of the Princes of Volodymyrsky». In addition, the muscovites spoke of their messianic function and declared the right to intervene in the affairs of states with an Orthodox population through supremacy in the Orthodox world according to the concept of the «Third Rome».
In the 19th century, Russia’s exclusivity and its right to own Ukrainian lands were justified by Slavophile ideas. The Bolshevik coup of 1917 did not deprive russians of messianic ideas, but instead of the idea of the “Third Rome,” the official ideology began to talk about exporting the proletarian revolution from russia to other states, and the Eurasianist movement developed in emigration. At the same time, the official ideology strongly supported the idea of the fraternal unity of Ukrainians and russians.
The ideologists of Russian imperialism emphasized Russia’s exceptional mission in the world order, but in reality, Russians were infected with an inferiority complex towards the countries of Western civilization. In turn, hatred and non-acceptance of the principles of state-building in European countries became one of the deep reasons for Russian society’s support for putin’s armed aggression against Ukraine.
Ukraine, as a part of Western civilization and a frontier state, abandoned its orientation towards the East in favor of European integration. This exacerbated the complexes and fears of the russian community that a successful democratic Ukraine could serve as a model for russian citizens and this would lead to the collapse of the Russian empire.