Psychological causes of collaborationism in Ukraine

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the psychological causes of collaborationism in Ukraine as a result of the occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine by Russia. The author identifies the determinants that influenced the formation of the collaborator’s personality. The article illustrates statistical data on the prevalence of this criminal offense in Ukraine since the amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding the criminalization of collaborationism. At the same time, the author analyzes the reasons and conditions that determine the existence of the phenomenon of collaborationism in Ukraine, identifying their ideological, political, educational, cultural, and economic basis. In particular, regarding the reasons, it is noted that they are generated by a long-term targeted ideological and propaganda influence on the citizens of Ukraine since Soviet times, which included cultural, educational, linguistic, ethnic, historical, religious, economic and other components. The author also analyzes the actions of the occupiers after the occupation of new territories in Ukraine, in particular, he notes the total dismantling of any mention of Ukraine (the detention of patriot activists, the destruction of monuments, the renaming of streets, the ban on the Ukrainian language, educational propaganda). It is worth noting that the vast majority of collaborators (almost 70% of identified individuals) committed a criminal offense under Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine at the age of 40 or older. In fact, it can be argued that the Soviet ideology, which still had an inertial influence in the first decade of independent Ukraine, had a significant impact on the formation of the offender’s personality. The author also emphasizes that occupation is a stressful, extreme situation for any person, which also needs to be taken into account when assessing collaborative activities.