DESTRUCTION OF RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS AND THEIR IMPACT ON RELIGIOUS SELF-IDENTIFICATION
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2415-881x.2025.95.84-105
Abstract
The study examines the correlation between the destruction of religious buildings and the effectiveness of Russian propaganda narratives in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war. It analyzes the scale of destruction of religious objects in Ukraine during 2022-2024, identifies the main Russian propaganda narratives aimed at weakening Ukraine's national resilience, and evaluates Ukrainian society's response to church destructions.
The research establishes the systematic nature of religious objects' destruction (over 643 damaged buildings), demonstrating the deliberate nature of these actions as part of a strategy to destroy Ukraine's cultural and spiritual heritage. The study reveals that the destruction of religious buildings had a paradoxical effect: instead of weakening Ukrainian national identity, it significantly strengthened it through the consolidation of the religious space. The study proves that key Russian propaganda narratives, such as the concepts of the «Russian world,» «fraternal peoples,» and Russia's positioning as a «defender of Orthodoxy,» have suffered a crushing defeat in Ukrainian public discourse. The formation of a strong social consensus on the need to consolidate Ukraine's Orthodox space and limit the activities of religious organizations associated with Russia has been identified. The research proves that the destruction of religious buildings has become a catalyst for transformational processes in Ukraine's religious sphere, contributing to strengthening national unity and forming a stable immunity to Russian propaganda narratives.
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