History of the Formation of Ethnic Minority Organisations at the Beginning of Ukraine’s Independence

Abstract

Ukraine’s progress in European integration requires understanding the specifics of ethnic policy under current conditions. Therefore, the issue of historical retrospectives of the formation and activities of ethnic minority organizations in the early 1990s as one of the factors of state-building remains relevant. This study aims to analyze the historical context and peculiarities of the institutionalization of ethnic minority structures in Ukraine at the initial stage of the restoration of Ukrainian state independence. The research object is ethnic minority organizations, primarily those that focused their activities on national and cultural revival. The methodological framework includes the principles of historicism, tolerance, scientific impartiality, and impartiality. The formation of ethnic community organisations and the main vectors of their activities during the specified period have been traced in detail. Despite many common historical, cultural, and socio-political backgrounds, the formation of such organisations for different communities could have its peculiarities. For example, for Jewish organizations, the demographic issue was acute due to emigrant sentiments in the Jewish community. As for ethnic minorities like Hungarians and Romanians, they had close ties with their historical homelands. This fact also influenced their organizational structure in Ukraine. The Georgian minority built their organizations emphasizing cooperation between Ukraine and Georgia. Germans also sought to maintain ties with their historical homeland. For Poles, the religious factor was significant. Overall, in Ukraine, there were quite favorable conditions for the full development and activities of ethnic minorities despite the complex political and economic situation of the early 1990s. Nowadays, the issue of organizational development of ethnic communities is a matter of focus for state authorities both at the legislative level and at the level of local communities.