Geopolitical Dynamics and National Identity in Eastern Europe

The interplay of historical legacies, external influence and evolving collective identities has shaped the security environment and political trajectories of Eastern European states. Since the end of the Cold War, many countries in the region have navigated between competing spheres of influence, principally that of Russia and of Western institutions such as the European Union and NATO. These dynamics have been driven by energy dependencies, demographic shifts and the legacy of empire, while local elites and civil societies have pursued divergent models of statehood and belonging. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked a watershed, crystallising debates over sovereignty, territorial integrity and the nature of the post-Soviet order. In response, national identities in Ukraine, the Baltic states and Central Europe have tended to coalesce around civic conceptions of the nation, often defined in opposition to perceived external threats. At the same time, Russia’s renewed emphasis on a civilisational concept of “Russian World” has aimed to legitimise intervention in neighbouring states under the guise of protecting ethnic kin. Across the region, identity politics interacts with electoral competition, migration and memory politics to produce complex patterns of solidarity and division. The global significance of these developments is reflected in the recalibration of Western foreign policy, the acceleration of defence cooperation and the search for more resilient energy and information infrastructures.

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Technical terms

National identity: Shared sense of belonging to a nation, shaped by common history, language, culture and political values.

Geopolitical dynamics: Strategic interactions among states influenced by geography, resources, power relations and external alliances.

Civic identity: Conception of national belonging based on citizenship, institutions and political principles rather than ethnic or linguistic criteria.

Sovereignty: Principle of independent authority and lawful decision-making power of a state over its territory and population.

References

1. Imperialism, supremacy, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Contemporary Security Policy (2023).
2. Roots of Ukrainian resilience and the agency of Ukrainian society before and after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Contemporary Security Policy (2023).
3. Russkii as the New Rossiiskii ? Nation-Building in Russia After 1991. Nationalities Papers (2022).
4. European Ukrainians and their fight against Russian invasion. Nations and Nationalism (2022).