TERRITORIAL IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF RESISTANCE TO RUSSIAN EXPANSION

Abstract

The article examines the use of oikonyms as a marker of territorial identity and a means of geopolitical influence. The influence of the Soviet Union on the territorial identity of the population of Ukraine is analyzed, in particular, the Soviet practice of renaming settlements within the framework of the instrumentalist approach to territorial identity, which was aimed at the unification of cultural space and the weakening of local identity. The differences in the spread of Soviet toponymy on the territory of Ukraine are analyzed using the example of Chernihiv, Luhansk, Kirovohrad, Ternopil regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The instrumentalist approach of the Russian Federation to territorial identity, based on the restoration of Soviet toponyms in the occupied territories as a means of legitimizing expansion, is considered. The role of geopolitical narratives is analyzed, in particular, the role of local and global geopolitical narratives and their connection with the toponymy of Ukraine. Toponymic practices are analyzed within the framework of postcolonial theory. The similarity between the colonial practices of renaming toponyms in the British Empire and the Soviet methods of changing the names of settlements is noted. In particular, the renaming of local names in the British colonies is compared with the Russification of toponyms in the USSR, as well as giving geographical objects the names of prominent political figures. Special attention is paid to decommunization as a form of decolonization and protection of national identity. At the same time, it is noted that the relations of the Russian Federation with post-Soviet countries are more complex than classical colonial ties, since Russia uses the Soviet legacy for imperial influence on Ukraine. Russian toponymic practices are considered a form of neo-colonialism.The process of decommunization of toponymy is considered as an element of national security policy, which should counteract the use of toponymy as a tool of hybrid aggression. It is proposed to create a national policy of renaming oikonyms as an element of information stability, as well as the introduction of modern Ukrainian oikonyms as part of the decommunization process.