III ALL-UKRAINIAN HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL FORUM TO THE DAY OF THE UNITY OF UKRAINE AND THE DAY OF MEMORY OF THE HEROES OF THE HEAVENLY HUNDRED

On January 17, 2024, on the eve of the celebration of the Day of the Unity of Ukraine, the 3rd All-Ukrainian Historical and Cultural Forum to the Day of the Unity of Ukraine and the Day of Memory of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred was held at Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav.

The co-organizer of the event, already traditionally, was the Kuras Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies of the NAS of Ukraine. Employees of our Institute took an active part in the work of the Forum. At the panel discussion “Ukraine is free. United. Indivisible” was presented by the head of the Department of Political Culture and Ideology, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Yuriy Nikolaiets and the chief researcher of the Department of Ethno-Political Sciences, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor Oleg Kalakura.

Yuriy Nikolaiets and Oleg Kalakura

Oleg Kalakura emphasized the role of the Ukrainian revolution in the formation of the national identity of Ukrainians and the realization of the national idea. Significant events of the Ukrainian revolution: the formation of the Ukrainian Central Council and its proclamation of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and its independence, the activities of the Ukrainian State during the time of Hetman P. Skoropadskyi, the formation of the West Ukrainian People’s Republic, the restoration of the People’s Republic of Ukraine during the Directory, the conclusion of the Act of Unification of the two Ukrainian states – were accompanied by profound changes in public consciousness, the formation of new values as components of national identity. The Act of Unification UPR and WUPR proved that Ukraine emerged as a modern political nation. The speaker compared the events of the Ukrainian revolution with the period of the restoration of Ukraine’s independence and the war for the independence and unity of Ukraine.

Participants of the scientific event

Yuriy Nikolaiets analyzed the specifics of the confrontation in the information space during the Russian-Ukrainian war. He emphasized that during the war, it is important not only to inform citizens in a timely and balanced manner about the most important events, but also to ensure and maintain a high level of media literacy of the population, which should become the most effective obstacle on the way to the implementation of enemy PSYOP. For the successful implementation of defined goals and tasks in political activity, the authorities should pay much more attention to well-balanced informing of citizens about the problems that exist in society, possible ways to solve them, and prospects for the country’s development in difficult military conditions. The outline of such perspectives and clear and understandable ways for citizens to achieve the goals and objectives defined by the Ukrainian top leadership should become a powerful means of preserving social stability. For this purpose, the communication between authorities and citizens should be significantly improved. This is especially important for the implementation of measures that are unpopular among citizens, the implementation of which requires balanced targeted information campaigns based on a scientific analysis of their course and possible results. The discussant emphasized the need to help increase the level of media literacy of Ukrainians, especially young people, noting the role of Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav in this process.