oa How Identities Become Crucial in Contemporary Conflicts and Interactions: Intangible Heritage in the Russo-Ukrainian War

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the national identities related to the Russo-Ukrainian War. The text highlights historical background information on the shared heritage of Russia and Ukraine and the gradual emergence of their distinct national identities. It explores the broader Russian objective of erasing Ukrainian cultural identity and the destruction of cultural assets as a weapon of irregular warfare. The article compared literature to convey the historical context relating to the heritage of Russia and Ukraine, tracing their origins back to Kievan Rus and the following developments, and used interview results to reflect the importance of intangible heritage in analysing the development of their national relationship.