‘Social Distancing’ and Hierarchies of Belonging: The Case of Displaced Population from Donbas and Crimea

Abstract

Following the 2013–2014 protests against then Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the armed conflict in Donbas, one of the major challenges for Ukrainian society has been the displacement of over two million of its inhabitants. In 2015, at the peak of the displacement, Ukraine found itself among the five countries in the world, after Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Nigeria, with the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) associated with conflict and violence, and it continues to rank highest in Europe. Very little research has been done to provide a detailed analysis of how internally displaced persons living in Ukraine and outside the country claim and negotiate their belonging in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and the ensuing war. Feeling of belonging is constructed through a relational process of self- and external categorisation and depends on acknowledgement by other members of the chosen group, therefore this essay also examines the strength and regional specificity of the social distancing towards different groups of Ukrainian IDPs.

Notes

1 Opinion polls in Ukraine are currently not ‘nationally representative’ in a strict sense, as for interviewers’ and interviewees’ safety, they are not conducted in occupied Crimea or Donetsk and Luhansk oblasti, which are not under the control of the Ukrainian government. The survey was part of the University of St Gallen project ‘Region, Nation and Beyond. An Interdisciplinary and Transcultural Reconceptualization of Ukraine’ funded by the Swiss National Foundation with support of the Ukrainian Studies Foundation, the Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Modern Ukrainian History and Society, the Wolodymyr George Danyliw Foundation. Research team, available at: http://www.uaregio.org/en/network/network-scholars/, accessed 9 November 2019.

2 The territory of Ukraine is typically divided into four or five macro-regions; data are presented here for each macro-region separately.

3 ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine: Causes of Displacement, Strategies of Resettlement, and Problems of Adaptation’ funded by the British Embassy and the Ukrainian Peacebuilding school.

4 A detailed list of localities from and to which respondents migrated is presented in Table A1 in the Appendix.

5 Project ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces: Current Ukrainian Refugees’ was part of the international research ‘Cultural Contact Zones in Ukraine’ funded by the Center for Governance and Culture in Europe, University of St Gallen, available at: http://www.uaregio.org/en/about/stage-6/, accessed 9 November 2019.

6 A detailed list of localities from and to which respondents migrated is presented in Table A1 in the Appendix.

7 Research project ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy: Understanding the Outcomes of Population Displacement from the Country’s War Torn Regions’, conducted by an interdisciplinary team from the University of Birmingham, University of Oxford and Ukrainian Catholic University (AHRC PCCSR award, available at: https://idpukraine.com/, accessed 9 November 2019).

8 A detailed list of localities from and to which respondents migrated is presented in Table A1 in the Appendix.

9 I participated as co-investigator in each of these projects.

10 A detailed list of the main topics in the interview guideline is presented in Table A1 in the Appendix.

11 See also, ‘Vnutrishnie peremishchennia v Ukraini. Ohliad “Krym-Sos”’ 2017, KRYM-SOS, available at: http://krymsos.com/files/6/8/6849925--------2017--------------------.pdf, accessed 9 November 2019.

12 Interview with Crimean man, 55+, resettled to Kherson from Zolote, Kherson, December 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with Crimean woman, under 35, resettled to Kyiv from Simferopol, Kyiv, November 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with Crimean woman, under 35, resettled to Odesa from Simferopol, Odesa, November 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with Crimean man, under 35, resettled to Kyiv from Simferopol, Kyiv, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

13 Interview with Crimean woman, under 35, resettled to Kharkiv from Partenid, Kharkiv, October 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with Crimean man, under 35, resettled to Kharkiv from Sevastopol, Kharkiv, October 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with Crimean woman, under 35, resettled to Kyiv from Simferopol, Kyiv, November 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with Crimean man, 55+, resettled to Lviv from Bakhchisarai, Lviv, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

14 Interview with woman, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Lviv from Bulavinka, Lviv, October 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with man, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Kharkiv from Luhansk, Kharkiv, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’; interview with man, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Odesa from Luhansk, Odesa, June 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’; interview with woman, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Donetsk, Kyiv, July 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’.

15 Interview with woman, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Kharkiv from Luhansk, Kharkiv, October 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with man, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Dobropillia from Elenovka, Doropillia, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’; interview with woman, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Engelsovo, Kyiv, July 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’; interview with woman, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Zaporizhzhia from Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, August 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’.

16 ‘Khuzhe vsekh k pereselentsam otnosiatsia na zapadnoi Ukraine i v Kieve—Socopros’, strana.ua, available at: https://strana.ua/news/17170-na-zapadnoj-ukraine-menshe-vsego-kontaktiruyut-s-pereselencami-no-otnosyatsya-k-nim-huzhe-vseh-kmis.html, accessed 9 November 2019; ‘Gosti s Vostoka. Pochemu ukraintsy ne rady pereselentsam is Donbassa?’, RT, available at: https://russian.rt.com/ussr/article/454520-ukraina-pereselenci-donbass, accessed 9 November 2019; ‘Dorosh, S. Pereselentsy s Donbassa: Nadezhda vernutsia domoi ugasaet’, BBC Russia, available at: https://www.bbc.com/russian/features/2016/06/160620_ukraine_settlers_numbers, accessed 9 November 2019.

17 Interview with Crimean man, 35–54, resettled to Kherson from Bakhchysarai, Kherson, December 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with Crimean man, 55+, resettled to Lviv from Zarechnoe, Lviv, October 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with Crimean woman, 55+, resettled to Kherson from Crimea, Kherson, September 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

18 Interview with Crimean man, 55+, resettled to Lviv, Lviv, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

19 Interview with Crimean man, 55+, resettled to Kyiv, Kyiv, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

20 Interview with woman, 35–54, from Donetsk, Donetsk, August 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

21 Interview with woman, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Severodonetsk from Pervomaisk, Severodonetsk, August 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

22 Interview with woman, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Odesa from Donetsk, Odesa, December 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with man, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Lviv from Debaltsevo, Lviv, June 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’; interview with woman, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Odesa from Yuzhnoe, Odesa, December 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with woman, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Bakhmut from Debaltsevo, Bakhmut, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

23 Interview with woman, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Odesa from Yuzhnoe, Odesa, December 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’.

24 Interview with woman, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Odesa from Makeevka, Odesa, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

25 Interview with woman, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Odesa from Donetsk, December 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’.

26 Interview with woman, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Lviv from Donetsk, Lviv, October 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’.

27 Interview with woman, 55+, from Donetsk, Donetsk, August 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

28 Interview with woman, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Kherson from Pervomaisk, Kherson, September 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

29 Interview with man, under 35, from Donbas resettled from Donetsk to Belarus and later to Odesa, Odesa, December 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’.

30 Interview with man, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Iasinovata, Kyiv, July 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’.

31 Interview with Crimean man, 35–54, resettled to Lviv from Bakhchisarai, Lviv, July 2016, project: ‘Displaces Cultural Spaces’.

32 Interview with man, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Odesa from Donetsk, Odesa, December 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’.

33 Interview with Crimean man, 35–54, resettled to Zaporizhzhia from Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, March 2018, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’.

34 Interview with woman, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Donetsk, Kyiv, July 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’; interview with man, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Donbas, Kyiv, July 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’; interview with man, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Lviv from Donetsk, Lviv, May 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’.

35 Interview with Crimean man, 55+, resettled to Kherson from Feodosiia, Kherson, September 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’; interview with Crimean woman, 35–54, resettled to Lviv from Simferopol, Lviv, May 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’; interview with man, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Lviv from Donetsk, Lviv, May 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’.

36 Interview with Crimean woman, 35–54, resettled to Zaporizhzhia from Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, March 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’; interview with man, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Dnipro from Makeevka, Dnipro, October 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with Crimean woman, under 35, resettled to Kharkiv from Partenid, Kharkiv, October 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’; interview with man, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Dobropillia from Marievka, Dobropillia, August 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

37 Interview with woman, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Donetsk, Kyiv, July 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’.

38 Interview with man, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Donetsk, Kyiv, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

39 Interview with man, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Donetsk, Kyiv, November 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’.

40 Interview with man, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Dobropillia from Elenovka, Dobropillia, August 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

41 Interview with woman, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Engelsovo, Kyiv, July 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’; interview with woman, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Alchevsk, Kyiv, July 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’; interview with woman, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Zaporizhzhia from Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, October 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’.

42 Interview with woman, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Donetsk, Kyiv, July 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’; interview with woman, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Lviv from Donetsk, Lviv, June 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’; interview with man, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Mariupol from Makeevka, Mariupol, October 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’.

43 Interview with woman, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Russia, Cherepovets, August 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

44 Interview with Crimean woman, 35–54, resettled to Russia, Salekhard, August 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

45 Interview with man, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Russia, Tumen, August 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

46 Interview with Crimean man, under 35, resettled to Kharkiv from Sevastopol, Kharkiv, November 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’.

47 Interview with Crimean man, 55+, resettled to Kyiv from Simferopol, Kyiv, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

48 Interview with woman, under 35, from Donbas resettled to Bakhmut from Debaltsevo, Bakhmut, July 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’; interview with woman, 55+, resettled to Crimea from Donetsk, August 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’; interview with man, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Moscow from Donetsk, Moscow, August 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’; interview with woman, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Donetsk, Kyiv, July 2017, project: ‘Ukraine’s Hidden Tragedy’.

49 Interview with man, 55+, from Donbas resettled to Kherson from Donetsk, Kherson, September 2016, project: ‘Displaced Cultural Spaces’.

50 Interview with man, 35–54, from Donbas resettled to Kyiv from Donetsk, Kyiv, November 2014, project: ‘Contemporary Refugees in Ukraine’.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Viktoriya Sereda

Viktoriya Sereda, Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University; Associate Professor of Sociology, Ukrainian Catholic University, Bandery str, 35/3a, Lviv 79013, Ukraine. Email: [email protected]