The continuity of repressive practices over the past century proves that Russia has pursued a systematic policy of destroying Ukrainians, experts say.
This was discussed at the presentation of the analytical report “The Destruction of Ukrainian Identity as State Policy of the USSR and Russia,” organized in Kyiv by the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR).
Researchers interviewed former prisoners of war, all of whom described psychological and moral torture aimed at erasing their Ukrainian identity.
“There is not a single Ukrainian POW who has not been forced to memorize and sing the Russian national anthem, which is displayed in their cells. They are also made to learn Soviet and Russian songs. One prisoner, who did not speak or understand Russian at all, was beaten for it. This is a deliberate state policy by Russia to destroy Ukrainian identity,” said MIHR Executive Director Tetiana Katrychenko.
MIHR analysts compared Soviet-era archival cases from Ukraine’s SBU State Security Service with testimonies from modern prisoners and concluded that Russia’s repressive policies have remained consistent over decades.
“This practice is not new and did not start with the full-scale invasion — it has been ongoing for many decades. The Soviet Union once persecuted Ukrainians in the same way that Russia does today, targeting those with a strong Ukrainian identity and the potential to resist. Just as the Soviet regime repressed Ukrainian government officials, military units, and intellectuals, Russia now persecutes anyone who could oppose its rule. The ultimate goal is to strip Ukrainians of their statehood,” said MIHR analyst Vladyslav Havrylov.
According to researchers, several key factors indicate the systematic nature of this repression and its primary objective — the erasure of Ukrainian identity.
“First, the use of torture against Ukrainians has been explicitly permitted — this is fundamental in any legal system, no matter how oppressive. We must clearly understand that there is a political authorization to kill Ukrainians. Second, both Soviet-era Communist terror and modern Russian terror share the same goal — denationalization. Third, the main purpose of torture is not to extract information; after all, what critical intelligence could a prisoner of war possess? The real objective is submission — to break a person’s will. This pattern extends beyond the Soviet period and can be traced back to the Russian Empire,” noted Roman Podkur, a senior researcher at the Institute of History of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences.
Experts believe the persistence of repressive practices over time demonstrates Russia’s systematic efforts to eliminate Ukrainian identity.
Source: Experts: Russia systematically uses repressive practices to erase Ukrainians
