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In My Name: The Impact of Regional Identity on Civilian Attitudes in the Armed Conflict in Donbas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2019

Serhiy Kudelia  and
Johanna van Zyl
Serhiy Kudelia*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
Johanna van Zyl
Affiliation:
Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: Sergiy_Kudelia@baylor.edu
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Abstract

This article examines the effect of shared group membership on civilian attitudes regarding insurgent forces during an armed conflict. We rely on the original survey conducted in eight towns of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in May–June 2015. Based on the bivariate and multivariate analysis of the survey results, this article finds that a sense of shared identity with rebel forces at the start of the armed conflict in Donbas had a strong independent effect on civilian views of insurgents. Those respondents who identified themselves as residents of the region were more likely to attribute ideational motives to insurgents, report no knowledge of civilian victimization caused by rebel forces, and feel secure in their presence. By contrast, respondents identifying themselves as Ukrainian citizens were more likely to attribute material motives to insurgents, indicate their responsibility for attacks against civilians, and feel intimidated during direct encounters with rebels. These findings point to broader significance of identity cleavages in explaining the Donbas conflict.

Keywords

political violenceinsurgencyregional identityDonbasUkraine
Type
Special Issue Article
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 47 , Special Issue 5: Special Issue on the Donbas Conflict , September 2019 , pp. 801 - 821
Copyright
© Association for the Study of Nationalities 2019

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