“I would never want Ukraine to be a piece on the map, on the chessboard of big global players, so that someone could toss us around, use us as cover, as part of some bargain.” —Volodymyr Zelensky (2022)

One of the functions of a robust culture is to empower its members to adapt to changes. Ukrainian culture has run underground for centuries, while the culture of Russia has dominated Ukraine. Now, Ukraine has had a short window to showcase itself—as itself—on the global stage. The story the Russians have been telling is not all there is to say about Ukraine.

In this chapter, we will take a look at how the cultural institutions of Ukraine differ from the official Russian myth of uniformity. We shall also see that one of the reasons for the strife over identity is that the two cultures are in fact very similar. Siblings squabble the hardest.