Регионы Украины (Запад, Восток, Юг) в социокультурном контексте

The article deals with the essential issue of current time – differences and contradictions between the Ukrainian regions. Due to historical development, Ukraine has become separated into some regional parts. Nowadays this separation is preventing a real unification between the different regions of one country. The dynamics of historical regional contradictions and their reasons are being traced in this paper. This state had been formed under influences of minimum three various traditions: Russian, European (it means – being a part of the significant territories of Austro- Hungary monarchy) and the Turkish Empire. That is why objectively linguistic, cultural, political and economical priorities have become different and meaningful. The independent Ukraine has existed since 1991, but the citizens of the country for the given period of the time have not turned into the united nation. It clearly shows that people living in different parts of the country are not only disunited, but have almost nothing in common. The division between the western and the eastern regions in Ukraine directly correlates with the historical line of a split between Orthodox Church and Catholic Church. Interconfessional relations get complicated because of withstanding political elites using religion in their own purposes. The mentality of the Ukrainian people was formed under the interaction of complicated historical processes and circumstances. The geopolitical location on the crossing of historical ways from the East toward the West, and from the North to the South has played the important role in the destiny of analyzed country. There are two approaches to the notion of the «Ukrainian nation»: political and ethnical. It says about harshly controversial views of the future Ukraine. It is necessary to take into consideration that Ukraine is one of the biggest country of Europe and a member of CIS. All this vividly shows the actuality of researching interregional contradictions in Ukraine. The countries which do not realize the meaning of reintegration mechanism of their people, creating all-national identification, and own mission in the world, can be condemned for loosing international competitiveness. The influence of nationalism is very strong in the Western regions of Ukraine. Historically they are drawn to Europe. On the contrary, the Eastern parts of the country are drawn to Russia. Regionalism and differences in the ethnical structure of population and in the ethno-cultural peculiarities of historical areas of Ukraine are forming background and extreme complexity of socio-cultural situation in the country. Ukraine is harrowed by enmity of regional elites. It is worth of seeing the electoral preferences, which will obviously demonstrate antagonistic contrasts between them. Other citizens are totally involved in the process of regional division of the country. Therefore, the learning of the reasons for ambivalent situation in interregional relations will be helpful to find the adequate outcome from unstable situation in Ukraine and avoid many conflicts.