“Pravova derzhava”. Issue 37 (2026), pages 700–709.

DOI: 10.33663/0869-2491-2026-37-700-709

Yavir Vira
Ukraine’s foreign ethopolicy: institutional and legal dimensions Introduction

ISSN online: 2617-9776 print: 0869-2491

Introduction. The external dimension of Ukraine’s ethnopolicy is becoming increasingly important due to the challenges posed by the Russian-Ukrainian war, primarily as a result of the increase in the number of Ukrainians abroad and the need for Ukraine to respond to these challenges in the field of ethnopolicy, using a wide variety of political and legal instruments — from multiple citizenship (which will allow Ukrainians to maintain legal ties with Ukraine) to national-cultural autonomy (to meet the needs and interests of Ukrainians abroad). The emergence of the concept of a state’s foreign ethnopolicy is due to the need to develop theoretical tools for a more in-depth and detailed analysis of the ethnopolitical sphere, taking into account contemporary challenges. The aim of the study is to deepen the theory of the state’s foreign ethnopolicy and to study it in more detail using the example of Ukraine’s foreign ethnopolicy. Accordingly, the objectives of the study are to examine certain legal aspects of Ukraine’s foreign ethnopolicy and its institutional dimension.

Сonclusions. Using the example of Ukraine’s ethnopolicy, it is assumed that foreign ethnopolicy is a continuation of domestic ethnopolicy and is formed at the intersection of ethnopolicy and foreign policy. The analysis of the legal and institutional framework of Ukraine’s foreign ethnopolicy reveals its dual institutional subordination: foreign aspects of ethnopolicy fall under the authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the central executive body of foreign policy, and the State Service for Ethnopolicy as an institution predominantly responsible for domestic ethnopolicy. At the same time, Ukraine’s foreign ethnopolicy is not explicitly outlined in the political-legal field and remains only fragmentarily addressed in domestic ethnopolitical studies. This creates endless prospects for further scientific research, both in the field of conceptualization and operationalization of the concept of a state’s foreign ethnopolicy.

Keywords: domestic ethnopolicy, foreign ethnopolicy, Ukraine, national minorities, national-cultural autonomy, multiple citizenship, European integration, ethnopolitical security.

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Дата першого надходження рукопису до видання: 20.12.2025
Дата прийнятого до друку рукопису після рецензування: 03.03.2026
Дата публікації: 24.03.2026