Ukrainophilia

Ukrainophilia is the feeling or expression of interest in, respect for, and appreciation of Ukrainians on the part of a non-Ukrainian. More specifically, a Ukrainophile is someone who has a strongly positive predisposition or sympathy towards Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, with an admiration for their language and literature, culture (art, music, cuisine, etc.), history, or government. The opposite sentiment is Ukrainophobia. The term is most often used in a political context; Ukrainian nationalism and associated pro-Ukrainian sentiment has historically been a core theme of the nation's cultural, social, and legal struggle against Russification and other manifestations of Russian imperialism. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the phenomenon of Ukrainophilia has become more widespread due to Ukraine's strained relationship with Russia, culminating in the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014 and escalating significantly with the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.