Eban Raymond argues that Russian national identity is beset by a lack of security, and depends on defining itself in opposition to Ukraine. These contradictory ideas remain at the core of Russia’s national identity, long after Vladimir Putin became President in 2000. Ukraine: Russia’s brother and ‘other’Ukraine occupies a contradictory position within the construction of Russian national identity. Because Russian identity remains flexible, its various strands can be invoked in rhetoric that reflects the political situation. Russia’s national identity and ontological security – its certainty of its place in the world – relies on Ukraine remaining subordinate.
