The study analyzes changes in the perception of historical events through the lens of contemporary historical policy, enabling a comprehensive examination of the interaction among historiographical trends, public perceptions, and political decision-making. An interdisciplinary approach was employed, combining historical, political, and legal methods. The analytical framework included the concept of collective memory, approaches from memory studies, and historiographical and comparative analyses. The study identifies the role of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINP) in shaping historical policy in Ukraine. It demonstrates that Russian aggression, which began in 2014 and entered a new phase in 2022, became one of the principal factors driving substantial transformations in historical policy and increasing public interest in Ukraine’s past. These developments intensified the processes of decommunization and decolonization. The Law of Ukraine “On the Principles of State Policy of the National Memory of the Ukrainian People” is expected to play an important role in the further development of historical policy, while debates concerning centralism and pluralism in the interpretation of particular historical events are likely to continue. Contemporary historical policy in Ukraine is therefore characterized by its multidimensional nature, combining official and unofficial practices of actualizing historical memory. Although the term “historical policy” is not clearly defined within the legal framework, a well-established set of measures aimed at regulating interpretations of the past is already in place.
The study analyzes changes in the perception of historical events through the lens of contemporary historical policy, enabling a comprehensive examination of the interaction among historiographical trends, public perceptions, and political decision-making. An interdisciplinary approach was employed, combining historical, political, and legal methods. The analytical framework included the concept of collective memory, approaches from memory studies, and historiographical and comparative analyses. The study identifies the role of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINP) in shaping historical policy in Ukraine. It demonstrates that Russian aggression, which began in 2014 and entered a new phase in 2022, became one of the principal factors driving substantial transformations in historical policy and increasing public interest in Ukraine’s past. These developments intensified the processes of decommunization and decolonization. The Law of Ukraine “On the Principles of State Policy of the National Memory of the Ukrainian People” is expected to play an important role in the further development of historical policy, while debates concerning centralism and pluralism in the interpretation of particular historical events are likely to continue. Contemporary historical policy in Ukraine is therefore characterized by its multidimensional nature, combining official and unofficial practices of actualizing historical memory. Although the term “historical policy” is not clearly defined within the legal framework, a well-established set of measures aimed at regulating interpretations of the past is already in place.
