GEOSOPHICAL ASPECTS OF SHAPING TERRITORY OF UKRAINE

Abstract

Relevance of the research. The modern Russian-Ukrainian war, during that the state-aggressor annexes temporally occupied Ukrainian territories so as they were as if “Russian” from ages, with an especial acuteness enhances the question about Ukrainian ethnical boundaries and boundaries of the Ukrainian state formations that were existing in the past time. The subject of the research is the process of shaping Ukrainian national territory in the context of enlarging Ukrainians in Eurasia, so as in the context of securing state boundaries on different stages of the Ukrainian state shaping. The purpose of the study is to line geosophical aspects of the process of shaping Ukrainian national territory in the ethnical context, so as in the aspect of the state organization of this territory. Research methodology: geosophical approach, dialectics, systemic approach, landscape approach, historical method, cartographical method, the methods of analysis, synthesis, comparing, generalization. Research results. The ways of shaping Ukrainian national territory from geosophical positions in the historical context are lined, the differentiation of evolution of the Ukrainian ethnical and state boundaries is realized, and perspectives of the potential growing of the territory of Ukraine are marked. Practical significance: accepted results may be used in the process of the after-war organization of the territory of Eastern Europe during potential disintegration of the Russian Federation. Conclusions. The evolution of the Ukrainian ethnical territory is characterized by its growing from the beginning of the history of statehood (the IX-th century) to the end of the XIX-th – beginning of the XX-th century; the boundaries of Ukrainian state formations in the ancient times, so as in the XX-th century, were shaped with relation to ethnical boundaries, so as with dependence from outer circumstances. Further studies of this issue should be aimed at using geosophical approach for the analysis of evolution of the national territories of other states, especially those that have boundaries with the Russian Federation, and also those that can be founded on its ruins in future.