CHANGES IN MOTIVATION TO LEARN UKRAINIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE DUE TO THE WAR

The article analyses the transformation of the motivation for learning Ukrainian as a foreign language (UFL) in the context of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. Until 2022, the main motivational factors for foreign students learning Ukrainian were academic (studying at Ukrainian higher education institutions), professional (working in business, international organisations, translation) and cultural (interest in Ukrainian literature, history, art). Since the outbreak of the war, however, there have been significant changes in the international perception of the Ukrainian language. On the one hand, the language has become an important symbol of national resistance and, on the other, a means of expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people. The study involved students of UFL courses in individual classes or in private language schools in Lviv and Kyiv. New groups of interested foreigners were identified and changes in their motivation to learn UFL were traced. The novelty lies both in the selected group of respondents - adults learning UFL privately - and in the timeframe of the study - before and after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. The study identified new types of motivation that have intensified in response to the war. In particular, instrumental motivation has increased, manifested in the desire to master the language in order to find employment with Ukrainian and international organisations involved in humanitarian aid, journalism and diplomacy. Integrative motivation has also become particularly important: foreigners want to learn Ukrainian in order to communicate with refugees and volunteers, to support friends and colleagues, and to expand intercultural ties. Patriotic and empathic motivation is also illustrated, reflecting the growing support for Ukraine in the world and the desire to join its cultural space through the language. The results of this study are important for teachers of Ukrainian as a foreign language, methodologists and curriculum developers, sociolinguists, cultural studies and political science. They will help to adapt the educational process to new realities, taking into account changes in students’ motivational factors. The study will also contribute to the development of sociolinguistic approaches to language learning as an element of identity, communication and international cooperation. Key words: Ukrainian as a foreign language, motivation for language learning (instrumental, integrative, patriotic and empathic), teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language.