THE EXISTENTIAL TRAGEDY OF UKRAINIANNESS IN CONTEMPORARY NATIONAL DOCUMENTARY POST-DRAMA ABOUT THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR

The article analyzes the artistic depiction of the existential tragedy of Ukrainianness in contemporary national documentary post-drama about the Russian-Ukrainian war of 2022 – 2025. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines strategies of literary analysis, existential philosophy and psychology, the study of collective and historical trauma, and postcolonial criticism. Documentary post-drama serves as a medium for collective testimony and memorialization, capturing the war experience in an artistic dimension. It contributes to the preservation of memory, plays a therapeutic role by helping society process traumatic experiences, and functions as an instrument of identification, shaping a new national narrative. In wartime conditions, theater becomes a means of preserving historical memory, providing therapy through art, and fostering a new perspective on national self-awareness. Theatrical art not only documents events but also transforms collective perceptions of the Ukrainian nation, its struggle, and its future. Moreover, the war has altered the very essence of theater – it has become an act of resistance that records history in real-time. Theater is no longer merely a form of artistic expression but a crucial witness of the era, actively responding to current events and shaping a new nationally oriented cultural reality.