“The Right to Freedom: State-driven Institutionalization of Decolonization Through Memory Politics in Ukraine (2022–2024)”

Abstract Ukraine’s pursuit of decolonization following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 represents a critical turning point in redefining the country’s identity and geopolitical positioning. This article examines how the Ukrainian state, after February 24 of 2022, has actively institutionalized decolonization through memory politics as both a survival strategy and a means of fostering international decolonial solidarity. While domestically, decolonization serves as a mechanism for national resilience and sovereignty consolidation, internationally, it functions as a diplomatic framework for positioning Ukraine within global debates on post-imperial justice. The study highlights how the process of decolonization evolved from earlier decommunization efforts into a broader government-driven disentanglement from Russia’s imperial legacy. In this process, memory securitization—deploying historical narratives as a tool of state resilience and diplomatic engagement—has become a central instrument in shaping Ukraine’s domestic and international positioning. The article employs critical discourse analysis of legal texts, political speeches, and foreign policy documents to demonstrate that Ukraine’s institutionalized decolonization serves as a pivotal example of ontological security-seeking, contributing to the conceptualization of decolonization beyond the Global North–Global South axis. By treating historical disentanglement from Russia as a matter of existential security, the Ukrainian government mobilizes decolonization to stabilize its self-narrative and reinforce national unity in times of war. This ontological security-seeking extends beyond domestic discourse, as Ukraine actively integrates decolonial rhetoric into its diplomatic engagement, seeking international recognition of Russia’s war as an imperial conflict.