Transformation of political regimes in Ukraine and Russia in the context of democracy building and consolidation of authoritarianism

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to identify the differences in political development between Ukraine and Russia to understand the factors behind the departure from democratic traditions. The methods employed included content analysis of the media and statistical analysis of survey data. The findings of the study revealed that the demand for democracy in Ukraine was greater than in Russia, as almost 43% of Ukrainians expressed absolute confidence in the significance of democracy, while only 23% of Russians did. It was found that the period of 1994-2007 in Ukraine was characterised by both attempts to introduce authoritarian aspects into the life of the state and the peak of the increase in civil liberties and political rights after the Orange Revolution. At the same time, Russia experienced a complete authoritarian breakdown, especially after the 2003 parliamentary elections, where the United Russia party won two-thirds of the seats, including through administrative resources. The development of civil society organisations was also highlighted as an aspect of political regime formation. Their overall sustainability in both Ukraine and Russia was stagnant in 2005-2014. However, after the beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014, the resilience of Ukrainian civil society organisations has considerably improved, while in Russia it has declined, as the study findings showed. Thus, the post-independence period of both countries did not have substantial differences. The findings of this study can be used in shaping political strategies and educational programmes in the field of international relations.