Between Civic Loyalty and Religious Identity

The Russian-Ukrainian war has highlighted the problem of the relationship between civic loyalty and religious identity, especially against the backdrop of the ambiguous attitude of Muslim countries and movements towards the conflict. In the article, I examine both the reaction on the Russian-Ukrainian war at the level of government structures in Muslim countries and at the level of transnational Islamic movements that have followers in Ukraine. I also examine how Muslim communities in Ukraine address this issue at the level of behavioral strategies, as well as theological and public discourse. Particular attention is paid to how situational identity is expressed in the clash of interests between religious and civil reference groups to which Muslims in Ukraine belong. In the article, I highlight three types of attitudes among Muslim communities towards the war in Ukraine: 1) neutrality (“This is not our war”); 2) support for Russia; 3) support for Ukraine. I conclude that Muslims in Ukraine, despite their diverse origins, form a loyal community to the state, with Muslims born in Ukraine showing the greatest civic loyalty.