Bilingualism in Ukraine and the Problems of National Identity

The article clarifies the terminological basis of the study of bilingualism in Ukraine and proposes a consistent demarcation of individual or collective bearer of the sign when using concepts such as mono-, bi- and polylingualism, dominant language, etc. to prevent erroneous conclusions or deliberate manipulation of language issues. Based on the results of the 2001 census and a statistically significant mass survey in 2017, the features of ethnic and linguistic self-identification of Ukrainian citizens in the early twentieth century were analysed and its regional specificity was determined. In the issue, the first results of an online survey of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) and locals, in connection with the war in Ukraine, are presented, which show significant shifts in the language consciousness of Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine.