The concept of strategic culture is often used to explain Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine, but its relevance to Ukraine’s resistance is largely overlooked. Neglecting the role the Ukrainian strategic culture has played in defying Russia underrates Ukraine’s agency and disregards the sources of its resilience. This article explores Ukrainian strategic culture as a key to understanding its response to Russia’s advances since 2014. It argues that three interwoven characteristics of Ukrainian strategic culture, namely, its narrative of insecurity, commitment to sovereignty, and alignment with Western institutions, have shaped and sustained the Ukrainian resistance against Russia. Based on these defining features of Ukrainian strategic culture, this article asserts that Ukraine’s policy options are constrained not only by its physical capabilities but also by the ideational milieu created by its strategic culture.
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