REGIONAL SEPARATISM IN UKRAINE AND EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Abstract

This article aims to study certain aspects of regional separatism in Ukraine and European countries.In order to achieve the declared goal and obtain proper research results, the following set of methodswas used: historical-legal method, comparative-legal method, formal-logical method and content analysis method. Results and conclusions of such activities. Separatism is an ideological and political movementaimed at separating part of the territory of the state or a group of people from the existing state or territorialstructure in order to achieve autonomy or independence. Separatism poses a direct threat to national security,encroaches on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state, violates the principles of geopoliticalsecurity, and the international prestige of the country as a subject of international relations. Prerequisites forseparatism are periods of socio-cultural and political transformation of the country, the weakening of statepower, the presence of ethnic and religious conflicts, the geographical isolation of the region, the absenceof a common civic identity, the support of foreign allies of separatism, the “export of separatism”, the creationof an extensive system of agents of influence, etc. Types of separatism are ethnic, value, criminal, regional,religious, territorial separatism, secession, irredentism, separatism aimed at gaining greater autonomy withinthe state. According to regional characteristics, separatism is divided into Western European, Eastern European,Islamic, Asian, African, and American. The negative consequences of separatism are the loss of control of the stategovernment over part of the territory, armed confrontations and victims among the civilian population, civiland interstate wars, socio-economic upheavals and revolutions, the creation and activity of radical partiesand terrorist organizations, the creation of quasi-states, encroachments on national and regional securityetc. Overcoming regional separatism is possible under the condition of developing a strategy to counter itand taking a number of measures in the political, economic, ethno-cultural, religious and linguistic spheres.