Shaping unpredictable past: National identity and history education in Ukraine

State-controlled history education is used as a major tool in the development and strengthening of national identity, especially in newly independent states undergoing nation-building processes. The analysis of history education in Ukraine shows how it is employed to establish and transform modes and forms of national identity and to influences the formation of borders between nations. The research reveals that history education in Ukraine emphasises the idea of victimhood as the core of national identity and posits Russia as an oppressive and aggressive enemy. This article provides a basis for an early warning and resolution of identity-based conflicts.