Regional Differences in National Identity of Ukrainians

National issues have become increasingly relevant both in the scientific community and at the state level in many countries. In this context, it is interesting to look at the national mood of the Ukrainian population, which for centuries was characterized by the polarization of the West and the East, Europe and Russia. Is there such a confrontation of national views today? What are the reasons for it? What regions of Ukraine tend to be Russian today? The authors of this study, using a multi-level analysis of survey data of residents of the regions of Ukraine from 2013 (before Euromaidan) find a positive relationship between the choice of Ukrainian or Russian identities and the historical past of the regions. To test this connection, a historical index was modeled, reflecting the duration of the period during which the territories of modern regions of Ukraine were under the control of European or Russian states. It was found that the longer a region was under the influence of Russian states, the more often the residents of such regions define their identity as Russian. Another thesis about the importance of the economic interests of the regions for the national self-determination of Ukrainians was not confirmed by the data of 2013. To test this hypothesis we used statistics on exports of goods and services to Russia from each region of Ukraine in 2013. It was assumed that the connection would also be significant, since, according to Laitin, the population locally tends to adopt the national views of its political and economic leaders. However, the authors find that this hypothesis can be tested with more focused survey data, for example, on the production volumes of each region of Ukraine. It is worth noting that in the scientific discourse there are few studies of national issues in the regional context of countries, especially in the focus of Ukraine, using multi-level analysis. This work is relevant and promising for future research on national identity.