CONFLICTING FACTORS OF RUSSIAN COLONIALISM: THE VIEW OF OLES HONCHAR

The article is devoted to one of the manifestations of Oles` Honchar's legacy – his understanding of the colonial status of Ukraine in the Russian Empire and the USSR and outlining this status as a source of external and internal conflicts. The author refers to Honchar's "Diaries", published at the beginning of the XXI century, in which for more than half a century Honchar wrote down, along with observations and sketches for literary works, ideas and conclusions of the conceptual plan. In particular, there are the nature of Russian and Soviet colonialism, the totalitarian system, the deliberate destruction of Ukrainian national culture, repression of the national intelligentsia, the decline of the traditions of the Ukrainian elite, and at the same time the resistance of Ukrainians to the totalitarianimperial system.The article focuses on the connection between the two main problems considered by Oles` Honchar – the imperial rise of Russia-USSR and the colonial status of Ukraine as part of this superpower; problems, which, in turn, have caused (and still cause) conflicts of various kinds both within Ukrainian society and around it. The author traces the evolution of Honchar's views on the problems of Russian imperialism, its Soviet continuation, the colonial state of Ukraine and the resulting social and political conflicts. The article describes both Oles` Honchar's personal opposition to all these factors and the paradigms of socio-cultural and political activity proposed by him, which can play an important role in the decolonization of Ukraine. The author argues that Honchar's intellectual heritage remains relevant to this day, but it is, unfortunately, not in demand by candidates for the role of the country's political elite.