‘Ukraine’s Cause is Ours!’ Diaspora and Migration in Swedish Parliamentary Debates, 2014–2022

Sofiya Voytiv

doi:10.33134/njmr.770

‘Ukraine’s Cause is Ours!’ Diaspora and Migration in Swedish Parliamentary Debates, 2014–2022

Nordic Journal of Migration Research

Volume 15 (2025): Issue 2

By: Sofiya Voytiv

Open Access

|Nov 2024

Abstract

The annexation of Crimea, the subsequent insurgency of Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region of Ukraine in 2014 and the current full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine have led to different responses from political elites, diasporas and migrants currently residing in different European countries. The historic decision of Sweden to send defence weapons to Ukraine as well as to apply for NATO membership after the invasion in 2022, as compared with mostly ‘soft’ support before, is just one of the examples of this shift. The political role of diasporic and migrant organizations in lobbying for support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia has also significantly increased: party leaders and high-level politicians are more frequently at the demonstrations for support for Ukraine organized by diasporas. In this article I analyse Swedish Parliamentary debates and arguments for different types of action for Ukraine between 2014 and 2022. I specifically focus on the space occupied by Ukrainian diasporic and migrant individuals/organizations in such debates and arguments.

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