Abstract

In the article the phenomenon of volunteering is examined in Ukraine through the prism of changes of mentality of the Ukrainian people after the events of 2013–2014. An author proves that Ukrainians reconstruct own mentality, delivered complexes of inferiority, uninitiativeness and to irresponsibility. Public initiative activates in society, a key place among that occupies volunteer motion. Analysis conducted by an author 256 internet-publications in relation to activity of the Ukrainian volunteers during 2014–2015 witnessed, that all volunteers in Ukraine can be divided into 3 conditional groups: mental, situation, criminal. Basis of volunteer motion is made by mental volunteers for that a voluntarily help is a conscious choice. Their activity has different motivation and prospects. For volunteers that expressed a desire to go to the structural collaboration with power, it is extremely important to save the independence and operate so that and a collaboration brought most to the benefit that, who they help. These volunteers prefer to save the reputation and not get in foul plays. Volunteers that decided to be in opposition to power, because disbelieve that she is able to overcome a corruption and bureaucratism, risk to become marionettes in the hands of opposition to power political forces, that can aim to use volunteers for the sake of achievement of own aims. An author underlines that in present tense the basic orientation of volunteering in Ukraine is militarized. However volunteers not only rescue life and health of fighters and other injured in military operations on East but also help them to work out social problems. The rows of volunteers grow constantly. Thus, volunteering in Ukraine is not the temporal phenomenon, it became the consequence of the valued changes in consciousness of Ukrainians.