Research will be devoted to the formation of new models of historical memory in contemporary Ukraine concerning events of World War II. New models result from the controversial and complex deconstruction of old historical myths, and the emergence of new historical myths in popular consciousness. Special attention will be placed on the mutual influences of mass social consciousness, efforts by politicians to use historical memory to gain public support, and research conducted by professional scholars/historians. Grynevych observes that since Ukrainian independence in August 1991, historical memory has remained at the center of heated academic debates and political disputes. Contentions over historical memory reflect not only the failure to formulate a new "Ukrainian idea", but also to delineate the strategic orientation of Ukraine "between East and West". In Grynevych’s view, World War II remains one of the watersheds of Ukrainian historical memory that divides Ukrainians in their politics, ideology, and worldview.