Parallelization theory complements earlier concepts in cultural and political history by focusing on the coexistence of seemingly contradictory patterns in various localities, such as segregation/integration of migrants in Europe and the USA, polarization/hybridization in Korea and Ukraine, and secularization/the resurgence of religions in countries like Malaysia and Sweden. The current article examines the parallel presence of Ukrainian nationalism/Westernization and Russifcation/Russophobia before and in the aftermath of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The argument is bolstered by both Russian, Ukrainian, and Western media sources, showing how and why these seemingly conficting tendencies coexist.