The article is devoted to the study of the dynamics of the ethnic composition of the urban population of the South-Eastern regions of Ukraine. Detailed consideration of this topic allowed us to identify further trends in ethnodemographic processes in the South-East of Ukraine. The peculiarities of changing the structure of the cities of Donbass, Southern Ukraine and Crimea are highlighted. The regularities of reducing the number of national minorities in some cities are revealed. Based on a comprehensive analysis of census data (1989, 2001 and the illegal census of the Crimea), statistical materials revealed the main trends in the cities of the study region. The ethnic structure of the cities of the occupied districts of Donbass and Crimea is studied, and the tendencies are compared with the national processes. The reasons for the changes in the ethnic structure of the population of the cities of the study region have been clarified. Settlements where national minorities predominated were characterized. Statistical data and the percentage of the largest ethnic groups in the cities of Donbass, Southern regions and Crimea are given. It is established that the Russian factor had a significant influence in the political, economic and cultural life of the studied region. Analysis of available statistical and scientific data shows that the largest anti-Ukrainian trends were recorded in areas where Russians had an advantage over Ukrainians or had approximately the same ratio. During independence, there was an increase in the share of Ukrainians and a decrease in the share of Russians. In the occupied areas of Donbass and Crimea, the share of Ukrainians is declining, while there is an increase in Russians and other national minorities. The lack of another census makes it difficult to study this issue. Now there is a need to study the dynamics of changes in ethno-national diversity of Ukraine, update data on the ethnic composition of the population of Ukraine and, accordingly, the formation of further ethnopolitics

ethnic structure, urban population, census, national minorities, identity, migration, urbanization