Ukrainian volunteer movement under conditions of armed Russian aggression: opportunities, national and global challenges for ukraine’s post-war recovery

Abstract

The authors reveal a vision of the development of the Ukrainian volunteer movement under conditions of armed Russian aggression. The research focus is on identifying the main trends of institutionalization and the dynamics of the development of Ukrainian volunteerism based on the use of modern digital, network, information and communication technologies. Two «waves» of activation of the Ukrainian volunteer movement related to the active phase of the armed conflict in Donbas (2014-2016) and the full-scale invasion that began on February 24, 2022 are analyzed. Two areas for providing volunteer aid to key target groups have been identified and substantiated, namely the Ukrainian military and the Armed Forces of Ukraine strengthen the country’s defense capabilities, and citizens affected by the armed aggression. Such a structure is used as an end-to-end analytical scheme in the study of various aspects of Ukrainian volunteering under conditions of both surges in the armed conflict (2014-2016 and 2022). The authors determine the specifics of the processes of institutionalization and platformization of Ukrainian volunteering, as well as the main integrated digital platforms of international volunteering to help Ukraine. New global and local challenges, problems and opportunities for the development of the Ukrainian volunteer movement to preserve the country’s human potential and strengthen the national, economic, social, and food security of the state are also revealed. The role, significance, opportunities, main tools and functionality of using the potential of information, communication, digital, network technologies in volunteering are shown. It is substantiated that the powerful potential of Ukrainian volunteerism, together with international volunteerism and charity aimed at helping Ukraine, is the basis for the country’s post-war recovery. It also contributes to the formation and strengthening of the culture of peace and security at the interstate level, stimulates the formation of a renewed system of European collective security and international cooperation.