Conflict In Ukraine Research Articles

The Impact of Security Issues Related to the War in Ukraine on World Trade Transformations

The article is devoted to the impact of security issues related to the global conflict, located in Ukraine, on the world trade transformations.
 The objective of the paper is twofold: first, to analyze the impact of the conflict on energy and food security in the context of changes in the world commodity prices and global modifications in the energy supply chains; second, to reveal the trade flows transformation in the world economy system and to substantiate the need to modernize the international institutions.
 The methodological basis of the research is the system approach: the methods of economic and statistical analysis combined with graphical method are used to determine the world commodity prices dynamics, as well as world commodity prices indices; the historical-logical method along with the analysis of economic phenomena and processes are used to assess the prerequisites for changes in world trade development and to reveal the need to revise the Washington Consensus, to transform the WTO.
 The conflict in Ukraine put pressure on security issues on a global scale, starting with food and energy security which resulted in trade flows transformations contributing to dividing the world into blocs. The confrontation forced the WTO to worsen forecasts regarding the development of the global trade; however, the trade trends demonstrated the adaptability of the world to the new transition realities. In October 2022 the WTO improved its forecast for 2022, but the risks of the war continuation resulted in significant deterioration of the forecast for 2023. The state of affairs leads to growing expectations regarding the reformatting of world trade in the short term while the ongoing war conditions the revision of current approaches to the formation of the world order and further emphasizes the need to transform the world’s leading economic institutions, primarily the World Trade Organization.

A Comparison of the Performance of Rainbow Options and Stocks under COVID-19 and Ukraine Conflict

This paper hopes to explore which is the better choice for investors under the different environments of the US stock market, rainbow option or buying a single stock. Due to the improvement of the COVID-19 situation in the United States in 2021 and the introduction of government policies to stimulate the economy, the US stock market showed an upward trend throughout 2021. In 2022, due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the global economy will be impacted, and the US stock market is no exception. In these two long-term bear markets and bull markets, it hopes to find a mutation option to control risks and improve returns. In this case, it focuses on rainbow options, which are options that help investors screen out the better-performing stocks or futures included in them. First, this paper paired 14 stocks in five fields, calculated the option’s payoff according to the rainbow option's rules, and then compared it with the return of the stock alone to explore the superiority of the rainbow option. The return on the rainbow option is higher than the return on any single stock. Then the option is simulated and priced for 1000 future trading days so as to obtain the return of the rainbow option under the assumption of stable fluctuation in the US stock market environment, which is used as the reference for pricing. Finally, the sensitivity analysis of options is conducted to study the main factors affecting the volatility of option premiums. The result is that the moves in rainbow options are always correlated with the stock that is more active.

Hedging Strategies with Derivatives after 2020

This paper examines the changes in the futures market and how Chinese companies have hedged in recent years. As is known to all, the world has experienced lots of events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine Conflict, the economic recession, and the rising interest rate in the U.S. Under the risky circumstances, the foreign exchange market and commodity futures market have shown a larger volatility. During times of global economic turmoil, the investors in the financial markets are seeking opportunities to protect their investment portfolios and assets. Historically, the futures market can be seen as a safe haven for funds, mitigating losses caused by fluctuations in stock or commodity prices through proper hedging strategies. This paper analyses what the Chinese futures and spot markets are like and how Chinese companies use hedging tools to lock profits. Then, the paper gives suggestions and prospects for futures hedging and the development of markets.

Challenges to Food Security in the Middle East and North Africa in the Context of the Russia–Ukraine Conflict

In this article, the impact of the Russia–Ukraine conflict on food security in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is analyzed. With Ukraine being recognized as one of the major global grain producers and exporters, the conflict is seen as posing a significant challenge to MENA countries, which are heavily dependent on grain imports from Ukraine. The importance of global linkages in food supply chains and their influence on regional food security is highlighted in this context. Utilizing secondary data from 2002 to 2021 obtained from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the study focuses on demography and food security, analyzing how these factors intertwine with grain export dynamics. The escalating hostilities have disrupted transportation routes, damaged infrastructure, and hindered logistics, resulting in substantial export volume reductions. Geopolitical tensions have exacerbated these effects, diminishing confidence among MENA grain importers. The study highlights how these disruptions have influenced global supply chains, prices, and agricultural product availability, with a specific focus on the MENA region’s challenges in food security, compounded by conflicts, climate change, and import dependence. A detailed demographic analysis reveals the impact of population changes on food demand and distribution, offering insights into how population growth and urbanization, alongside shifts in malnutrition and obesity rates, affect food security. The study concludes that the MENA region’s increasing reliance on food imports, coupled with climatic and political variabilities, underscores its growing vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions and the need for robust strategies to address these challenges.

Essential approaches to combat the use of drones. Specific elements of the armed conflict in Ukraine

Although used many years ago, by multinational allied forces acting in coalition in Iraq and Afghanistan, combat drones known as “unmanned aircraft systems” (UAS), “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAV)”, “unmanned combat aerial vehicles” (UCAV) or “remotely piloted vehicles” (RPV) represent a formidable weapon both for NATO states and for the forces fighting in Ukraine. Considering their essential characteristics, dimensions, load capacity, speed, range, flexibility, ease of operation and low costs, these means of combat come with huge advantages in achieving the operational objectives of combatant structures - regardless of the category they belong to. Thus, the present study includes a theoretical approach that can actually be implemented in the military operational realm, because it includes details and essential references to combat drones designed, produced and used by belligerent and non-belligerent states in connection with the armed conflict taking place on Ukrainian territory. Starting from the objective of the study, a series of important directions resulted for strengthening the actual potential of the joint and tactical forces to be used in national and multinational context within the North Atlantic Alliance, against the aggressive force of an adversary state.

Prediction of the Spatial and Temporal Adoption of an Energy Management System in Automated Dairy Cattle Barns in Bavaria—“CowEnergySystem”

In view of rising global demand, energy is becoming a significant cost factor in industry and society. In addition to the global players China, India, and the USA, Africa will also become a driver of the world’s primary energy demand in the future due to the rapidly growing developing countries. In addition to the armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, global energy markets are tense and volatile due to inflation and higher borrowing costs. Because of society’s desire to phase out the use of fossil fuels, the use of renewable energies is increasingly taking center stage worldwide and especially in Germany. Rural areas and agriculture, especially energy-intensive livestock farms, are particularly affected by this development and are therefore faced with additional economic challenges. Additional energy can be generated by using photovoltaic systems on the roofs of farm buildings or by utilizing the liquid manure from livestock farming in biogas plants. For these farms, such alternative sources of energy could open previously untapped potential and additional synergies for using their own inexpensive energy on the farm or supplying surplus electricity directly to the public grid as a market participant. Agriculture could thus serve as an actor in a decentralized energy supply and thus build up regional energy networks. However, intelligent electricity storage concepts and a corresponding energy management system (EMS) are essential to be able to utilize the potential for renewable energy generation at all, to coordinate both internal production processes and the varying energy demand and supply on the electricity grid. As agricultural production processes differ greatly from farm to farm and region to region, the introduction of an energy management system is strongly dependent on user acceptance. The purpose of this study is to use the web-based software tool ADOPT (CSIRO 2018) to predict the level of acceptance and the duration of the market launch of an EMS based on the region of Bavaria. Individual important influencing factors for the subsequent regional marketing concept are also identified.

PROBLEMATIC ISSUES OF THE TREATMENT OF DIAPHYSEAL GUNSHOT FRACTURES OF LONG BONES OF EXTREMITIES

Due to the military conflict in Ukraine, the problem of treating gunshot fractures has become acute, which requires an urgent solution. Objective. On the basis of own experience, to determine the primary problems in the treatment of gunshot diaphyseal fractures of the long bones of the limbs and evaluate the preliminary results. Methods. The treatment process and its results were analyzed in 128 victims with gunshot fractures of long limb bones for the period 08.2022–08.2023. Classical methods of clinical, X-ray and laboratory investigations were used. The assessment was carried out according to the AO classification, that was supplemented with new options for tangent and perforated bone injuries, as well as the volume of destruction of adjacent soft tissues. Wounds of all the patinets were treated using vacuum aspiration, the fragments were fixed with external devices manufactured by Biomet, Stryker, ТОВ «Ейч Ві Орто», ОРТОПАК. Results. The analysis showed that 64 (50 %) of the wounded had a need to take additional measures to preserve or improve the position of the fragments: improvement of the geometry of the external apparatus, replacement of the apparatus with a more perfected one, with a plate or intramedular osteosynthesis; replacement of the apparatus with a plaster bandage or orthosis. Conclusions. Based on the study, it can be argued, that most gunshot diaphyseal fractures of long bones are multifragmental and accompanied with destruction of predominantly peripherally located soft tissues. At the same time, the periosteum with a layer of adjacent muscles for the most part retains integrity, viability and connection with the surface of the fragments. The basic and rational method of fixation of fragments for diaphysical gunshot fractures it is necessary to consider external osteosynthesis with schanz-screws devices. According to our preliminary data, the use of external fixator treatment led to fracture healing in 84% of patients with gunshot hip fracture, 56 % — tibia fracture, 59 % — humerus fracture, and 44 % — forearm fractures.

Denis Pushilin: Case study of a separatist leader in the Ukraine conflict (2018–2022)

Abstract On 20 November 2018 Denis Vladimirovich Pushilin became the Head of the unrecognised Donetsk People’s Republic in Eastern Ukraine. Despite his numerous proclamations aligning him with the Kremlin’s propaganda apparatus, his style and imagery differs from that of Vladimir Putin. To dissect Pushilin’s constructed image we used a discourse analysis methodology focusing on primary sources such as speeches, songs, images, and photographs uploaded to either Pushilin’s social media accounts or the DPR administration’s official website. Our research analyses Pushilin’s government from the day he assumed power until the 23 February 2022, with the onset of the war in Ukraine. Our analysis focuses on core aspects of his constructed image, such as nationalism, sports as well as gender and family politics. Our findings show that while Denis Pushilin does adhere to Kremlin directives when it comes to issues crucial to Moscow, he does enjoy certain freedom when it comes to his image construction.

Russian-Ukraine Conflict and the Purpose of NATO: A Rethink

This article examines and contrasts Russia's and U.S.'s perspectives and actions throughout the conflict and attempts to determine why the conflict in Ukraine escalated into a global power struggle. Due to the abundance of biased and self-serving information about the Ukrainian situation, this article aims to objectively investigate some aspects of the actions and behaviours of the U.S. to expand NATO to Eastern European states; and Russia’s bids to secure it near abroad. These conflicting strategic dynamics made their contributions to the situation. Since the data were gathered through books, journal papers, websites, and periodicals, the study is a desk study. It is qualitative because it draws on various sources to analyze this problem and comprehend the opposing viewpoints. Russia and the U.S. are sponsoring rival militias to strategically dominate the Black Sea Region for their economic gains. To keep one another from achieving hegemonic dominance in the Black Sea region, both governments worked in their self-interest to strengthen their respective positions and undercut those of their rivals. How the Ukraine conflict evolved would have been different had the two great powers not been involved in the ways they did.

Russia–Ukraine Conflict, Commodities and Stock Market: A Quantile VAR Analysis

The Russia–Ukrainian war, which began in 2014 and exploded with the invasion of the Russian army on 24 February 2022, has profoundly destabilized the political, economic and financial balance of Europe and beyond. To the humanitarian emergency associated with every war has been added the deep crisis generated by the strong energy and food dependence that many European countries, and not only European, have developed over decades on Ukraine (especially for wheat) and Russia (especially for natural gas). The aim of this article is to verify the existence of a link between the performance of the Eurostoxx index and the price of wheat futures and TTF natural gas, from 25 February 2019 to 28 September 2023. Through a quantile VAR analysis, a link is sought between the Eurostoxx 50 index, and wheat and TTF gas futures prices. Furthermore, the analysis intends to understand whether the presence of such relationship only manifested itself following the war events, or whether it was already present in the market. The analysis carried out also shows that the relationship between the stock market and raw material prices was present even before the conflict.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

INTRODUCTION. In the modern world, higher education plays a pivotal role in shaping social responsibility. In the context of the war that erupted in Ukraine in 2022, this issue becomes particularly pertinent, posing a unique challenge for higher education institutions to ensure sustainable development and address social tasks. The challenges arising during wartime demand new strategies and approaches to ensure the continuity of the educational process and support the student community.
 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS: The research hypothesis aims to identify effective higher education strategies in Ukraine in the context of armed conflict, focused on ensuring sustainable development and addressing social challenges.
 THE AIM of the research is to examine the impact of the armed conflict on higher education in Ukraine and develop strategies of social responsibility to address the challenges within this context.
 METHODS. The research will be conducted through the analysis of statistical data, studying cases of successful rehabilitation of Ukrainian universities during armed conflicts, and considering feedback from experts and involved stakeholders.
 FINDINGS. The research findings have identified key challenges faced by higher education in Ukraine during times of armed conflict, including restricted access to educational institutions, damage to infrastructure, and changes in learning conditions. A comprehensive set of measures has been proposed to address these challenges, encompassing the development of distance learning platforms, international expert support, and resource mobilization to restore the educational process and ensure the sustainability of higher education in crisis conditions.
 CONCLUSION. The research findings underscore the necessity and importance of addressing the challenges faced by higher education in the context of the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine. The proposed strategies and recommendations delineate pathways for improvement and the implementation of socially responsible approaches. The research findings suggest that adhering to the principles of social responsibility in times of armed conflict can be achieved through active participation in international programs, humanitarian initiatives, and collaborative projects.
 KEYWORDS: social responsibility; higher education; challenges; armed conflict; international cooperation; resources.

The Russia–Ukraine conflict and the amplitude of chaos in the prices of Natural Gas commodities

This work analyses the time evolution of the amplitude of chaos for the Historical Prices of the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) commodities, both before and during the Russia–Ukraine conflict. Methods include Phase Space Reconstruction in Four-dimensional Euclidean Spaces from time series and Spearman Correlation between chaos intensities, elapsed time and prices. At the start of the military actions, the intensity of chaos increases for both gas commodities, where TTF presents a peak with larger magnitudes than UNG. The geopolitical crisis marks the beginning of a correlation between the chaos of TTF and UNG prices beyond TTF and elapsed time.

Have the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak and the Russian–Ukrainian conflict impacted the efficiency of cryptocurrencies?

This study explores whether the COVID-19 outbreak and Russian–Ukrainian (R–U) conflict have impacted the efficiency of cryptocurrencies. The novelty of this study is the use of the Cramér-von Mises test to examine cryptocurrency efficiency. We used a sample of daily prices for the six largest cryptocurrencies, covering the period from September 11, 2017, to September 30, 2022. Cryptocurrencies are found to be weakly efficient but exhibit heterogeneous levels of efficiency across currencies. Extraordinary events (COVID-19 and R–U) play a vital role in the degree of efficiency, where a trend toward inefficiency appears in all cryptocurrencies except for Ethereum Classic and Ripple. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the degree of inefficiency was higher than the level of inefficiency during R–U. This study provides useful guidance for investors and portfolio diversifiers to adjust their asset allocations during normal and stressful market periods.

Ideologies and narratives of Italian foreign fighters in the Russian-Ukrainian war

ABSTRACT The phenomenon of Italian foreign fighters who currently fight in the Russia-Ukraine conflict presents elements of high ideological complexity. The presence of different groups of highly ideologized far-right fighters fighting on opposite sides of the front emerges. Foreign fighters of the extreme right shoot each other at the front and some of them have as comrades foreign fighters of the extreme left. The main sources of this research are texts published in social media by foreign fighters and have been collected through online ethnography. The analysis of the collected texts is conducted with a qualitative thematic analysis with an inductive method. Particular attention has been paid to the phenomenon of Red-Brownism also called ‘Brown-Red cocktail’ that in the context of the Ukrainian conflict seems to cast doubt on whether the extreme right and the extreme left should always be considered opposing extremisms.

Price reaction of global economic indicators: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine conflict

Price reaction of global economic indicators: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine conflict

Foreign fighters from the far right and extreme left in the Russia–Ukraine conflict

ABSTARCT This study analyzes the phenomenon of Italian foreign fighters of different ideological backgrounds on the Ukrainian front. Right-wing extremists on opposite sides of the front and right-wing extremists fighting alongside left-wing extremists. An ideologically intricate situation that needs to be understood in the light of the political and geopolitical dynamics of the present but also of the history of right-wing movements since the Second World War. On the one hand, the foreign fighters from CasaPound Italia (CPI) aligned with Ukraine and NATO and on the other those of Forza Nuova (FN) and other movements aligned with pro-Russian militias and united in combat with far-left fighters. This study reconstructs the reasons for the fracture taking place on the right and those at the base of a rapprochement between a part of the far right and the extreme left, the so-called Red-Brown cocktail.

The American political and academic elite on the end of the conflict in Ukraine

By the end of 2023, the American ruling circles got rid of illusions about the possibility of inflicting a decisive defeat on Russia during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. From the point of view of the American political and academic elite, this conflict is clearly dragging on, diverting American resources from other US foreign policy priorities. According to many American experts and practical politicians, the United States has managed to extract serious benefits from the events in Ukraine, and it is time to limit its participation in this conflict before it becomes another "endless war" for the United States.

Representation of a Special Military Operation in the Media of Southern Russia

The following paper based on the analysis of the publications of six leading media outlets in the mega-region of Southern Russia, reveals the features of journalistic work related to the Special Military Operation. The total number of publications that examined by the author is within a three-month period September 2023. The media outlets were selected based on the citation indicators measured by the rating agency. Publications for the3 content analysis were selected chosen according to thematic criteria and keywords “special military operation”, “special operation in Ukraine”. The theoretical basis of the study was formed by the scientific works on agenda setting in the media and including the specifics of regional agenda. The author considered the understanding of an emergency agenda as a list of issues formulated in the media that are subject to the primary public discussion. The scientific significance of the topic mentioned in the study is due to the priority attention that the state and society pays to the armed conflict in Ukraine and medialization of the Special Military Operation as a phenomenon that determines not only the mind-set of the mass audience today, but also the future of our country.

DISSECTING BIOCHEMICAL MECHANISMS THAT MEDIATE TOLERANCE TO MILITARY CHEMICAL STRESSORS IN DIVERSE MALACOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

The ongoing military conflict in Ukraine has severely contaminated freshwater ecosystems with heavy metal pollutants including lead from ammunition and explosives. This study investigates the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of resistance in the freshwater mollusks. This study examines how freshwater mollusks, specifically Planorbarius corneus and Viviparus viviparus, resist lead compounds. Lead pollution from military activities poses a significant threat to aquatic life due to its toxicity and bioaccumulation. The research investigated species-specific responses to lead exposure, revealing differences in adaptations. Both mollusk species showed increased levels of carotenoids and proteins when exposed to higher lead concentrations, indicating a compensatory response to oxidative stress. These findings enhance our understanding of adaptive mechanisms against lead toxicity in aquatic environments affected by military pollution.

Inter-Orthodox Conflicts in Ukraine and the Movement to Unite Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in the 20th and 21st Century

Inter-Orthodox Conflicts in Ukraine and the Movement to Unite Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in the 20th and 21st Century