Russo-Ukrainian War Research Articles

(De)legitimization of Private Soldiers without Legal Status: The Case of Ukraine

ABSTRACT For several decades, the increased need for but the illegality of mercenaries led Western countries to favor the evolution of these private soldiers into corporate forms under the name of private military contractors (PMCs). While the number of new Western PMCs was increasing and their use was being attempted to be legitimized, underfitting mercenary-like PMCs, such as those in Russia, were condemned as illegal and illegitimate. Russian forces’ renewed invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked the beginning of the argument about the legality and legitimacy of the use of private soldiers once again. This article aims to reveal if the Russo-Ukrainian war tends to contribute to the legitimization efforts of Western PMCs positively or negatively by exploring the changes in the qualities distinguishing between Western and mercenary-like PMCs. The study concludes that the Russo-Ukrainian war undermined the legitimization course of Western PMCs in the first half of 2022, whereas, in the second half, it has served the legimization efforts.

Brazil’s position in the Russia-Ukraine war: Balancing principled pragmatism while countering weaponized interdependence

ABSTRACT As a post-colonial nation that embraces international law and multilateralism, Brazil was expected to side with those who defend the sanctity of Ukraine’s territorial integrity when the country was invaded by Russia. However, as a Global Southern country with tangible geopolitical and economic interests at stake in the war, Brazil turned a blind eye to Russia’s defiant move and downplayed the gravity of its breach of the law. This article aims to explore the contradictions in Brazil’s foreign policy stance towards the Russo-Ukrainian war. It analyes the difficult balance between ideals and concrete goals that Brazilian diplomats strive to achieve in the ongoing war. In doing so, it also sheds light on the current administration’s strategies to cope with today’s emerging multipolar order and to avoid falling prey to the “weaponization of interdependence”. The article concludes reflecting on Brazil’s quest for an actively non-aligned position to address the sovereignty paradox it faces in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Addressing neurosurgical challenges in war conflict countries.

The Russo-Ukrainian war caused significant humanitarian and healthcare issues in the Russo-Ukrainian region, which were further aggravated by the escalation of the conflict on February 2022. Because of this ongoing confrontation between the two nations, which has its roots in geopolitical conflicts and historical events, there have been nearly 4million refugees in only the first month, and 906 healthcare institutions have sustained significant damage. Consequently, the demand for medical services has increased, adding onto the burden of the pre-existing problems within the region's healthcare system, such as inequities, budget shortages, and corruption. With nearly 500,000 military deaths and an estimated 27,1499 civilian casualties, the war's immediate health effects are devastating. Due to inadequate disease surveillance and difficulties with immunization, the risk of infectious illnesses, particularly HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, increased. Although there were originally few mental health problems, the long-term effects are yet unknown. Some of the indirect effects are the severe refugee situation, the burden on public infrastructure, and problems with the security of food and water. Unprecedented obstacles confronted neurosurgery in the Russo-Ukrainian region, including increased patient loads from war-related cases, resource limitations, and facility devastation. Many countries stepped up to aid in managing neurosurgeries however, the some of the problems still persisted, such as insufficient sterility and power outages. Strengthened security standards, financial incentives, telemedicine services, and cooperation with international medical organizations are the main points of recovery recommendations. Rebuilding the region's healthcare system and guaranteeing ongoing foreign support after the conflict require a comprehensive strategy that addresses both short- and long-term issues.

In the Shadow of War: Public Opinion in the Baltic States, 2014 and 2021

Drawing on research on political culture and research on geopolitical orientations, this article analyses public opinion in the three Baltic states (2014 and 2021), focusing on political support, inter-ethnic relations and geopolitical attitudes. In the first section, the empirical analysis demonstrates widespread public support for the national communities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Most respondents feel a sense of attachment to or pride in their respective homeland, and a relative majority of all respondents feel that their contemporary political systems are preferable to other systems in the past. At the same time, the analysis alert us to distinct ethnic differences: the Russian-speakers in the three countries tend to be decidedly more nostalgic about the Soviet past and less satisfied with the present regimes. Confirming and updating findings familiar from previous studies, this article also notes that the population groups in the three Baltic states were growing more or less accustomed to the domestic situation, up until the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2022. In the second part of the article, we turn to geopolitical belonging and security perceptions in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

An ethnographic study of Vietnamese-Ukrainian identity

ABSTRACT Vietnamese Ukrainians are a largely unstudied identity group that has recently attracted attention due to the impacts of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Our study examines Vietnamese-Ukrainian bicultural identity as experienced by 10 university student refugees of the war in 2022–23. Researchers conducted semi-structured ethnographic interviews in which each participant examined identity formation experiences as second-generation Vietnamese Ukrainians. Participants also reflected upon the impacts to ethnic identity self-awareness that resulted from their unexpected return migration to Vietnam as student refugees of war. The cohort of study participants created a tight-knit Vietnamese-Ukrainian return diaspora in an environment conducive to self-reflection and exploration of their ongoing ethnic identity journeys. In our study, we argue that the ethnic identity formation of young Vietnamese Ukrainians relies on the active construction of intercultural personhood as an adaptation to transnational mobility and change.

Partners in Love/War: An Explorative Study of Ukrainian Soldiers’ Lived Experiences of Being in a Romantic Relationship in the Russo-Ukrainian War

This article explores the lived experiences of Ukrainian soldiers in a romantic relationship with another soldier in the same unit in the Russo-Ukrainian War. Contributing to scholarship on military couples, embodied experiences of war, human dimensions of warfare, and soldierly love, the study aims to understand how these soldiers are affected emotionally and as soldiers by having a relationship on the frontline. Drawing upon the Grounded Theory method, based on eight semi-structured interviews with soldiers from four couples, the findings visualize these experiences through four theoretical constructs. Having a relationship while serving on the frontline endowed these soldiers in Ukraine with an existential purpose that was protective and motivating, making them cautious and feel less dehumanized but also stressed from fear of loss. The findings have implications for how armed forces understand soldiers’ emotional needs and relations at war.

Indifferent About Online Traffic: The Posting Strategies of Five News Outlets During Musk’s Acquisition of Twitter

ABSTRACT This study examines the publication strategies of legacy news outlets on Twitter following the company’s acquisition by Elon Musk. We used SCImago Media Rankings to identify the news organizations with the highest online audiences, namely The Guardian, The New York Times, USA Today, The Independent, and The Washington Post. Data was acquired through the Twitter Academic API v2 and the SEMrush platform at the beginning of 2023 and covers all of 2022. The database includes website audits that monitor the web traffic of a domain, with the aggregate data subsequently processed using R packages and Atlas.ti. Our analyses show that a higher presence on Twitter leads to a substantive increase in social traffic, as seen with The Independent. This is in sharp contrast to the other news outlets. These differences remain irrespective of their topical news coverage, broadly focused on the Russo-Ukrainian war, or compositional feature in their messages, which largely lack typical Twitter features like hashtags and @-mentions. We conclude our analysis by discussing the communication strategies of news organizations on Twitter following the company’s acquisition by Elon Musk in 2022.

Minimalist strategy: Conflict delegation and proxy use on transparent battlefields

This article examines contemporary proxy war literature, highlighting a distinguishable pattern in the post-9/11 era. The Deniability Strategy, characterized by indirect intervention and plausible deniability, is juxtaposed with the emerging Minimalist Strategy, which emphasizes transparent state involvement using in-lieu-of actors (ILOA) as proxies. The Minimalist Strategy accounts for modern military and information technology, which reduces the effectiveness of non-attributional tactics. The article identifies three infra-strategies within the Minimalist Strategy: Auxiliary, Replacement, and Front Strategies, each serving different state needs in conflict. Through analysis of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the article demonstrates the viability of the Minimalist Strategy and its implications for future proxy wars, offering a complementary framework to enhance existing scholarship.

The Russo-Ukrainian War and the Brazilian Perspective on the International Order

The Russo-Ukrainian War and the Brazilian Perspective on the International Order

The integration of migrants in the German labour market: evidence over 50 years

SUMMARY Germany has become the second-most important destination for migrants worldwide. Using all waves from the microcensus, we study their labour market integration over the last 50 years and highlight differences to the US case. Although the employment gaps between immigrant and native men decline after arrival, they remain large for most cohorts; the average gap after one decade is 10 percentage points. Conversely, income gaps tend to widen post-arrival. Compositional differences explain how those gaps vary across groups, and why they worsened over time; after accounting for composition, integration outcomes show no systematic trend. Still, economic conditions do matter, and employment collapsed in some cohorts after structural shocks hit the German labour market in the early 1990s. Lastly, we examine the integration of recent arrivals during the European refugee ‘crisis’ and the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Wicked Ties: Understanding the Crime-Conflict Nexus, Its Implications, and Strategic Motivations in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Wicked Ties: Understanding the Crime-Conflict Nexus, Its Implications, and Strategic Motivations in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Who needs a tourniquet? And who does not? Lessons learned from a review of tourniquet use in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Extremity tourniquets have proven to be lifesaving in both civilian and military settings and should continue to be used by first responders for trauma patients with life-threatening extremity bleeding. This is especially true in combat scenarios in which both the casualty and the first responder may be confronted by the imminent threat of death from hostile fire as the extremity hemorrhage is being treated. Not every extremity wound, however, needs a tourniquet. One of the most important aspects of controlling life-threatening extremity bleeding with tourniquets is to recognize what magnitude of bleeding requires this intervention and what magnitude of bleeding does not. Multiple studies, both military and civilian, have shown that tourniquets are often applied when they are not medically indicated. Overuse of extremity tourniquets has not caused excess morbidity in either the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan or in the US urban civilian setting. In the presence of prolonged evacuation, however, applying a tourniquet when it is not medically indicated changes tourniquet application from being a lifesaving intervention to one that may cause an avoidable amputation and the development of an array of metabolic derangements and acute kidney injury collectively called prolonged tourniquet application syndrome. The recent literature was reviewed for papers that documented the complications of tourniquet use resulting from the prolonged casualty evacuation times being seen in the current Russo-Ukrainian war. The literature was also reviewed for the incidence of tourniquet application that was found to not be medically indicated, in both the US civilian setting and from Ukraine. Finally, an in-person meeting of the US/Ukraine Tourniquet Working Group was held in Warsaw, Poland, in December of 2023. Unnecessary loss of extremities and life-threatening episodes of prolonged tourniquet application syndrome are currently occurring in Ukrainian combat forces because of nonindicated tourniquet use combined with the prolonged evacuation time seen in the Russo-Ukrainian war. Specific numbers of the complications experienced as a result of tourniquet use by Ukrainian forces in the current conflict are treated as classified information and are not available, but multiple sources from the Ukrainian military medical personnel and from the US advisors providing medical assistance to Ukraine have all agreed that the problem is substantial. Unnecessary tourniquet morbidity might also occur in US forces in a variety of potential future combat scenarios in which evacuation to surgical care is delayed. Prehospital trauma training programs, including but not limited to tactical combat casualty care, place insufficient emphasis on the need to avoid leaving tourniquets in place when they are not medically indicated. This aspect of training should receive emphasis in future Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) and civilian first responder curriculum development. An interim ad hoc training solution on this topic is available at the websites noted in this articles. Additional training modalities may follow in the near future. Therapeutic/Care Management; Level V.

An Analysis of Romania’s Energy Strategy: Perspectives and Developments since 2020

Earth’s climate cannot be ignored any longer. Policies are vital in order to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The energy crisis created by the Russo-Ukrainian war in Europe and COVID-19 pandemic affected the EU and its member states. The focus is more than ever on its energy policies and independence. The EU revised the energy strategy in response to the regional conflict, and it sped up all the processes for energetic independence from other countries outside of the EU. This benefited the climate change policies the most, as all the measures involved reducing energy consumption and increasing renewables, thus contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As a member state of the EU, Romania is committed to complying with EU regulations. With a high degree of energy independence compared with the other EU members, Romania plans to become a regional energy provider and modernize the energy infrastructure internally as a response to the regional conflict. The measures that the EU and Romania implemented after the conflict started in 2022 have come to fruition, and the effects are becoming visible a year later. This study aims to study the energy strategy of Romania in correlation with the EU strategy in the turbulent period of pandemics and conflict between 2019 and 2023, with the latest available data.

THE COMBAT ENGAGEMENT (COMBAT EPISODE) LIFE CYCLE INTERACTIVE THREE-DIMENSIONAL VISUALIZATION CRITERIA AND INDICATORS SELECTION

The russo-Ukrainian war is generally characterized as an artillery war, since the main burden in it is the massive use of artillery. However, this war is distinguished from others by the use of various tactics, some of that repeat the tactics of the past, only at a higher technical level, and the newest tactics that have appeared thanks to the advent of modern weapons and military equipment, the which principles are based on the latest technical achievements. The specified circumstances require a careful and more detailed consideration (research) of these tactical techniques on such issues as the reasons for their occurrence, the number of participants, the course of the battle (combat episode), its result, analysis and development, practical recommendations that can be combined into a single concept of the life cycle, eliminate identified shortcomings or provide recommendations for improving individual positions in this matter. For this purpose, it is advisable to reproduce and reconstruct the life cycle of the combat engagement or combat episode that occurred. One of the means of reproducing the life cycle of a combat engagement (combat episode) is interactive three-dimensional visualization. Therefore, in order to create an interactive three-dimensional visualization model (animation) of the life cycle of a combat engagement or a combat episode, that would correspond as close as possible to real events, it is desirable to determine the criteria and indicators that characterize these events. The interactive three-dimensional visualization of the life cycle of a combat engagement or combat episode criterion can be the completeness and reliability of information, and the indicators - dynamism, evaluation of the effectiveness of combat operations and characteristics of the space (locality) in which the combat engagement (combat episode) took place.

Cultural Heritage in the Russo-Ukrainian War: a Victim in the Conflict

Cultural Heritage in the Russo-Ukrainian War: a Victim in the Conflict

Militarization of the Ukrainian Publishing Market During the Russo-Ukrainian War since 2014

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the article is to analyse the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war, which has been ongoing since 2014, on the Ukrainian publishing industry and to characterize the transformations that the book market has undergone as a result of the full-scale invasion in 2022. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The article examines the transformations that have taken place in book media as a result of the military conflict. The research used bibliographic searches, statistical research, the comparative method, desktop research, as well as the methods of typology, observation, generalization and analogy. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The events of Russia’s war against Ukraine have become a serious challenge for the Ukrainian media system and have impacted the book publishing industry in particular. Therefore, changes in the publishing landscape and in publishing houses’ business models are analysed. RESEARCH RESULTS: The article describes the main changes that the publishing market in Ukraine has undergone as a result of Russian aggression. On the basis of statistical data, the authors analyse the dynamics of changes in the number of publishers and the increase in the number of military books. The authors focus on the emergence of a new literary phenomenon, namely veteran literature, and the emergence of a significant number of veteran publishers. Changes in the business models of publishers are analysed. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The war has had a significant impact on the organizational structure of the Ukrainian publishing industry. This includes the moving of publishing facilities to other territories, changes in infrastructure, transition to other publication formats, entering new markets, etc. This experience could be useful for developing problem-solving strategies in this segment of the media industry.

Russian disinformation in Moldova and Poland in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war

Russian disinformation in Moldova and Poland in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war

HUMAN LOSSES IN MODERN WAR – CASE STUDY IN THE CURRENT RUSSIAN -UKRAINIAN WAR

Information provided by the war propaganda, both of Russia and Ukraine, published in the mass media, exaggerates the losses of the enemy and understates their own in order to maintain the morale of the fighters and their population, but also the support of military operations’ financers. This action is also supported by censorship (military and media), but the effects, on those who receive them, can be different, depending on the veracity of the information and the goals pursued by the two actors, as well as the public beliefs. Human losses of the belligerents in the Russo-Ukrainian war, even if they are not equal in quantity, are usually comparable and even necessary to be compared in order to study the tactics and strategy used, as well as the possibility of each of them to continue the fight. The human costs of war significantly influence the achievement of victory. Also, for military planners, it is important to know the real situation, both for designing and conducting operations and for organizing and equipping the health service that supports combat actions. If there is no exhaustive estimate of the losses of the Ukrainian forces, the reason is that they are kept secret by their officials. Through indirect analyses, OSINT and medical intelligence, we present a situation as close as possible to reality.

Associations between mental health symptoms, trauma, quality of life and coping in adults living in Ukraine: A cross-sectional study a year after the 2022 Russian invasion

We aimed to assess the mental health of adults living in Ukraine one year after onset of the Russo-Ukrainian war, along with quality of life and coping strategies. Quota sampling was used to collect online survey data from 2364 adults aged 18–79 years living in Ukraine from April 5, 2023 to May 15, 2023. Among adults living in Ukraine, 14.4 % had probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), another 8.9 % had complex PTSD (CPTSD), 44.2 % had probable depressive disorder, 23.1 % had anxiety disorder and 38.6 % showed significant loneliness. In adjusted models, the number of trauma events experienced during the war showed a dose-response association with PTSD/CPTSD and was associated with depressive disorder and anxiety disorder. Quality of life domains, particularly physical quality of life, were negatively associated with PTSD/CPTSD, depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and number of trauma events. Maladaptive coping was positively associated with depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, PTSD/CPTSD and loneliness. All quality of life domains were positively associated with using adaptive coping strategies. Mental health disorders are highly prevalent in adults living in Ukraine one year into the war. Policy and services can promote adaptive coping strategies to improve mental health and quality of life for increased resilience during war.

European security and Finland’s policy during the Russian aggression against Ukraine

The purpose of this article is to analyze the influence of Finland on regional policy of NATO and the Russo-Ukrainian war. The article explores political, economic and military aspects of Finland and Ukraine in the light of the Russian aggression while considering their relationships and foreign policy goals on a regional level. The author draws attention to various aspects of Helsinki domestic and foreign policy that is directed to set a balance in the region and, at the same time, to support Kyiv militarily and economically in confrontation with Moscow. Finland’s active policy of promoting stability can be described as a two-track policy, whereby EU membership and intensified military cooperation with Western partners provide a basis for the maintenance and development of relations with Russia. The author focused on energy resources and its importance for Finland that has a long history of energy trade with Russia. The trade is practically one-directional, as Finland lacks domestic fossil fuel reserves in comparison with its substantial demand for energy, whereas Russia has significant export volumes. Along with the above-mentioned issues, the author is observing aggressive Russian military activities in the Baltic Sea region. Despite peaceful relationships with Finland, Moscow does not mind to remind neighboring countries who calls the tune in the region. Pursuing this purpose, Russia increases military activity in the Baltic Sea region with relatively frequent airspace and territorial water violations. As a result, there is a risk that collisions or provocations might lead to a rapid and uncontrolled escalation. So, Finland finds its important to keep open channels for political dialogue and to seek ways to re-activate existing confidence-building measures. Finland-NATO relationships are taken into consideration as well. The author described the process of Finland’s accession to the alliance. After almost 30 years of close partnership with NATO, Finland joined the Alliance on April 4, 2023. Its partnership with NATO was historically based on its policy of military non-alignment, which changed following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Following Russia’s aggression, Ukraine has requested materiel assistance from the EU and NATO member countries. To date, Finland has donated 23 defence materiel packages to Ukraine. The combined value of all defence materiel packages submitted so far is now over EUR 2 billion.