The present research explores the narrative strategies that foreground the themes of Holocaust remembrance, resilience, and reconciliation in Alicia Appleman-Jurman’s Alicia. My Story (1988) and Anita Ekstein’s Always Remember Who You Are (2019), two first-person accounts of Holocaust survivors in World War II who grew up in western Ukraine (then southeastern Poland). Through a comparative literary analysis, the study highlights how each author constructs their narrative to convey the trauma of the Holocaust, the lingering resentment toward perpetrators, and the diverse ways toward reconciliation, which result solely from the complete remembrance of past trauma. The article argues that while both self-narrations share common themes of memory and the creation of a Holocaust survivor’s identity, the authors employ different narrative techniques reflecting their personal experiences and perspectives. The analysis of the core themes reveals that Appleman-Jurman’s autobiographical narrative emphasizes resilience and survival, while Ekstein’s memoir foregrounds intergenerational memory and the ethical imperative of remembrance.

This paper analyses the results of our own long-term research from 1998 to 2025, as well as other available data on the colouration of the shell, shell lip and body in C. hortensis from different parts of Ukraine (in total, more than a hundred settlements from 18 administrative regions). Quantitative samples were collected in 55 cities and smaller settlements, and less frequently in their immediate surroundings, in the west of the country. A map of known C. hortensis finds in Ukraine has been compiled, taking into account the recorded variants of its colouration, some of which can serve as phenotypic markers of different “waves” of C. hortensis introduction to Ukraine. It has been established that the descendants of the primary introduction of C. hortensis to Western Ukraine (second half of the 20th century) are now widespread across the Lviv region and are reliably found in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, and Volyn regions. Signs of later secondary introductions through garden centres (not earlier than the very end of the 20th or the beginning of the 21st century) began to be discovered in Ukraine quite recently, since 2015. Currently, they are known for 9 administrative regions: in the west (Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Rivne, Transcarpathian), in the centre (Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad) and in the east (Kharkiv) of Ukraine. Mixed populations formed by descendants of primary and secondary introductions have been found so far mainly in the Lviv region. The possible influence of climatic selection on the phenotypic composition in Western Ukrainian populations of C. hortensis, which have different origins, as well as the perspectives for further research of the colouration polymorphism in this species from different parts of Ukraine are discussed.

Between 1994 and 2008, a team composed of students from the Epigraphy Section of the Student Historical Society at the Jagiellonian University, doctoral candidates, and young scholars, led by Wojciech Drelicharz from the Department of Auxiliary Sciences of History at the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University, conducted an inventory of surviving epigraphic and heraldic monuments in the eastern territories of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, now part of the western Ukraine. Thanks to this work, an important part of Poland’s historical heritage was preserved for future generations.

It aims to answer questions related to the possibility of a synchronization of memory related to the moment of September 17th, 1939, perceived contradictorily in Belarus and Poland. Furthermore, we would also like to cover some of the objectives of the national identity construction that the Minsk regime has ideologically built during the last three decades. Instrumentalized by political and ideological discourse, it is the institutionalized memory of the state that sustains the long-term survival of the Minsk regime. Belarus has experienced, since the mid-1990s, a return to Soviet interpretations of historical events, being an extreme case of rehabilitation and glorification of the communist legacy. Especially the so-called Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) has become a center point of Belarusian memory and identity. On June 7th, 2021, the President of the Republic of Belarus signed Decree No. 206, establishing the National Unity Day on September 17th. The decree mentions that September 17th, 1939 symbolizes the restoration of historical justice and the reunification of the Belarusian nation, forcibly divided through Poland’s coercion by the Riga Peace Treaty of 1921. On September 17th, 1939, the USSR invaded Poland; previously, Nazi Germany had started its hostilities against the country on September 1st, 1939. The Red Army occupied the Eastern territories of Poland, i.e., Western Ukraine and Western Belarus. Whereas Moscow and the Western Belarus communists labeled this as a “liberation” and a “reunification” of Belarus within the borders of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, for Poland this day signifies an “aggression” and the “annexation” of the Eastern regions of its national territory. The power of attraction of the “Russian world”, instituted by Kremlin, manifests in Belarus not only by promoting soothing common traditional values, which refer to the Russian and Belarusian uniqueness, but also, at the same time, by denying the ties and space of common memory between Belarus and Poland. The idea that the Soviet aggression of September 17th, 1939, a fulfillment of the secret Additional Protocol to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, is a turning point and a founding moment of the Belarusian nation (even though it involved the dissolution of Polish statehood) is a relevant aspect of the political and ideological use of memory by Alyiaksandar Lukashenka’ s regime.

Publication of the map of Western Ukraine (1929) by academician Stepan Rudnytsky in the context of his collaboration with scientific and public organizations

One of the initial methodological imperatives for studying private law in Ukraine is the understanding of law as a phenomenon inherent in Western European culture (civilisation), later adopted by countries belonging to other civilisations. The classical model of private law is recognised as Roman private law of the ‘classical era’, interpreted through the prism of future modernisations of worldview and legal concepts. In comparing private law within the Western and Eastern European legal traditions, the author observes that private law is an organically inherent phenomenon in Western Europe, while in Eastern Europe, it is largely considered civil law. Various factors—political history, worldview, economic development, culture, outlook and legal system—have been shaped by both Western and Eastern influences, with the author concluding that Ukraine represents a ‘frontier civilisation’, a zone of intense interaction between different cultures. This, in turn, has influenced the formation of private law. Old Ukrainian law developed in two stages. The first codified act was the Russkaya Pravda. An analysis of its provisions related to real and obligation law reveals similarities to Roman law. It can be concluded that the private law tradition in medieval Ukraine specifically reflected the competition between Eastern and Western European legal traditions with the predominance of the former based on the customary law of Kievan Rus, while the latter gained dominance when the Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was being created. Since the late nineteenth century, most of Ukraine was governed by the laws of the Russian Empire, except territories under the rule of Austria–Hungary, Poland, Romania and others, where the legislation of the respective states—reflecting the Western tradition of law—remained in force. Therefore, the Ukrainian legal tradition was shaped by Western influence. The author observes that the ‘Great European Codifications’ affected Ukrainian law differently at various stages of its modern and contemporary history, noting that the Austrian codification exerted the greatest practical and doctrinal impact on the development and codification of civil law in western Ukraine. As for areas under Russian rule, the nature of law was determined by Russian jurisprudence’s reliance on the doctrine of German law and the German experience in codifying civil law. The Soviet period was characterised by the predominance of public law norms, by which the authorities sought to neutralise the perceived threat of ‘private law excesses’ in civil law regulation. Simultaneously, while regulating relations in a society that fundamentally denied the existence of private law, many of its provisions reflected the influence of bourgeois private law, mainly the German Civil Code Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB)—and through it—Roman private law. The private law of independent Ukraine is characterised by a gradual return to humanistic values: legal support for individual sovereignty, guarantees of personal rights, equalisation of the legal status of the individual and the state, and assurance of the freedom to exercise one's rights. The Civil Code of Ukraine of 2003 can be considered an act of universal application, regulating all property and non-property relations that are within the scope of private law, and are not governed by special legislation. The process of Ukraine's integration with the EU has necessitated the adaptation of domestic civil legislation to the European concept of private law, a process that is unfolding through ongoing recodification.

The author focuses on the analysis of the folk embroidery features of the village of Luchytsy, Sheptytskyi district, Lviv region, based on the exhibition “Memory of the Genus” (12.02.24–29.03.24) at the Research Institute for Art Library Resources of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv. The main attention is paid to the traditional principles of women’s shirts decorating, as well as innovations of the first half of the 20th century, and their combination with each other. Women’s shirts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries had shoulder inserts cut with a big button-down or a banded collars, and sleeves with cuffs of different widths. Patterns were often placed in horizontal stripes along the main structural lines, which were usually emphasized by two stripes of back stitches. There were also shirts with vertical ornaments along the central lines of the sleeves. The cross-stitch dominated in the shirts’ decor, monochrome (black), less often two-color (black-yellow, black-red) embroidery. Craftswo­men decorated shirts with geometric and floral ornaments, close to Sokal from other centers. Based features of the traditional shirts’ decor were the proportionality of all the details of the items, the subordination of the decor to the items’ cut, black cross-stitch embroidered decor on white fabric, which evoked associations with lace. In the women’s shirts of the 1920s and 1930s, the cut and decor changed significantly. Instead of the shoulder inserts cut, preference was given to a tunic-like or raglan shirts’ cut. The exquisite one- or two-color decoration was replaced by multi-colored patterns. Sometimes the color transformed traditional patterns beyond recognition, but the craftswomen also used ornaments characteristic of other historical and ethnographic regions of western Ukraine. Constructive searches, the multivariate arrangement and interpretation of embroidered decoration indicate the formation of a new tradition, which, unfortunately, was not completed due to the Soviet occupation of 1939 and a series of tragic events for Ukraine provoked by it. Keywords: embroidery, tradition, innovation, décor, cut, ornament, motive.

This study explores local conflicts between the Soviet political dictatorship's abstract historical narrative (chronopolitics) and the temporal regimes of rural society in a Western Ukrainian region, specifically in the borderland settlements of Transcarpathia. The analysis focuses on an empirical investigation of a single group of settlements, aiming to examine the micro-level power dynamics and symbolic struggles that shaped the transformation, representation, and institutional reproduction of temporal experience between the Soviet state and everyday citizens during the 1960s–1980s. The study examines how open-air skansens and ethnographic room museums—established under central party directives during the Soviet political dictatorship after 1945—shaped a normative conception of time in rural society and influenced the personal and collective memory of local inhabitants.

Aims : To revise the syntaxonomy of epiphytic lichen communities on Fagus sylvatica from old-growth beech forests in the Carpathians and adjacent uplands, in particular (1) to identify the main syntaxonomic units and reveal their ecologіcal, structural, and compositional peculiarities; (2) to assign the associations to higher-rank syntaxa; (3) to define the position of the resulting syntaxonomic units in the system of syntaxa of lichen communities of Europe; and (4) to evaluate the potential use of epiphytic lichen communities on beech trees as indicators of the ecological integrity of forest habitats. Study area : Ukrainian Carpathians, Roztochchia, Podillia, and Khotyn uplands. Methods : 230 relevés of lichen communities from western Ukraine and data from literary sources (reference data) were classified using the modified TWINSPAN algorithm implemented in JUICE software in two steps, identifying units of higher and then lower rank consecutively. Results : The first step of the analysis resulted in seven clusters which were mainly interpreted as classes or orders. The second step of the analysis resulted in 20 units of association or unranked community level. 12 of these were recorded in the study area and included 267 lichen species. Conclusions : Epiphytic lichen communities on Fagus sylvatica in the old-growth beech forests of Western Ukraine are divided into five classes: Agonimietea repletae (a new class encompassing lichen communities occurring on exposed roots and the bases of old tree trunks with smooth bark), Arthonio radiatae-Lecidelletea elaeochromae , Hypogymnietea physodis , Neckeretea complanatae and Physcietea , and 12 assocations or unranked communities. The order Agonimietalia repletae , the alliances Biatorion radicicolae and Dictyocatenulation albae , and five associations are newly described here. The provisional alliance Biatorion vernalis is proposed for epiphytic lichens on mosses. Taxonomic reference : Nimis et al. (2018). Abbreviations : EUNIS = European Nature Information System; EVC = EuroVegChecklist; ICPN = International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature; UNESCO = United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; OD = Original diagnosis.

The full-scale Russian invasion severely disrupted Ukraine's healthcare and surgical training systems, while increasing demand for high-quality surgical care. Online education may offer a solution, but data on its effectiveness in conflict-affected settings remain scarce. We aimed to evaluate the development, implementation, and impact of the "Principles of Surgery" course designed to enhance surgical knowledge among Ukrainian surgeons during wartime. We designed a free, 2-semester (09/2023-06/2024) online course for Ukrainian surgeons, using Kern's 6-step approach. It comprised weekly live Zoom sessions (lectures by international speakers, Q&A, case discussions), self-study materials, and post-session knowledge tests for continuous education credits. Self-assessed understanding and confidence were measured via pre- and post-session surveys using four-point Likert scales. Forty-two students were selected (admission rate: 20.6%), most (n=25,59.5%) male and based in Northern (n=16,38.1%) and Western (n=15,35.7%) Ukraine. The course included 37 sessions; all participants maintained >80% attendance. Significant improvements in topics understanding were observed for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) (p<0.001, r=0.95), Bleeding (p<0.001, r=0.97), Surgical infections (p=0.001, r=0.84), Shock (p<0.001, r=0.79), Vascular trauma (p=0.001, r=0.83), and Burns (p<0.001, r=0.83). Confidence in management improved substantially for ERAS (p<0.001, r=0.87), Bleeding (p=0.001, r=0.94), and Shock (p<0.001, r=0.94). Of 24 students, providing feedback, 20 (83.3%) reported a positive impact on their practice; all expressed interest in future educational initiatives. Main barriers included internet connectivity issues (n=9, 37.5%) and electricity outages (n=8, 33.3%). High-quality online surgical education can be feasible and impactful in conflict-affected settings, enhancing both knowledge and confidence in patient management.

The presents a technoecological assessment of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal combustion in Western Ukraine, Lviv-Volyn, Dnipro and Donetsk basins. Calculations were made for a model thermal power plant (TPP) with a capacity of 2.5 GW and an efficiency of 40%. Based on balance ratios and taking into account the technological features of SO2 absorption during coal combustion, the annual emissions were calculated and it was established that the most technoecological coal in terms of SO2 emissions is coal from the Dnipro coal basin of the Novodniprovske deposit of the B1R brand and coal from the Donetsk basin of the ASSH brand.

General practitioners - family doctors play a crucial role in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening as they are the first line of contact for patients. Adherence to screening recommendations has a direct impact on the effectiveness of disease detection. The importance of awareness about CRC screening among GPs-FDs is confirmed by studies that demonstrate a significant impact of GPs-FDs on patient participation in preventive examinations. Aim. To assess the level of GPs-FDs' awareness regarding CRC and its screening, as well as to identify the primary barriers and factors affecting the implementation of preventive measures in primary healthcare practice. Materials and Methods. A sociological survey was conducted among 343 GPs-FDs in three regions (oblasts) of Western Ukraine. The survey included 21 questions concerning symptoms, risk factors, and methods of CRC screening. Methods of systematic analysis, sociological research, and statistical data analysis were used. Results and Discussion. Analysis of responses showed that 71.14±2.45% of doctors (n=244, 95% CI: 66.23-75.81%) received patient questions about CRC screening. The main factors influencing physicians' recommendations included patient age (88.63±1.71% of respondents: n=304, 95% CI: 85.06-91.77%), family anamnesis (87.46±1.79% of respondents: n=300, 95% CI: 83.76-90.75%), and personal anamnesis (83.38±2.01% of respondents: n=286, 95% CI: 79.26-87.13%). The main screening strategy, according to the opinion of the GPs-FDs, is a combination of faecal occult blood test and colonoscopy (90.67±1.57% of respondents: n=311, 95% CI: 87.37-93.52%). The majority of doctors consider screening to be performed every 2 years as the optimal screening frequency (47.23±2.70% of respondents: n=162, 95% CI: 41.97-52.52%). Conclusions. The research results confirm a sufficient level of awareness of CRC screening among GPs-FDs and the importance of their role in promoting the population's participation in preventive measures. At the same time, the necessity of improving the system of informing GPs-FDs about modern screening methods and their effectiveness was identified. Future efforts should be directed to improve the professional knowledge of the GPs-FDs and to modernise the healthcare services by removing organisational barriers.

This study presents a data-driven forecasting framework for surface water state trends using time-series modelling based on hydrochemical monitoring data from the Ikva River (Ukraine). The monitoring campaign, conducted between 2021 and 2023, involved monthly sampling of 19 hydrochemical indicators at two sites. We applied the Prophet time series forecasting algorithm, a decomposable additive model, to predict key indicators, including water hardness and bicarbonate concentration. The approach provides a transparent and adaptable method for forecasting water state in data-limited contexts. Key contributions include the integration of high-resolution hydrochemical monitoring with an explainable machine learning model, enabling early warning insights in under-monitored river basins. The case study of best-performing models for hydrocarbonate and hardness confirmed that Prophet offered well-calibrated prediction intervals with rapid deployment, high interpretability, and dependable uncertainty estimation, though its forecasts were comparatively less accurate. Analysis of computational performance shows that Prophet enables faster implementation and quick insights, while ARIMA and LSTM achieve higher predictive accuracy at the cost of longer execution times. Results demonstrate strong predictive skill: for hardness, MAE = 1.64 and RMSE = 1.73; for bicarbonate, MAE = 54.82 and RMSE = 62.00. Coverage accuracy of 95% prediction intervals exceeded 91% for both indicators. The proposed approach provides a practical foundation for implementing early-warning systems and supporting evidence-based water resource management in regions lacking real-time monitoring infrastructure.

The article reveals the role of transport logistics as a strategic component of an integrated logistics system that ensures the sustainable movement of commodity and resource flows in the conditions of market transformation of the Ukrainian economy. The investment support of the transport industry is studied as a prerequisite for increasing its efficiency, reliability and competitiveness. A comparative analysis of the types of transport (rail, road, water, aviation) is carried out, taking into account the volumes of transportation, the level of capital investments and the structural role in the logistics network. The dynamics of the sales of transport and communication enterprises in recent years is analyzed against the background of a general decline in economic activity. The article presents the dynamics of capital investments in transport and communications of Ukraine in 2020–2024, which illustrates a significant drop in 2022 due to the full-scale invasion of the russian federation, and a gradual recovery in 2023–2024. An analysis of freight transportation by mode of transport in dynamics by year is also conducted, which allows us to identify trends in the changing role of railway transport in providing critical logistics during the war. Particular attention is paid to the volume of transportation in external communications, in particular in wagon and weight measurements, as one of the key indicators of the country’s export and import activity. A special emphasis is placed on assessing the prospects of alternative infrastructure projects in the transport sector, such as expanding railway connections with EU countries, creating multimodal logistics hubs in western Ukraine, and investing in river transport as an alternative to blocked sea routes. The article analyzes Ukraine’s participation in international infrastructure initiatives (TMTM, GO HIGHWAY, BDN, Development Road) as a tool for strengthening economic sustainability. The impact of logistics projects on investment attractiveness, transit potential and macro-financial stability in the context of war and geopolitical changes is considered. Therefore, it is grounded that effective investment in transport logistics is not only a means of supporting current economic needs, but also a determining factor in the formation of a long-term competitiveness of the Ukrainian economy in the post-war period.

The article analyzes and characterizes the national idea, which is the basis of the upbringing and education of the individual (representatives are writers of Western Ukraine representing the state-building movement, children's writers, and writer-pedagogues). This idea is key in the work of the majority of Ukrainian writers of the western region, as well as in the creative journalistic and scientific heritage of public and educational figures, political and public activists, women and youth movement figures, religious figures of the UGCC, artists, and doctors who have directly contributed to the educational process in Western Ukraine of the studied period. They worked as teachers, edited magazines, published educational literature, compiled teaching aids, textbooks, methodological recommendations, educational projects, etc. They established themselves as publicists. Without creating special literary works, they conveyed pedagogical ideas to the general public through contributions to the periodicals of that time. It is noted that Ukrainian periodicals of Western Ukraine became a platform for the dissemination of educational ideas, a platform where pedagogical innovations were produced, current problems of education and upbringing were discussed, foreign experience was analyzed, etc. It is emphasized that this phenomenon, when the issues of education and training were actively discussed by teachers, writers, social activists, spiritual leaders, politicians, artists, etc., provoked such a phenomenon as the pedagogy of public life, when Ukrainians mobilized their efforts around the problem of national education of children and youth. Writers-pedagogues were at the forefront of this phenomenon. Writers-pedagogues and public figures of Western Ukraine of that period well understood that the establishment and development of a national school were impossible without resolving a number of issues in the field of education, the most important of which was the preparation of a new generation of Ukrainians.

ABSTRACT This study investigates the spatial and temporal dimensions of im/mobility within the population of western Ukraine. It challenges the typical focus on receiving countries by examining both the capabilities and motivations for staying in Ukraine or considering emigration. Based on data from 1242 individual questionnaires collected in a pre‐invasion survey in western Ukraine, this study provides a comparative analysis of return migrants and non‐migrants, examining the relationship between past migration experience and the likelihood of future (im)mobility. We construct a novel migration capability scale that situates migration capability along a continuum and offers a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics of place‐based decision‐making (grounded in the fulfilment of basic economic needs, transnational social ties, risk attitude, and foreign language proficiency). Only 11% of respondents reported having no migration potential, while those with the highest migration capabilities ‐ including both returnees and non‐migrants ‐ were often undecided about their future mobility. Regression analyses show that past migration experience enhances migration capability, yet decision‐making is ultimately influenced by personal motivations, socio‐demographic factors, and the evolving relationship between population and place. These findings have important implications for migration policy and spatial planning.

The purpose of the article is to identify and analyze the causes of variability in clustering results of Ukrainian regions by demographic indicators when applying the Self-Organizing Maps (Kohonen maps) method, as well as to develop methodological recommendations for interpreting and using neural network analysis results in human-geographical research. Main material. The study is based on the analysis of demographic indicators of Ukrainian regions using the Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) method. Three clustering variants of Ukrainian regions were performed to identify stable and unstable cluster groups. Demographic indicators were normalized using linear scaling method with direct and inverse indexation formulas. Stable cluster cores were identified: Western Ukrainian regions with the best demographic situation (first group – Volyn, Rivne, Zakarpattya regions; second group – Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Ternopyl, Chernivtsi regions); central-eastern industrial and industrial-agricultural regions with the worst demographic situation (Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Mykolayiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv regions); predominantly central agricultural-industrial regions with unfavorable demographic situation (first group – Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions; second group – Vinnytsya and Khmelnytskiy regions). Regions with unstable cluster affiliation were determined (city Kyiv, Odesa, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Kherson regions). Four main factors of SOM variability were analyzed: random initialization of neuron weights, stochastic nature of learning, nonlinearity and complexity of topological transformation, and the influence of network configuration parameters. Conclusions. The variability of Self-Organizing Maps results is due to their stochastic nature, which is not a disadvantage but allows for the identification of multiple valid structures in data. To improve the reliability of results, it is recommended to perform multiple network training with cluster stability assessment and combine SOM with other territorial classification methods.

The Carpathian region of Ukraine plays a critical role in seismic monitoring due to its tectonic setting and proximity to the Vrancea Seismic Zone, which is known for its deep‑focus earthquakes. The regional seismic network across western Ukraine, covering the Carpathian and adjacent areas, currently comprises 22 stations, of which 5 are not operational, 18 stations continue to operate with Soviet‑era long‑ or short‑period sensors. Data from these stations are archived locally and are not publicly accessible. Five stations in the Carpathians (UT.BRIU, UT.KSV, UT.MEZ, UT.RAKU, UT.STNU) were recently upgraded with modern broadband sensors (deployed alongside the existing instruments) under the ORFEUS Data Integration Grant. This grant, funded through the Geo‑INQUIRE Project and supported by in‑kind contributions from GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, GaiaCode, and CNRS Geoazur, provided instruments and technical support that strengthened the network and enabled the station upgrades between September 2024 and March 2025. Data from the upgraded stations are available in real time through the European Integrated Data Archive (EIDA) under the FDSN network code UT, Ukrainian National Seismic Network, and can be accessed via the National Institute for Earth Physics (NIEP) EIDA node in Romania. For the first time, data from Subbotin Institute of Geophysics seismic network have been integrated into EIDA, significantly improving data accessibility and fostering international collaboration. These stations also contribute to the AdriaArray initiative, providing a dense seismic network for monitoring the Adriatic Plate and its active margins. This paper discusses the background, current state, and recent advancements in the region’s seismic network, with a focus on the upgrade of selected stations.

Abstract Background In February 2022, following the Russian attack on Ukraine, over 430,000 Ukrainian refugees arrived in the Czech Republic. Given the lower vaccination rates in Ukraine, this posed potential health risks, including the spread of COVID-19 variants. This study examines the determinants of COVID-19 vaccination willingness among these refugees. Methods We analyzed data from an online panel of 1,347 Ukrainian refugees using binary logistic regression. Three models tested the effects of (1) sociodemographic, (2) socioeconomic, and (3) health-related factors on vaccination willingness. Results Higher vaccination rates were associated with older age (OR = 1.79, 95%CI: 1.33-2.43), university education (OR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1.04-1.99), and being from Central Ukraine (OR = 1.53, 95%CI: 0.98-2.38). A university-educated refugee over 40 years old in a skilled profession had an 89% probability of being vaccinated, while a younger, less-skilled refugee from Western Ukraine had a 60% probability. Conclusions Sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors influenced COVID-19 vaccination rates among Ukrainian refugees in Czechia. Compared to earlier migration waves, this cohort was more skilled and educated. Despite healthcare access barriers, they did not pose a public health risk, likely due to responsible healthcare behavior and selective migration patterns. Key messages • Ukrainian refugees in Czechia, despite healthcare access barriers, showed responsible vaccination behavior, minimizing public health risks. • Compared to earlier migration waves, this refugee cohort was more skilled and educated, influencing their healthcare decisions.

Aim. This study quantifies how diurnal, seasonal, and solar-cycle variations in the ionosphere modify vertical total electron content (VTEC) and, thus, the positioning accuracy of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) across Western Ukraine. Special attention is paid to storm-time conditions (Kp ≥ 6) that degrade real-time kinematic (RTK) solutions. Methodology. Daily VTEC series from 23 April 2023 were analysed for three permanent GNSS stations (SULP, TER2, NVVL) at 15-s intervals for GPS satellite G01. After outlier removal the data were approximated by a 30-term Fourier series; the root-mean-square error (RMSE) assessed model fit. Cross-spectral Welch analysis identified dominant periodicities, while principal-component analysis revealed spatial coherence. Solar and geomagnetic indices were sourced from NOAA sunspot archives and the global Kp index. Model robustness was evaluated by leave-one-out validation on five additional geomagnetically disturbed days. Results. The harmonic model reproduced observed VTEC with an RMSE of 0.64 TECU, capturing the daytime peak (~28 TECU) and the rapid rise associated with Kp = 6 between 18:00 and 21:00 LT. Single-frequency positioning error rose by 35 % during this interval. A latitudinal VTEC gradient of up to 5 TECU between Lviv and Novovolynsk underscores the need for regional corrections. Cross-validation showed a 30–40 % accuracy gain for RTK fixes when the model was applied. Practical significance. The proposed regional VTEC model strengthens cadastral surveying, precision agriculture, structural health monitoring, and UAV inspections in the Carpathian region. Implemented with open-source Python tools, the workflow supports near-real-time ionospheric monitoring and forms a foundation for machine-learning-based short-term forecasts.