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The war in Ukraine in historical and political dimensions

When starting operations in Ukraine, the Russian Federation set itself specific strategic goals. To determine the degree to which these goals have been achieved, they should be correlated with the course of Russian activities to date. The first phase of the Russian military operation ended in failure, and the implementation of the set strategic goals should be considered very difficult or even impossible. The initial answer may be that the war was planned and started by the Kremlin and its security services, not professional military officials. This is where the Russians ignored certain basic principles of the art of war and the concept of new generation war itself. The Russians have not designated a commander-in-chief in the Ukrainian theater of war.

Changes in Ukrainians’ sense of security during the war 2014 – 2023

Today’s world, with the ongoing war in Ukraine, shows that conflicts, both armed and low-intensity, are directed not only at killing and conquering territory, but also at destabilising state functions and exacerbating social disputes. The aim is to weaken the morale of enemy populations and to lower their sense of security. Combat and everyday traumatic situations negatively affect soldiers and civilians, their attitudes or behaviour. This article attempts to present the changes in the feeling of security of Ukrainians in the years 2014 – 2023 during the war with the Russian Federation. The author presents the views of renowned experts and research on the phenomenon. He identifies the factors influencing the lowering or strengthening of the sense of security during the ongoing conflict. He emphasises that the sense of security translates into the will not only to fight and win, but also to survive and thrive.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022–2023/2024. Selected military aspects

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has achieved the opposite of its intended result. Russia has suffered a strategic defeat, losing the battle for Ukraine in 2022. Putin is trying to settle for a half-hearted result – the occupation and annexation of Crimea, Donbas and Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. The West has shown an attitude of unity and solidarity with Ukraine, providing major military, economic and humanitarian support. The U.S., Britain, Germany, Poland and the Baltic states have played a major role in this process. Far-reaching economic sanctions have been imposed against Russia and the settlement of war crimes has been announced. Overcoming many internal problems, Ukraine has united in the face of an invasion and existential threat from Russia. Putin’s pursuit of a solution to the “Ukrainian question” has accelerated the consolidation of the Ukrainian people and state. By resisting aggression, Ukraine has convinced Western governments and societies of its commitment to European values and the Euro-Atlantic security system. Firm and swift action in retrofitting Ukraine’s Armed Forces with the necessary equipment and ammunition will allow a definitive solution to Russia’s imperial inclinations.

The ‘Close-up War’ project as a way of telling the story of the war in Ukraine or changes in the tools of public diplomacy in wartime

The author of the article discusses the issue of changes in public diplomacy tools during Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine on the example of the documentary project ‘The War Up Close’. Public diplomacy tools became consciously used in Ukraine in the second decade of the 20th century. On 26 March 2021, the ‘Public Diplomacy Strategy of Ukraine for 2021 – 2025’ was adopted, which recognized countering Russian propaganda as one of the key tasks in the context of the hybrid war unleashed by Russia in 2014. Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 showed the need to update the tools of public diplomacy and expand the institutions involved in this area. The most important tool in telling the story of the war, informing the world about Russian crimes and the threat they pose to the world has become the truth, presented in documentary projects, films, photography, and immersive exhibitions created with the help of modern technologies. Such projects are able to convey the truth to the viewer, to give a sense of presence in the epicentre of events. To understand the danger that Russia poses to the world. ‘The War Up Close’ project was created using a 360° circular panorama, drone video and 3D modelling to show the world community in detail how Russians are destroying the Ukrainian people. The project materials are direct evidence of Russian crimes and can be used in the future to bring the aggressor country to justice. The project demonstrates the change in the tools of Ukraine’s public diplomacy in the context of a full-scale war, when the goal of creating a positive image of Ukraine was supplemented by the task of telling the world the truth about Russia’s crimes against a peaceful, non-nuclear-armed country.

How to talk about war in the post-truth era

Over the past few decades, the term ”post-truth” has become a well-established term in the scientific and political space to denote false but credible information. Traditional examples of this type of public information include the election of U.S. President D. Trump, the Brexit information campaign and others. During the Russian-Ukrainian war, especially with the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the post-truth era did not end, but gained a new development, and information became part of the information confrontation. The aggressor is pursuing an active policy of disinformation of both its own population and the population of the target state (Ukraine) and third countries, using a variety of tools, among which the Internet and other media, as well as social networks, play the most important role. Ukraine and the countries that suffer from the Russian Federation’s information aggression must pursue appropriate information policies, from banning harmful information sources to refuting false information and providing their own. The research is devoted to analyzing the tools of information aggression and countering it. The scientific hypothesis is that information plays an important role in armed conflict, and a state against which, among other things, information aggression is perpetrated should develop tools to counter information aggression for use with both domestic and international audiences.

The War in Ukraine and Humanitarian Aid on The Example of the Regional Branch of the Polish Red Cross in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship

The Russian aggression in Ukraine commenced in 2014. During this period, Ukrainians began arriving in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship and other regions of Poland, being treated as migrants. However, since February 24, 2022, there has been a substantial increase in the influx of people from Ukraine, predominantly women and children, seeking refuge in Poland, including in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. This region, due to its direct proximity to the Russian Federation (Kaliningrad Oblast), with a border of approximately 200 kilometers, did not attract particular interest from refugees. The aim of this article is to present the involvement of the Warmian-Masurian Regional Branch of the Polish Red Cross (hereinafter: OO PCK) in aiding refugees from Ukraine. The hypothesis posits that this Branch of the Red Cross has been engaged in aid activities for two years; however, in the second year of the full-scale war, this involvement diminished. The basic research problems include questions about the scale of aid to Ukrainian refugees in 2022 and 2023 organized by OO PCK, the forms of aid provided, the number of beneficiaries for each form of aid, and the specific groups of refugees to whom OO PCK directed its financial and material assistance. The results of the study provided answers to the research questions and positively verified the research hypothesis.

The Russian-Ukrainian war: the dynamics of international perception

The article analyzes the dynamics of international perception of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The position of the European Union and the United States with regard to the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine is presented. The features of the EU sanctions regime against Russia are described. The nature of EU assistance to Ukraine before and after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation was analyzed. Attention was paid to the growing interest of the international community in the Ukrainian issue in connection with the large-scale offensive conducted by Russian troops. The unprecedented decision of the European Union to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons in 2022 and the motives behind the decision were analyzed. The reasons for the declining interest of international actors in the war between Russia and Ukraine were discussed, with a focus on the factors leading to the reduction of aid. The scale of aid the United States has granted to Ukraine in support of the fight against Russian aggression is highlighted. Potential reasons for U.S. delays in providing military aid to Ukraine are described, as well as the risks the White House perceives in the event of a Russian Federation failure. The phenomenon of European and American “fatigue” with the war in Ukraine was analyzed, taking into account both external and internal factors. It was concluded that the Russian-Ukrainian war should be viewed as an international threat.

Difficult conversations with young people about war

The aim of the article is to analyse the most important challenges faced by parents, guardians, educators, teachers, and psychologists in communicating with Ukrainian youth after the start of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. Selected good practices of educational, pedagogical, and psychological institutions, organisations and scientific research centres in Poland supporting the mental health, well-being and promoting intercultural integration of Ukrainian adolescents residing in Poland were identified. Using individual, semi-structured interviews, barriers and facilitators to communication and integration of Ukrainian teenagers with their Polish peers were also explored. The conducted analysis confirmed the necessity of addressing the topic of war in discussions with young people, considering their psychological needs and perceptual capabilities. Systemic solutions are needed to educate them in the field of information security and intercultural dialogue, and to intensify activities increasing the social inclusion of teenage refugees from Ukraine in Poland.

Talking about a lost home

Over the past few years, the Russian-Ukrainian war has caused hundreds of thousands of human tragedies. One of the most painful consequences of the conflict is the loss of homes for thousands of families in Ukraine. Many of them have been forced to leave their homes in search of a safe haven from the hostilities. In this article, we will focus on the problem of home loss in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war. We will discuss how to talk about this difficult topic, the emotional and practical consequences of losing one’s home, and how the international community can help rebuild the lives of those who have lost their homes.

Consequences of the nature of the war narrative in a democratic society in the long term

The way media informs the public about ongoing war is decisively distinct in authoritarian and democratic states. Differences are of a systemic nature and result from the direct influence, which the authoritarian authorities can exert on the narrative. It is much easier for them to pursuit of their preferences, manipulate message or neutralize public interest. In democracy the narrative must observe freedom of speech and expression and the message is finally the resultant of many factors, on which democratic authorities have limited influence. Paradoxically, media freedom creates the risk of lacking consistency of message and contribute do the “war fatigue” effect in the public.

Nuclear powers are losing wars too! Clash in the cognitive domain – Russian nuclear blackmail vs. Ukraine’s chances of victory

The clash conducted in the cognitive domain is aimed at influencing the will, determination, coherence of decision-making centers and threat assessment, at the level of individuals, groups and entire societies. Freedom of speech and multicentricity, make democratic societies more vulnerable to influence in the cognitive domain. Strategic signaling of nuclear readiness plays a special role among the leverage tools used by the Russian Federation. The interests of Western states have been and continue to be violated by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, the potential of Western states exceeds Russian potential many times over in a number of areas. Russia can count on a favorable resolution of the conflict for itself due to a calculation that takes into account the effective disruption of Western unity and determination to support a belligerent Ukraine, an element of which is the aforementioned threat of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons.

Is everything war? Dual-use technologies and blurring the lines between war and peace

The classic paradigm of thinking about armed conflict is a thing of the past. Today, wars are not declared outright, they simply begin and continue, and actions of a political and informational nature are an element of war reality as expected as explosions and gunfire. When a war begins an attack is to be expected from any direction. It’s not just a matter of geographic direction, but more importantly of the elements that interconnectedly shape the digitized reality. The goal of war itself remains the same, i.e. to break the will of the opponent, to disorganize the operation of the state, to introduce chaos in the ranks of the army, to break the decision-making loop and to cut off the opponent from allies - to isolate him. The difference from the experience of previous decades is the addition to the list of effectors of such tools, which were not previously identified with war. With the unclear global security situation determining dynamic changes in the technological landscape, the defense sector is increasingly turning to industrially-used solutions to maintain competitiveness and advantage on the battlefield. Driving defense innovation is the use of dual-use technologies.

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