Features of the alienation of Ukrainian refugees and mechanisms of their communication with the Ukrainian state in wartime

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the peculiarities of the process of alienation of Ukrainian refugees from the Ukrainian state and social institutions in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war. To achieve this goal, the method of systematic analysis was used to understand various aspects of the alienation of refugees from Ukrainian society, and the method of comparative analysis was used to study the alienation of Ukrainian refugees in different countries of arrival and in the context of their belonging to different age groups.

The article establishes that one of the main forms of alienation in modern Ukrainian society is the emergence, because of military aggression by the Russian Federation, of millions of internally displaced persons and refugees from our country who have been alienated from their homes, their lives, their jobs, and found themselves with no means to survive. Although the demographic situation in Ukraine remains difficult due to the large number of refugees from the country, high mortality, and low birth rates amid the Russian-Ukrainian war, data from the end of 2024 refute the narratives spread by Russian propagandists about the desire of a significant portion of Ukrainians to leave Ukraine. It has been established that, despite these challenges, the majority of Ukrainians want to establish a Ukrainian state.

It has been proven that the key mechanisms for reintegrating Ukrainian refugees and establishing their communication with the Ukrainian state in the post-war period are resolving the issues of demobilization, identifying and punishing war criminals, establishing police functions and the judicial system, developing civil society organizations and self-government, ensuring decent wages in Ukraine, grant programs for entrepreneurs, affordable housing and preferential lending programs, access to education and retraining in accordance with, etc.