When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the immediate human toll was devastating. Yet parallel to this visible destruction, another vital national asset came under threat: Ukraine's scientific ecosystem.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the immediate human toll was devastating—lives lost, families displaced, cities reduced to rubble. Yet parallel to this visible destruction, another vital national asset came under threat: Ukraine's scientific ecosystem.
Research institutions shuttered, laboratories were destroyed, and thousands of scientists became refugees or soldiers. In the face of this existential challenge, an extraordinary mobilization began—international scientific organizations, professional associations, and public institutions worldwide activated to protect their Ukrainian colleagues.
This article explores how this global network has become a lifeline for Ukrainian science, preserving not just knowledge but the very human capital essential for Ukraine's future recovery.
The scientific community's response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been unprecedented in its scale and coordination. A comprehensive discourse analysis of 923 official statements from international scientific organizations reveals a fascinating picture of how these traditionally apolitical entities positioned themselves.
Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques including sentiment analysis and topic modeling, researchers found that 47% of organizations explicitly supported Ukraine and condemned Russia, while only 13% maintained a neutral stance 1 .
of organizations explicitly supported Ukraine and condemned Russia
maintained a neutral stance
| Position Category | Percentage of Organizations | Typical Actions Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Support Ukraine, condemn Russia | 47% | Severing ties with Russian institutions, issuing statements of solidarity, creating support funds for Ukrainian researchers |
| Neutral stance | 13% | Focusing on humanitarian aspects, avoiding explicit political alignment |
| Not specified in study | 40% | Various unspecified responses |
Organizations expressed their positions through concrete actions. The British Academy expressed support for Ukraine, while the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences suspended cooperation with Russia. CERN went further, suspending Russia's observer status and condemning its actions 1 . This institutional positioning mattered profoundly—it determined whether Russian scientists would remain part of international collaborations and influenced the flow of scientific resources toward Ukraine.
To understand why this global response was so crucial, we must examine the war's catastrophic effect on Ukraine's research infrastructure. The damage extends far beyond physical structures, striking at the very core of Ukraine's scientific capabilities.
decline in publications per researcher in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk
of Ukrainian scientists had fled the country by late 2022
of scientists who remained had left research entirely
A longitudinal study analyzing over half a million journal articles by researchers affiliated with Ukrainian institutions revealed alarming trends. Research activity significantly declined in regions exposed to active hostilities, particularly in natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences—fields that typically rely heavily on collaboration, international mobility, and access to specialized laboratories 3 .
| Impact Category | Percentage of Scientists Affected | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|
| Displacement | 18.5% | Had fled Ukraine; among the most research-active scientists |
| Career change | 15% of those who stayed | Had left research entirely |
| Infrastructure loss | 23.5% | Lost access to critical research inputs |
| Access issues | 20.8% | Could not physically access their institutions |
The patterns differed starkly between regions:
Perhaps most concerning has the weakening of international research networks among scientists in affected regions. The average number of co-authors per publication fell in Donetsk and Luhansk after 2014, indicating that scholars in these areas became increasingly isolated from global scientific conversations 3 .
The human dimension of this crisis is equally stark. A representative survey of over 2,500 Ukrainian scientists conducted in late 2022 found that approximately 18.5% had fled the country by late 2022. Particularly worrying was the finding that these emigrant scientists were among the most research-active in Ukraine 9 . Of those who remained in Ukraine, about 15% had left research entirely, while those who continued faced dramatically reduced research time and lost access to critical resources 9 .
One particularly crucial study exemplifies the systematic approach researchers have taken to understand the war's impact on Ukrainian science. Published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications in 2023, this comprehensive survey provides critical baseline data on the displacement and working conditions of Ukrainian researchers 9 .
The research team conducted a representative online survey of 2,559 scientists between September 21 and December 8, 2022. The target population included research-active employees of higher education institutions and public research organizations who worked in Ukraine when the full-scale invasion began.
The survey employed stratified sampling to ensure representation across disciplines, regions, and institution types, with weighting applied to correct for response biases. The questionnaire covered displacement status, current working conditions, access to resources, and future intentions.
The findings revealed not just the scale of displacement but its selective nature—the most productive researchers were disproportionately among those who had left. This suggests Ukraine is experiencing not just a "brain drain" but a "quality drain" that could have long-term consequences for the country's scientific standing 9 .
For those who remained, the challenges were multifaceted: about one-quarter had lost access to critical research inputs, one-fifth could not physically access their institutions, and the majority experienced significantly reduced research time due to security concerns, power outages, and increased teaching or administrative burdens 9 .
The study's policy implications are profound: migrant scientists often found themselves in precarious positions abroad, suggesting the need for longer-term hosting arrangements. For stayers, the authors recommend remote visiting programs, access to digital libraries and computing resources, and collaborative research grants that can be conducted despite the war's constraints 9 .
The response from global scientific organizations has been both rapid and multifaceted, employing a diverse set of mechanisms to support Ukrainian science. These tools form what we might consider a essential "researcher's toolkit" for preserving science during conflict.
| Support Mechanism | Function | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency research fellowships | Provides funding and institutional affiliation for displaced researchers | Academy of Finland: €1.14 million for Ukrainian researchers' mobility 5 |
| Remote collaboration infrastructure | Enables researchers in Ukraine to continue working with international partners | Access to digital libraries, cloud computing resources, online collaboration platforms 9 |
| Sanctions on Russian scientific collaboration | Limits resources available to Russian institutions, aligns with political stance | German Research Foundation: discontinued scientific collaborations with Russian partners 5 |
| Solidarity statements | Signals institutional position, influences member actions, shapes narrative | 47% of organizations explicitly supporting Ukraine 1 |
Established a one-million euro emergency fund to support Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarussian researchers 5 .
Launched a dedicated funding scheme in social sciences and humanities for researchers at Ukrainian institutions 5 .
Made available 9 million francs to host researchers from Ukraine at universities in Switzerland through Scholars at Risk 5 .
What makes this toolkit particularly innovative is its dual approach—supporting both those who have left Ukraine and those who have remained. This recognizes that Ukraine's scientific recovery will depend not only on those who return after the war but also on maintaining minimal research capacity within the country during the conflict.
As the war has continued, support efforts have evolved from emergency responses to more coordinated, long-term strategies. In July 2025, a significant development occurred with the launch of the International Coalition for Science, Research, and Innovation in Ukraine during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome 8 .
This joint initiative by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, UNESCO, and the European Commission marks a strategic shift toward placing "science, research and innovation at the heart of Ukraine's sustainable, inclusive and long-term recovery" 8 .
The coalition aims to coordinate international efforts, set a shared agenda for cooperation, and facilitate structured dialogue between the Ukrainian government and its global partners.
Several countries and organizations—including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and UNDP—have already joined alongside the founding members, signaling strong international commitment 8 .
This represents perhaps the most comprehensive effort to date to systematically address both the urgent needs and long-term priorities of Ukraine's research and innovation system.
Simultaneously, individual organizations continue to adapt their support mechanisms. Science Europe, an association of major European research organizations, has been coordinating support among its members and stands with the National Research Foundation of Ukraine and the wider Ukrainian research community 5 . Their actions include supporting the establishment of the International Centre for Mathematics in Ukraine and organizing workshop series on 'Preserving and Developing Ukraine's Human Capital in Research, Education, and Innovation' 5 .
The story of Ukrainian science during the Russia-Ukraine conflict is one of both profound vulnerability and remarkable resilience. The research ecosystem has suffered devastating losses—displacement of its best minds, destruction of infrastructure, and isolation from international networks. Yet through the coordinated efforts of scientific organizations worldwide, a lifeline has emerged that preserves not just individual careers but the possibility of post-war recovery.
What makes this response unique is how it has blended immediate humanitarian support with long-term strategic planning. The emergency fellowships, maintained research collaborations, and now the International Coalition for Science, Research, and Innovation collectively represent a recognition that science is not a luxury to be resumed after peace returns, but an essential component of national resilience and future recovery.
As the war continues, the challenge remains immense. Rebuilding Ukraine's scientific capacity will require years of sustained investment and international cooperation. Yet the response so far offers a powerful model for how global science can mobilize to protect knowledge and those who produce it, even amidst the most destructive circumstances.
In supporting Ukrainian scientists, the international community isn't just preserving Ukraine's scientific future—it's upholding the principle that knowledge transcends borders and that the scientific enterprise remains one of our most powerful tools for building a better world.
Citations will be added in the final version.