RESEARCH OF THE PHENOMENON OF SELF-ORGANIZATION AND COHESION OF UKRAINIAN SOCIETY DURING THE WAR. Larysa Pylgun

The research was made possible with the support of Civil Society Organization "Initiative Center to Support Social Action "Ednannia" under the project «Civil society sectoral support initiative», implemented by ISAR Ednannia in consortium with the Ukrainian Independent Center for Policy Research (UNCPR) and the Center for Democracy and Rule of Law (CDRL) thanks to the sincere support of the American people The United States Agency for International Development

Larysa Pylgun

·       Independent evaluator of policies, programs and projects (https://www.evalinukraine.com/).

·       Member of the Board of the Ukrainian Evaluation Association (https://www.ukreval.org/).

·       Member of the Board of the Expert Group "Sova" (https://www.groupsova.org.in/).

EDUCATION:

·       Kiev National Economic University (1997)

·       National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine (2004)

·       Non-formal education and self-study:

o   Methods of teaching adults

o   Psychology

o   Social psychology

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY:

L. Pylgun’s professional activity began as a methodologist at the Department of Law, then as a teacher at the Department of European Integration of the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine. Then she headed the department of public administration and tax policy at the center for advanced training of employees of the state tax service of Ukraine.

L. Pylgun also worked in the Ukrainian-German project “Didactic Center” and the World Bank project “Center for Distance Learning” (National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine).

Since 2011, L. Pylgun has been evaluating social projects of international and non-governmental organizations (Caritas, DESPRO, Klitschko Foundation, UNDP, UNIDO, USAID, Erasmus+, Women's Consortium of Ukraine, Renaissance Foundation, Eastern Europe Foundation, etc.), consulting authorities and local governments on monitoring and evaluation of policies, programs and projects, conducts training on monitoring and evaluation issues for non-governmental organizations. She took part in the creation of the Ukrainian Assessment Association. She was the head of the Association. She is also co-author of the manual “Monitoring and Evaluation: Why? How? With what result? / [L. Pylgun, M. Savva, I. Kravchuk and others]. – Kyiv, 2018. – 174 p.

Since 2015, L. Pylgun has been involved in the evaluation of social projects to help internally displaced persons and veterans of the Russian war against Ukraine. In the first months of the full-scale war in Ukraine, she provided all possible assistance to people and animals in the zone of active hostilities in the Kyiv region, takes part in events dedicated to the Russian war against Ukraine, in order to inform the world community about the consequences of the war for the civilian population, for civilian infrastructure, for ecology. In 2022, she initiated research into the phenomenon of self-organization and unification of civil society during the war and plans to continue researching Ukrainian society during the war.

L. Pylgun practices coaching for people who remained to live and work in Ukraine in conditions of war, high risks and uncertainty, and also studies practical psychology.

Introduction 

Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. During the full-scale war, a large part of Ukrainian cities and villages fell into the zone of active hostilities, and civil infrastructure was seriously destroyed.

Many settlements were destroyed. The enemy seizes territories and purposefully destroys the Ukrainian people: kills soldiers and civilians on the territory of Ukraine, takes adults and children to the territory of the Russian Federation and keeps them in conditions unsuitable for life. The enemy had the goal of "taking Kyiv in three days", but already in the first three days he received such resistance from the Ukrainian society that exceeded the capabilities of the Ukrainian army and the expectations of the world community[1].

The Ukrainians opposed the enemy, who had a numerical and technical advantage. But the results of this opposition not only destroyed external expectations regarding the results of the war in Ukraine, but also inspired Ukrainians with hope for the return of previously occupied territories.

Ukrainian society was not ready for war and denied its possibility. But Ukrainians began to create numerous public initiatives, associations and volunteer groups in response to events and needs, in conditions of extreme risk and uncertainty from the first hours of the war. These initiatives were and are still operating both on a one-off and ongoing basis. Professional experience, status, age, gender are not obstacles to networking for a common goal. Vertical connections gave way to horizontal ones.

Self-organization[2] and grouping[3] of Ukrainian society during a full-scale war are phenomenal in terms of scale, effectiveness and efficiency of solving problems, ignoring social and other statuses, ability to master new things, invest one's own time, resources and life for the sake of the country's future. The war in Ukraine formed horizontal ties among Ukrainians, improved the tools of interaction, and strengthened the institution of reputation. All self-organization groups can be conventionally divided into two types: those that collect funds and use them, and those that do not. Ukrainian civil society is characterized by very tight control over spending money and a high level of suspicion towards other people. Some self-organization groups do not want to act as mediators:

Quote from the interview:

·       "This is a principled position: if you have the desire and the opportunity, then just buy something for this amount yourself, because money is a responsibility, and I am not ready to be responsible for other people's money." 

The full-scale war has been going on for almost 2 years. The military believes that 80% of everything needed in war is provided by volunteers. Non-governmental organizations and charitable foundations obtain licenses to purchase weapons and collect money for mortars to defend their cities. Students and businessmen create drones and equipment for the military. All the needs of forcibly displaced people are met exclusively by representatives of civil society. People of retirement age prepare food and weave camouflage nets, children make trench candles. Medical care for the military and rehabilitation of veterans became an additional direction of many non-governmental organizations. It is difficult to find a family in Ukraine that would not share money, basic necessities or housing with military personnel and people affected by the war. Currently, it is difficult to list all types of activities that Ukrainians have initiated and are carrying out for the sake of victory. It is also difficult to say how the Ukrainians manage almost instantly to solve issues that the government, specialized and international organizations were not ready to solve.

Self-organization and cohesion of Ukrainian society began in the first hours of a full-scale war without leaders and intervention of the authorities and often contrary to what the authorities demanded. Over time, self-organization and cohesion strengthened according to the problems and needs that arose. Self-organization and cohesion blurred social statuses and roles. People on their own initiative quickly responded to the challenges of the war, without having special knowledge, skills, experience, permits, etc. The questions arose quite quickly: What is the motivation of Ukrainians to do what they are doing during a full-scale war? What became the factor of self-organization and cohesion of Ukrainian society in order to resist the enemy and eliminate the consequences of the war? What are the scales of self-organization and cohesion of Ukrainian society during the war? How many people with other citizenships joined the resistance to the Russian aggressor?

These questions became the beginning of the "Investigation of the phenomenon of self-organization and grouping of Ukrainian society during the war." This study is aimed at studying a natural experiment (war), during which events are determined by factors beyond the control of researchers. Already at the end of 2022, there was an oral survey of people of different ages and different professions who were in Ukraine and abroad (the 1st stage of the research, see Appendix 1). Almost a year later, in the second half of 2023, there was an online survey of Ukrainians and persons of other citizenships who joined the aid of the Ukrainian military, civilians, and territories affected by the war (2nd stage of the study - see Appendix 1).

Tasks of the survey:

•        find out and record the scope (forms, types of activities, directions, spheres) of cohesion and self-organization of people during the war;

•        to understand the motivation of Ukrainian society (people belonging to different ethnic, religious, political, professional groups) to confront the enemy in the way they choose;

•        to understand the correlation of the influence of power and self-awareness in confronting the enemy;

•        identify the features (characteristics) of Ukrainian society that unite Ukrainians in the struggle for their own independence.

At the first stage of the research, it became clear that the participants in the resistance to the Russian army in Ukraine, helping the Ukrainian military, civilians and territories affected by the war, are persons with other citizenships. Therefore, at the second stage of the research, there was an attempt to find out:

•        What is the motivation of civilians with other citizenships to join the resistance against the Russian aggressor?

•        How does Ukrainian civil society differ from the civil society of neighboring countries? How does the civil society of different countries behave in crisis and war?

•        Are there any characteristics of Ukrainian civil society that can be cultivated in other countries?

The object of this study is any form of cohesion and self-organization of people aimed at overcoming Russian aggression, protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, preserving independence, countering information warfare and propaganda in the media space, etc. At the first stage of the research, a survey within Ukraine was envisaged. But among the interviewers were forced migrants who are currently in many countries of the world. These interviewers found Ukrainians and people of other nationalities who want Ukraine to win the war and help the Armed Forces and civilians affected by the war in every possible way. Therefore, at the second stage, the geography of the research expanded and an attempt was made to interview people who have never lived in Ukraine, but help it in every way.

For this study, the most simple methodology was chosen, which can be applied specifically for a natural experiment. The method of gathering information at the first stage of the research is semi-structured in-depth interviews with people who joined the resistance during the war in various forms, individually and collectively, in Ukraine and outside Ukraine, etc. Since the technical processing of the interview results required significant resources, at the second stage of the research, the survey was conducted using a Google form. Each method of collecting information has its advantages and disadvantages, but the conclusions based on the results of "live" and online surveys are similar. The difference in findings is only explained by the time of the survey: whether it was the first year of full-scale war and whether it was the second year of full-scale war.

The following methods of information processing were also used: content analysis, compositional and content analysis of texts (interview results), event analysis. In addition, multidisciplinary expert analysis of research results and the capabilities of artificial intelligence are used[4].

It should be emphasized that the study did not have a hypothesis, because it was carried out under the conditions of a natural experiment, and the object of the study is a phenomenon[5]. At the same time, there were attempts to explain the phenomenon with the help of studying special literature, in particular in the field of "Social Psychology".

There were no requirements for territorial representativeness of the sample, but there was a desire to cover the survey of people 1) of any age, gender, religion, field of professional activity, political preferences, place of birth or current residence, social or other status, etc.; 2) who, at the time of the interview, participate in volunteer initiatives[6] or were the initiators of such initiatives; 3) are representatives of both local (population), regional, national and international (in the case when people or organizations from other countries, diaspora joined the initiative) initiatives; 4) who act outside the scope of their functional duties, powers, etc.

People who are representatives of power, and act within their authority, or organized by power at any level, are not the object of research. At the same time, the cases of voluntary activity of government representatives are interesting for research. It is also important for research to find out how the government helps non-governmental and informal initiatives aimed at resisting Russian aggression.

The result of the study is 200 oral interviews and 121 written (Google form).

Students from two universities were involved in the study, and they conducted about 300 interviews as part of their student practice:

·       Students of the Faculty of Sociology of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv,

directed by: Oleg Vladimirovich Mazuryk, Doctor of Sociology, Head of the Department of Social Structures and Social Relations, Member of the Ukrainian Evaluation Association.

·       Students of the University of Customs and Finance (Dnipro city),

directed by:  Elena Aleksandrovna Pavlenko, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Head of the Department of Foreign Philology, Translation and Professional Language Training; Professor of the Department of Public Service and Customs; Member of the Ukrainian Evaluation Association.

The study used the results of monitoring and evaluation of two projects implemented by non-governmental organizations during the full-scale war in Ukraine[7]:

·       Results of the survey of participants in the project "Ensuring mental health and psychosocial support for the population affected by the war"[8];

·       Results of a survey of participants and beneficiaries of the project "Re:silience. Re:covery. Re:construction. (Re:Ukraine_project)"[9].

The study was possible thanks to the support and assistance of:

·       Oksana Vlasova, PhD in Psychology,

·       Tatyana Yegorova, teacher of Ukrainian language,

·       Oleg Mazuryk, Doctor of Sociology,

·       Elena Pavlenko, Doctor of Pedagogy,

·       Mikhail Savva, Doctor of Political Science,

·       Eitan Shirman, student of the Berlin Technical University,

·       Our colleagues from the Ukrainian Evaluation Association (https://www.ukreval.org/),

who were involved organizationally and intellectually, as well as representatives of European media and educational institutions who supported the idea of the study.

Many thanks to Mikhail Minakov, Doctor of Philosophy, and Oksana Dashchakovskaya, PhD in Political Science, for their positive review of the research results. 

Research Results

The results of the study indicate that people in Ukraine were not ready for war. The events of February 24 caused horror, rage, hatred, fear, anxiety, and shock. These emotions, in turn, caused despair, stupor, panic, confusion, helplessness, uncertainty, unknownness, disbelief, not understanding what to do and what will happen next. The research participants shared the details of that day: how they heard and saw the first explosions, how they saw the first Russian military equipment and the first Russian soldiers on Ukrainian streets, how they took the children away and made a decision to stay in their village or city, or to return to Ukraine from another country. The participants of the study shared what they thought about at the time:

·       "It became clear that this is a real war".

·       "It's scary that the enemy is advancing so quickly".

·       "Hope it's not for long".

·       "Not understanding how to act in this new reality."

·       "Unawareness of the complexity of the situation".

·       "Doomsday".

·       "Perception of the situation as illogical, unreal in general".

The emotions, reactions, and thoughts listed above are an exhaustive list of what was shared by the study participants, as the emotions, reactions, and thoughts were almost the same for everyone.  

Only a few respondents said that someone warned about the start of war, or they expected war, so they prepared for war (for example, they had things packed, or they agreed with friends or colleagues about what they would do if war broke out).

All participants of the study said that the war changed their lives a lot. They lost relatives, property, business, relationships, meaning, etc. At the same time, because of the war, people dared to do things that they would not have done if they had a normal peaceful life. Only at the end of the second year of the war, people began to talk very cautiously about the fact that the war not only took away, but also gave something important, for example, new acquaintances and friends.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "we have lost everything: work, plans for the future, everything must be started from scratch, because the children are small".

·       "The war prompted me to realize a long-desired dream - to adopt a child. And in October 2022, I took an almost 5-year-old boy from Odesa".

·       "I closed the shop, I didn't dare to open again. I moved several times, lived abroad. I became pessimistic and at times I lose faith in justice and international law".

All research participants said that from the first days or even hours of the war, they joined the resistance to the enemy or helped those who needed it. Only some research participants said that they were motivated to volunteer by the example of people who can be called leaders.

When asked the question "Who came up with the idea of doing what you do", research participants very rarely referred to other people (boss, friend, relative). They answered - the need for something, the request of relatives or acquaintances, the understanding that the skill can be useful in this situation, their own pain or the pain of people around them, the team (professional environment, educational institution, community), the needs of relatives and friends. The volunteering activities of the majority of the interviewees began at the beginning of the full-scale war. Before the war, some of them wanted to help others, but there was no favorable situation or special need. For a small percentage of respondents, volunteering began in 2014. They are either veterans, or forced migrants, or relatives or friends of those who suffered from the war in eastern Ukraine. These people became leaders for their environment because they had experience in solving problems caused by war.

Quotes from the interview:

·       “No one invented it. There were simply needs. Someone calls: I need this. can you help If I can, I help, if not - I look for those who can. Or say I can't help(((”.

·       “I wouldn't say that someone invented it. It happened somehow by itself, there was no need to talk about it. It was organized by different people”.

·       “I am myself. But there are many people like me. Everyone reacted literally synchronously. It was like telepathy)))”.

It is important to note that only 4 out of 113 participants of the online survey are in the volunteer register in Ukraine. To the question "Have you registered in the register of volunteers in Ukraine?" they replied:

·       “No” - 109 people,

·       “Yes” - 4 people.

The research participants emphasized that they are not volunteers, but according to the current legislation and the generally accepted understanding of volunteering, they are all volunteers[10].

The study participants belong to different ethnic, religious, political, professional, social and age groups. The research involved: business owners; government officials; students; people on maternity leave; people who are on creative leave; people looking for work; pensioners; employees of private companies; employees of budgetary organizations; representatives of non-governmental organizations and charitable foundations; representatives of the volunteer community; representatives of international organizations; representatives of local self-government; self-employed persons and those who classified themselves as "other".

The survey of 2329 participants of the project "Ensuring mental health and psychosocial support of the population affected by the war", which took place at the time of the research, included questions about the field of activity of the project participants. Respondents had the opportunity to choose several answers to this question, one of which was "Volunteer".

149 people said that their field of activity is "volunteer" (or to the question "how has professional activity changed over the past six months", they answered that they started volunteering, or there was more volunteer work). Of these 149 people: 9 - men, 135 - women, 5 - gender was not specified. 13 people are or were forced migrants, 108 people faced emergency situations (staying under occupation, shelling, road accident, fire, flood). Some have cumulative trauma ("being under occupation and/or in a war zone: suffered; shelling/bombing: suffered; fire: witnessed; flood: witnessed; car accident: witnessed; being held hostage: witnessed; torture: suffered ; sexual violence: witnessed; human trafficking: witnessed"). All of them live in different communities, are representatives of different age groups, belong to different professional groups, among them are students, pensioners, women on maternity leave.

The results of the survey of the participants of the project "Ensuring mental health and psychosocial support of the population affected by the war" are unexpected: there are no civil servants engaged in volunteer activities among the respondents. A total of 44 civil servants took part in the survey. Out of 375 local government representatives, less than 20 people are volunteers. Employees of justice, employees of administrative service centers, educators, doctors, entrepreneurs, pensioners, students, etc. indicated that they volunteer. But the percentage of volunteers among those interviewed is not large.

Such survey results indicate either that the authorities consider a person with a special document to be a volunteer, or that society may be polarized (officials and everyone else).

From the answers to the question "What are the people who help the people and territories affected by the war, the military and the Armed Forces?" it is not possible to single out some homogeneous group of people who took on the task of helping. These are people of various professions and of various ages, Ukrainians and foreigners, who are physically located not only in Ukraine, but also outside its borders.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "These are people of different professions, of different ages. This is all my environment".

·       "When you immerse yourself in this work, you see that everyone around you is doing something in this direction".

·       "Among my colleagues there are many who help. Maybe all of them. We just don't discuss it".

Scope (forms, activities, directions, spheres) of cohesion and self-organization of people during the war

The study showed that almost all aid to people and territories affected by the war, the military and armed forces of Ukraine comes from civil society. Almost all military, civilian, animal, infrastructure, etc. needs have been met by the volunteer community since day one of the war. People do not have special knowledge, skills and experience, resources, but they undertake to solve the problems that arose because of the war. Regardless of age and gender, people unite other people around them, look for resources, acquire new skills, create organizations and even businesses. So, for example, a woman about 30-35 years old, an economist by profession, organized the production of body armor because her brother did not have enough body armor when he went to serve in the armed forces of Ukraine. At the car service station, they began to make stew and send it to the front. The evaluator of social projects undertook to coordinate the search for military pilots in the first days of a full-scale war. The financier organized the production of drones. Non-governmental organizations collect money for mortars to defend their cities. One journalist is engaged in documenting war crimes. Another journalist helps to transport dead soldiers from the battlefield to morgues. The businessman brings food and necessities to the occupied territories and takes people out of there. These are just a few examples of how people reshaped their lives due to the challenges of war.

The participants of the study talked about people who distanced themselves from solving the problems caused by the war. During the research, in addition to interviews and online surveys, there was a lot of communication with random acquaintances in Ukraine and abroad[11]. Communicating with the neighbors in the compartment and in the queue at the Polish border was very useful. Such informal conversations indicated that each person makes a significant contribution to the victory with money, things, services, etc. Volunteers complain that it is more and more difficult to raise funds for the military, but everyone is trying to raise funds specifically for their relatives, acquaintances, friends, people and animals under their care, because more and more are in the military, more and more military need medical care and rehabilitation, every day, civilians lose their homes, business owners lose their business, and wage earners lose their income. The problems that volunteers solve and the needs that they satisfy indicate what will be most in demand in the country for the next several decades, what types of activities and professions will be needed, what time, resources, and funds should be invested in.

Volunteers help each other by providing resources and services to solve various problems. Research participants complain that there is no opportunity to help financially, there is no time to help others, because their own needs and the needs of the family have become more acute. All volunteers are united by the fact that they help in accordance with their capabilities ("I like and repost if there is no money") and do what under other circumstances they would not do, and the resources would be spent on their own needs (building production drones, document war crimes, perform complex plastic surgeries on military and civilian victims of war).

On the one hand, volunteers say that they have exhausted their resources (they have already given all that can be given and have to earn to have funds to donate), on the other hand, volunteers show exceptional ingenuity in how to meet the need for another a way, for example, to make insoles for the military from milk bags or to create a special cloak that makes soldiers invisible to enemy thermal imagers and drones with thermal imaging cameras.

When asked what the obstacles are to helping military and civilian victims of the war, the majority of research participants answered that there are no obstacles. The survey was conducted at the end of the second year of the war, but only two people named shelling, lack of light, and the Internet as obstacles. Similar answers were given during the evaluation of the project "Re:silience. Re:covery. Re:construction. (Re:Ukraine_project)" NGO "Institute of Analytics and Advocacy": none of the project participants said that the lack of electricity, heat, communication, constant shelling is an obstacle to the implementation of the project (although the evaluation did not identify people in the project who would did not face these problems). Everyone found an opportunity to solve these problems (for example, find money for the generator and the generator itself, for fuel for the generator, for charging stations, etc.). During the evaluation, all project participants said that it was difficult to plan any activity, but everything planned was accomplished. Among the challenges of the implementation of the project in the conditions of war, the co-executors of the project name the high turbulence and dynamism of all processes, the rapid change of needs, problems, people: "If at the beginning of the project there was a demand for turnstiles, then at the end of the project there was a demand for stretchers", "Volunteer initiatives burn out, people change, needs change - this is a feature of project implementation in wartime", "Grant applications are considered for a long time, when there is a decision of the donor, the relevance of the application is lost", "It is bad when decisions regarding grants are made for a long time - they become irrelevant".

Research participants are prevented from helping military and civilian victims of war:

·       "atrocities" of the tax office,

·       bribery,

·       bureaucracy at customs,

·       bureaucratic obstacles on the part of the Ukrainian authorities,

·       circumstances,

·       citizenship of the Russian Federation, which is currently impossible to get rid of,

·       communication misunderstandings,

·       competition between organizations,

·       corruption,

·       currency restrictions,

·       declaration,

·       duration of bureaucratic procedures in Europe,

·       emotional burnout,

·       fatigue,

·       fraud,

·       health,

·       ingratitude of recipients of aid,

·       lack of funding,

·       lack of funds,

·       lack of goods,

·       lack of time,

·       language barrier,

·       laziness,

·       legislation of Ukraine on volunteering,

·       legislation of Ukraine regarding entrepreneurial activity and domestic business,

·       limits,

·       loss of faith,

·       management problems,

·       no salary for volunteering,

·       overpriced goods and services,

·       own limitations,

·       payment restrictions,

·       people's indifference to volunteering,

·       permits for the import of dual purpose goods,

·       problems with registration of humanitarian goods,

·       reduction of assistance,

·       reluctance of the authorities to help,

·       reporting,

·       signing of acts,

·       speed of events in Ukraine,

·       state motor inspection,

·       thefts,

·       values,

·       willingness to earn on mediation.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "Emotional burnout. For example, to publish stories about the dead, you need to read the story, process the photo. I often can't stand it, I postpone this work".

·       "Legislators are the first in the bureaucratic chain and the first to show their inability to participate in the leadership and defense of the country".

·       "The main obstacle in volunteering is "how to document the transfer of humanitarian cargo".

The study found a large number of people who devalue their help to other people. Thus, a Ukrainian volunteer who helps other Ukrainians every day at the railway station in Chelm (Poland) refused to be interviewed because she does not think she is doing anything significant. The doctor, who since the beginning of the war has been advising the military and civilians on the contents of tactical first-aid kits and medicines for the front, believes that she is not doing anything significant because she is "just sharing her knowledge". Residents of one residential complex collect almost every week food, essential items, medicines, clothes for military and civilians in the front-line territory, at the same time, each resident provides personal assistance to relatives and people with whom he crosses paths in professional activities, donates to volunteers and foundations, takes away clothes, shoes and household appliances in modular towns where forced migrants live, shares vegetable garden with the military, weaves nets, makes trench candles, etc., but few of these residents recognize that this is volunteering.

The range of answers to the question about how many people help the people and territories affected by the war, the military and the armed forces - from "everyone" to "nobody". The number of responses was not counted because: 1) all respondents understand help and volunteering differently; 2) everyone has different opportunities to help; 3) the research involves people who provide all kinds of help - from collecting tins and cardboard for trench candles to making drones and providing medical care.

Quotes from the interview:

·       “Everyone I know. All my environment".

·       "Many of my friends invest - from children to pensioners".

·       "All the people I know say that, at least, they will donate".

About a quarter of the participants of the second stage of the study answered that the environment supports and helps, all others answered either "support" or "positive". Only 5 people said that they do not help and do not understand why it is necessary. At the first stage of the study, the answers were similar. The study participants said that their relatives worry about them, especially when their physical and emotional condition worsens.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "My sister, who is in the army, is of course satisfied, but she has no time for gratitude and emotions, she is a paramedic. My parents mostly don't care, they are a little pro-Russian and look at my activities ironically. My husband is supportive, but he didn't like when I exposed myself to health problems last year because I was only interested in social activities. Friends are positive and supportive".

·       "They support and do what they can. My parents, for example, live in the frontline area. They did not leave and did not intend to. Because they know that they are needed exactly where they can be useful. They gave shelter to many people. Both acquaintances and complete strangers. They help the soldiers. Dad is a dentist. Treats both soldiers and immigrants for free".

·       "They support, remind you to eat on time)".

According to the results of the research, a list of what people do on their own initiative and free of charge to solve the problems caused by the war (this list is not exhaustive):

·       aid to civilian prisoners in Russia,

·       assistance to animals, including veterinary,

·       assistance to families with children with special needs,

·       assistance to the elderly,

·       collection of belongings of civilians affected by the war,

·       collection of funds for the needs of the military and civilians affected by the war,

·       coordination of humanitarian assistance, assistance to military and civilians, victims of war,

·       documenting war crimes,

·       donation,

·       education of adults and children,

·       eliminating the consequences of shelling and missile strikes,

·       evacuation of animals,

·       evacuation of people,

·       helping people in the "gray zone",

·       housing and basic necessities for displaced persons,

·       informational, cultural and protest events within and outside of Ukraine,

·       knitting socks, hats and mittens for territorial defense, military and wounded,

·       legal consultations,

·       legal protection,

·       maintenance of shelters for animals,

·       making Molotov cocktails,

·       making trench candles,

·       meeting the needs of the military in hospitals,

·       physical and psychological rehabilitation of military and civilian victims of war,

·       production of adaptive clothing for the wounded,

·       production of bakery products for the military,

·       production of camouflage nets and suits,

·       production of drones and special equipment for the military,

·       production of dry vegetables for the military,

·       production of energy candies/bars for the military,

·       production of special creams for the military,

·       provision of hairdressing services,

·       provision of medical services to military and civilian victims of war,

·       provision of medicine to military and civilian victims of the war,

·       queuing on the streets, roadblocks, driveways, etc.,

·       reconstruction of destroyed housing,

·       repair of cars, computer and other equipment for the Armed Forces,

·       return of adult Ukrainians and Ukrainian children from Russia and the occupied territories,

·       services of translators.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "Created projects for 1) the rehabilitation of military personnel, 2) for the rehabilitation and education of the children of those who defend us, 3) for the provision of transparent logistical routes for volunteers".

·       "Assistance to refugees: meeting at the station, translating documents, finding housing and employment. Telegram channels and other means of informing refugees. 2. Relations with Italian society: interviews, collection of donations, organization of rallies and other "explanatory" events. 3. Collection and dispatch of humanitarian aid. 4. Contacts with other diaspora organizations and cooperation with state structures. 5. Translations of Ukrainian literature and organization of presentations".

·       "Our son bought cars, ATVs, quadcopters, heaters, generators, tires for cars and other things for the military, and my husband and I delivered them from the Netherlands to Ukraine".

Despite the fact that in the conditions of war, not everyone manages to keep even elementary calculations of what has been done, especially in the first months of the war, the participants of the study shared the available bookkeeping. A little more than 300 research participants said that they collected hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions of hryvnias. The interviewees did not calculate the cost of the goods and services provided to civilians and military victims of the war, but it is hundreds of nets and candles, socks, tons of food, etc.

The study showed that the efforts of Ukrainians are aimed not only at overcoming the problems caused by the war, but also at solving local problems, problems of people with disabilities and the elderly, animals, and the environment.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "The main resources are used for the psychological support and integration of forced migrants, and we need funds for other things... money is needed not only for communities that have experienced war and destruction... money is needed for the development of rural communities that, fortunately, have not experienced war... for grants funds, we rebuilt the library - now it is full of people. ... we have premises, but we don't have funds for repairs... various specialists come to us to hold some events, but we don't have a place to put people... we need funds to restore our premises".

·       "It is necessary to support development, culture, etc. 80% of the budget goes to the defense industry. 20% is not enough for everything else... if we don't invest in development, we will lose what we need to win. Stop financing development - stop understanding "who are we?" and "where are we going?".

·       "We will work with historical documentaries, we will shoot films about Ukrainians who died in the war".

Research participants say that money, equipment, consumables, fuel, transport, etc. are given to them by[12]:

·       benefactors,

·       charitable funds,

·       charitable organizations,

·       donors,

·       foreigners,

·       international funds,

·       international organizations,

·       investors,

·       large donors,

·       local Ukrainian entrepreneurs,

·       non-governmental organizations,

·       people who donate,

·       power.

Research participants also use personal savings and their own time, resources, things, funds, wishes, earnings from selling souvenirs, as well as "Friend-raising" - funds and opportunities of friends, colleagues, acquaintances.

Quotations from the interview:

·       "We combine the provision of free services to the military with the provision of paid services to other categories".

·       "Time at the expense of your work and family relationships. Money for fuel and humanitarian aid - from donations (collected at rallies or events, given by friends and acquaintances). It also helps when we find free transportation or people who do something for us at their own expense. For example, we simply collected clothes and candle wax by asking our friends and they brought us everything we needed. The space for the center and the translation office will be free from the Italians. Example: I gave a speech at the regional assembly of trade unions. They liked it so much that they got emotional and asked: how can we help you? I answered: give an office - and they gave it to us for the time when we needed it, along with a computer and a printer. There, I and two other assistants worked full-time for free. Approximately the same situation happened with a friend who received rooms for a humanitarian center: she asked - they gave her".

·       "We were often helped by people we didn't know yesterday".

Answers to the question about what people are proud of ranged from "Nothing to be proud of!" to "I am proud of the Ukrainian nation!".

Quotes from the interview:

·       "The fact that I stayed in Ukraine. I am needed here and I have something to help. By helping and helping the military. The fact that I have the opportunity to pay the same taxes to the budget of Ukraine as before a full-scale invasion".

·       "I cannot say anything about what I am proud of and what I regret. I understand that everything we do is necessary for the military and for the displaced. There can be no gradation of achievements here. EVERYTHING is important!".

·       "Proud to be a part of a great nation".

The participants of the study are proud of what they managed to do, both financially and in any other form.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "It was possible to record thousands of war crimes and record the testimonies of the victims".

·       "I am proud of how we organized the evacuation of children and people with disabilities".

·       "We provided the Armed Forces with medicines, turnstiles, and medical equipment worth more than UAH 1 million".

·       "I sent medicines worth about 700-800 thousand euros, things, medical equipment... The organization of which I am a member sent 34 trucks, 3 of them went to Zaporizhzhia. I bought 100 thermal suits. Sent about €2,000 in money".

A significant part of the research participants regrets the impossibility of getting into the Armed Forces, the lack of time and resources to help people and solve urgent problems.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "I wish I wasn't with my friends in the trenches, but they told me I did a lot more than them".

·       "I did very little, I want more, but every drop, every penny, if combined, will help. The main thing is not to stop and not to get tired".

·       "I regret that I do not have 4 hands, that there are only 24 hours in a day".

From the answers to the questions about the emotions that accompany the successes and/or failures of volunteering, it is clear that volunteers experience both successes and failures while helping others, and their emotions range from restrained joy to helplessness and despair. Volunteers also feel: pain for people who could not be helped or saved; burnout and depression; anger at those who profit from help; involvement in enemy resistance; meaning of life; dissatisfaction with what little has been done. Along with the volunteer's emotions, they note their emotional and physical states, which accompany positive and negative emotions.

Negative emotions:	Positive emotions:
hurt regret sorrow anger rage insult trouble despair disappointment sadness anxiety	gratitude faith consolation pride pleasure admiration hope joy excitement happiness
Conditions that accompany negative emotions:	Conditions that accompany positive emotions:
powerlessness severity burnout  exhaustion despair  Tiredness depression disappointment dissatisfaction  incomprehension embarrassment fatigue confusion shame devastation stress tears disease	desire euphoria energy calm Significance inspiration lifting exaltation positive calling relief involvement  meaning of life

Quotes from the interview:

·       "More often - joy, satisfaction. I can't even remember a failure. No, there is one! This is when I sent boxes of things and shoes to the Kherson region after a tragic flood, and somewhere along the way they got caught in a downpour and arrived there wet. Well, nothing - the sun dried everything later".

·       "Keeping the bar, despite everything. No matter how hard it was, and no matter how unbearable it was. We need to move on".

·       "I regret (in the sense - I miss) the atmosphere of total solidarity and support - people without instructions, deliberately continued to do everything dependent on them to stabilize the situation in the community. I am ashamed of the confusion of the leaders...".

Most of the research participants combine their main work and volunteer activities aimed at helping displaced people, military personnel, rebuilding destroyed buildings, cleaning up after shelling, and providing military personnel with everything they need (from borscht to drones). Such a burden on people is excessive, it affects the physical and psycho-emotional state of people.

Regardless of the region and its distance from the zone of active hostilities, people's efforts are aimed at helping the military and civilians affected by the war. In the fall of 2023,

In Berehovo, Zakarpattia region, elementary school students collected money on the road for the military, because someone they know is at war. A woman from Kamianets-Podilskyi, who took in refugees and took care of them, said that she was ready to do anything to prevent the war from reaching her home. The study includes representatives of all regions of Ukraine and Ukrainians living in other countries on all continents.

Correlation of the influence of power and self-awareness in confronting the enemy

Some of the research participants talked about how the authorities at the central and local level support volunteers organizationally, with premises, fuel, information, permits, etc. In particular, the local authorities support the Armed Forces directly, meeting the urgent needs of the military.

Most of the research participants say that the authorities at best do not interfere with the volunteers, at worst they interfere and use the volunteers in their own interests. Some research participants talk about specific cases of indecent behavior by government officials during the war.

  Quotations from the interview:

·       "The authorities often help not financially, but organizationally - they provide premises, information space, etc.".

·       "If the authorities do not interfere, then this is support. Often, our local government did PR at the expense of the volunteer activities of our headquarters. But there is a local deputy who really provided help and support".

·       "The authorities hype some media figures, but no more. Sometimes one gets the impression that the government specifically interferes with working people".

The ratio of the influence of the government and civil society on solving problems related to the war is estimated by the research participants in different ways (in the range from 0/100 to 80/20). Most of the survey participants admit that the solution to the problems related to the war was undertaken by ordinary people and justify their conclusion.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "20 authorities/80 people. I was told something by the military and volunteers, and I saw something myself: the government does what brings benefits (affection, authority, wealth, etc.). Simple people care about other people. They give their money and other resources more and more often than the government. 20% of the government's influence is a "representative function" - negotiations with foreign partners about the supply of weapons and other assistance. Unfortunately, this aid is not transparently received and distributed".

·       "People who perform the duties of the authorities, for some reason, have low competence and interest in the quality of their own work. The government without community control begins to sabotage work and harm the community. That is, the system itself does not work for society. It works only when you push it to work. Therefore, the influence is 50/50. It is very difficult not only to do your job, but also to constantly control and push the authorities at all levels. Society would feel better without the majority of government representatives".

·       "I have the experience and education of a civil servant and therefore understand the difficulties of prompt response to calls from the state machine. Volunteers are able to quickly respond to problems and needs. But one should not underestimate the state's efforts: the army is defending, banks are working, utility companies are working, infrastructure (especially energy) is being restored. I believe that the influence of the state is 70%, volunteers - 30% as of November 2023. At the beginning of the war (February - April 2022), the military, territorial defense, volunteers, non-governmental organizations, citizens and local self-government played 90%, and the state 10% ".

Evaluation of the project "Re:silience. Re:covery. Re:construction. (Re:Ukraine_project)" involved evaluating the impact of volunteer assistance on the ability of medical military units and territorial defense units to provide quality and timely assistance[13]. It turned out that the state is unable to provide the military and territorial defense with the necessary medicines and medical equipment to save people's lives. Until now, public organizations, volunteers, relatives and friends collect first-aid kits for soldiers and medics working at the front. Tourniquets, painkillers, cars, boats for rescuing the wounded are bought with the funds of civil society, ordinary Ukrainians and their friends from abroad who unite for victory.

·       "The ratio of state and volunteer support in each subdivision is different. There are medical services of the armed forces of Ukraine, where 90% of state support and 10% volunteer. They take the essentials from the state – medicines, turnstiles, etc. They ask volunteers to find specialized things, such as nasopharyngeal tubes, bandages, occlusions. Volunteers are able to quickly find everything and bring it to the unit. Volunteers can take these things in large batches abroad. But there are only a few such medical services. In other medical services, the situation is radically different: 99% are volunteers and 1% from the state".

·       "As a paramedic, I help with medical purchases. But there is a "witch hunt" on the part of the authorities: registration of volunteers, their taxation, punishment for some activity. On the other hand, thanks are coming from the military for helping us, for promptly providing them with everything they need, for bypassing bureaucratic and corruption schemes".

·       "The main problems with the provision of combat medics are the following: lack of stretchers; absence of systematic evacuation of the dead; lack of evacuation armor; low-quality and non-working turnstiles; drugs that are harmful (they enter through the command of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine). At the same time, the command of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine can both distribute humanitarian aid from other countries and carry out purchases independently. All purchases are private. There are constant questions about the quality of purchased medicines. Military personnel also complain about bureaucracy in the Armed Forces. Volunteer assistance is more efficient, it bypasses bureaucratic procedures"[14].

·       "Already three of my "werewolves" and my brother have lost their limbs. After the injuries, their condition was not critical. Because everyone was able to put on a high-quality tourniquet purchased at their own expense. And those who were nearby did not forget to check the quality of the overlay. But don't even try to guess how exactly the state (state institutions) participates in the transfer from the hospital to further rehabilitation. Two boys had one leg each (also injured), the other two did not. But everyone had to go independently. People a week or two after operations with stitches and stress must go to other institutions of the Ministry of Health on their own"[15].

·       "25,000 first-aid kits with Chinese junk were handed over to the army... Currently, only one brigade of the Airborne Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which received these first-aid kits, is issued additional American "SOFT" turnstiles, but the Chinese first-aid kits are not removed. Thousands of soldiers will continue to be under fire with low-quality tourniquets, with thin plastic, an unreliable sling, and find out about the quality of the tourniquets only at the time of injury. … Commanders are prohibited from receiving first-aid kits/tourniquets from volunteers, because, in their opinion, “everything is there”. In this way, the medical command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine covers up its own shortcomings ... at the cost of the lives of soldiers!"[16].

·       "In military units, where the chiefs of medical units sincerely cared about soldiers and medics, everything was OK with tourniquets, first-aid kits, shoulder bags, because such chiefs took responsibility, gave requests to volunteers and charitable foundations, made letters of request for tactical medicine , reclassified the Chinese turnstiles as educational or simply did not take them... The problem with military medicine is a systemic problem..."[17].

·       "The state does not provide us with anything that we really need. If the head of the medical service is adequate, then he does not take anything extra, because then it takes a long time to deduct. While I was in the Armed Forces (13 months), we received all tactical medicine through volunteers. Now I serve in another place, the medical supply here is about 50/50, but it is not from the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but most likely direct purchases of our administration. But no one will ever refuse volunteer help, because usually everything is needed "yesterday" and in uncompromising quality"[18].

In March 2022, volunteers provided food, basic necessities and medicines to residents of the Kyiv region who fell into the zone of active hostilities and occupation. Volunteers supplied the territorial defense and units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were liberating the Kyiv region from the Russian army, with food, basic necessities and medicines. After the de-occupation of the Kyiv region, the remains of humanitarian aid (brought from the western regions of Ukraine and Poland) were distributed to other cities and villages. There was no state provision of food, medicine, or basic necessities. Local authorities helped to distribute volunteer aid between civilians, military and territorial defense until the moment when the work of shops, pharmacies, transport, and medical institutions resumed.

Volunteers and representatives of civil society often talk about how they go into conflict with the authorities, violate legal norms and banking restrictions in order to meet the needs of the military and save someone's life. But these stories, as a rule, were not recorded.

Motivation of Ukrainian society (people belonging to different ethnic, religious, political, professional groups) to confront the enemy in the way they choose

At the first stage of the study, respondents said that their motivation to help the military, civilians and territories affected by the war is:

·       A way to use your skills and abilities for the good of society (1 mention).

·       Anger and hatred (2 mentions).

·       Assistance to civilians affected by the war; help to people who can not take care of themselves (66 mentions).

·       Assistance to military personnel who protect civilians; help to the military, which may include relatives, friends, acquaintances, colleagues (45 mentions).

·       Confronting the enemy (16 mentions).

·       Death of a loved one (1 mention).

·       Desire to return home (2 mentions).

·       Easing the emotional state through activity (3 mentions).

·       Empathy (1 mention).

·       Fear (1 mention).

·       Guilt (1 mention).

·       Help to win (45 mentions).

·       Love for animals (2 mentions).

·       Patriotism (22 mentions).

·       Support and approval of the initiative (2 mentions).

·       The desire to be related to the struggle, to victory, to history (6 mentions).

·       The desire to return to a normal life, to make this life better, to take advantage of the chances for change that the war provides (5 mentions).

Quotes from the interview:

·       "Everything is fine with us in social networks, guys there are dancing with weapons ... but when you dive into the depths of war, lawlessness is terrible there. After being wounded, the boys are transported in the back and are not dealt with by state institutions. Only relatives are with them. Mom and Dad help them. Their payments are being cut and delayed, and they need to be treated now. Our guys from fragments are waiting for vascular surgeons for 4-5 days. One military man said: "on the front line we have one situation, but when you get to the rear - there is a completely different situation." In our country, military personnel pay for travel in a route taxi, they stand in queues. Our state does not help the military, volunteers, or the wounded. Everything falls on the shoulders of relatives and commanders. The wounded are taken out by Kamaz trucks. In the rear, there is little information about what is happening at the front. But the military says... The state should help... But as long as the state helps, a person will freeze, get sick, etc. That's why you organize yourself, because you understand that you have to help as many people as possible right now. You understand that you have to, because no one else does. Inaction often breeds crime, impunity the same way...".

·       “I remember one grandmother. She said: "If you don't take my blood, I will resent you, I will cry." And I was forced to take that blood, regardless of her age (she was over 70). She said her son is on the front line, so she has to donate blood. And she cried with happiness when she donated blood. At that time, I was on duty in the operating room, where blood was taken. People cried when they were refused blood, and cried after giving blood. These are our people. I believe that a person is governed by love, kindness to people".

·       "it started on the Maidan in 2014. A boy from a neighboring village is now in the Nebesnaya Hundred (died) .... One of the streets is named after him... Then the Kamianka battalion was formed... and it went on...".

The reasons for helping the military, civilians and territories affected by the war, which were mentioned by the research participants in the 2nd stage of the research, can be divided into groups:

1.       Debt repayment: someone helped earlier and this person got an opportunity to say thank you.

2.       Desire to help the Armed Forces bring victory closer.

3.       Easing the emotional state through activity.

4.       Hatred of the enemy.

5.       Needs of loved ones and acquaintances.

6.       Religion.

7.       The need to quickly react to danger.

Quotes from the interview:

·       “I had a strong need to do something. Help. To save myself too. It works".

·       "Because I am Ukrainian and I want to live on my land. If you are not armed, you must help. Helping is natural and normal. If we don't help, we and our country may not exist".

·       "Empathy, hatred of the enemy. I don't think you need any reason to help. Helping the military and the Armed Forces brings Victory even a little closer!".

Participants in the study have different understandings of the reasons that unite people to help people affected by war and the military. To the question "What do you think these people have in common?", they answered:

People have something in common:	Quotes from the interview:
War as an emergency	·       "Direct connection to the war (relatives or friends in the Armed Forces, people moved from affected cities)" ·       "The injustice of this war" ·       "Understanding that a war in some part of the state's territory is a problem for all of us"
The desire to win	·       "The desire to overcome the enemy" ·       "Thirst for Victory" ·       "Striving to make a significant contribution to Victory"
Hatred of the enemy	·       "Devastating hatred of the occupiers"
Goal and solidarity	·       "The goal is for the fucking Russians to die" ·       "Common goal" ·       "Solidarity"
Activity as cause or effect	·       "Understanding that there are no hands other than your own. We do not expect the military, the state, deputies or any "special" people to do anything for us." ·       "Understanding the need for activity" ·       "Understanding that no one but us"
Surplus to share	·       "There is an opportunity to help" ·       "Financial opportunity" ·       "They have the opportunity to help. This is the middle and upper class in social terms. Active young people"
Own interests	·       "Someone becomes a volunteer in order not to be mobilized"
Emotional shock	·       "Survivor's trauma" ·       "Personally experienced grief, only in this way you can understand why you should help others"
Self-identity and leadership characteristics	·       "The presence of unbreakable convictions" ·       "Proactive position" ·       "Strong ideology"
Patriotism	·       "They love Ukraine, regardless of nationality" ·       "They want to live in a free Ukraine" ·       "They want to preserve the integrity of Ukraine"

The participants of the study believe that people who help people and territories affected by the war, the military and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, are united by certain virtues and values:

·       Conscientiousness

·       Dedication

·       Dignity

·       Education

·       Faith

·       Gratitude

·       Heartiness

·       Help

·       Hope

·       Humanity

·       Indifference

·       Justic

·       Kindness

·       Love

·       Mercy

·       Morality

·       Piety

·       Responsibility

·       Self-sacrifice

·       Sympathy

Quotes from the interview:

·       "Apparently, these are people...who once got into difficult living conditions and know what help is. That's why I want to pass on this good".

·       "Personal interest to help family and country".

·       “Education according to the commandments of Christ, even if these people consider themselves atheists. But these are all good, sensitive people".

The participants of the study believe that the following features of Ukrainian civil society manifested themselves in the conditions of crisis and war:

Aggression

Aging

Antifragility

Betrayal

Boldness

Bravery

Bravery

Charity

Cohesion

Communication

Compassion

Concentration

Consciousness

Consolidation

Courage

Creativity

Decency

Dignity

Dishonesty

Disobedience

Effectiveness

Empathy

Enthusiasm

Exhaustion

Faith

Flexibility

Freedom

Friendship

Generosity

Greed

Help

Honesty

Humanity

Humor

Ingenuity

Innovativeness

Interaction

Invincibility

Kindness

Kinship

Love Of Freedom

Loyalty

Mutual Aid

Mutual Respect

Mutual Support

Networking

Oneness

Openness

Optimism

Organization

Patience

Patriotism

Politeness

Recklessness

Resistance

Respect

Responsibility

Rottenness

Self-Identification

Selflessness

Self-Organization

Self-Sacrifice

Sensitivity

Sincerity

Solidarity

Stamina

Strength

Stubbornness

Support

Sympathy

Synergy

Tenacity

Theft

Trust

Unite

Unity

Valour

Ukrainians also had:

·       Desire to live freely on one's land.

·       Solving difficult life issues.

·       High level of intelligence.

·       Devotion to one's country.

·       Restoration and extension of life.

·       Faith in God.

·       The ability to forget contradictions for a while.

·       Horizontal connections.

·       Willingness to help.

·       Readiness for long-term actions in conditions of restrictions.

·       Civic position.

·       Trust in the authorities.

·       Desire to be free.

·       Thirst for life.

·       Thirst for victory.

·       Thirst for freedom.

·       meet the needs of the people and the military quickly and contrary to the instructions of the authorities.

·       Preservation of national culture.

·       The ability to anarchically mobilize.

·       Finding solutions to extremely complex problems.

·       Identification and belonging to the nation.

·       Love for the Motherland.

·       Love for Ukraine.

·       Love for Ukrainians.

·       Moral strength.

·       Moral weakness.

·       National identity.

·       National self-awareness.

·       Disagreement with violence.

·       Hatred of Russians.

·       Orientation to the result.

·       Dedicated work.

·       The power of the Spirit.

·       in common opposition to the enemy.

·       Perceiving the pain of others.

·       Ability to cohesion around the problem.

·       Appreciation of those things that were devalued before the war.

·       Quick response.

It is important to note that 114 participants of the online survey most often used words that speak of self-organization and cohesion (54 cases of using such words):

·       Ability to self-organize/ get together (2 uses).

·       Association (3 uses).

·       Cohesion.

·       Cohesiveness (27 uses).

·       Consolidation.

·       Co-organization (1 use).

·       Horizontal connections.

·       Interaction.

·       Mutual aid (2 uses).

·       Mutual support.

·       Networking (2 uses).

·       Organization.

·       Self-organization (6 uses).

·       Unity (5 uses).

Quotes from the interview:

·       "The war is dragging on in Ukraine. People have exhausted their resources, many have despaired, many have already adapted and are not interested in a quick end to the war, many have taken off their masks and are openly working for the enemy, but nothing is being resolved with them. Unfortunately, the reverse process has begun. Everyone knows how it is better, funds rarely merge, each is his own head".

·       "A kind of social neural network has worked. A wide base of contacts, where if they don't know each other, then there are definitely those in your communication chain who you personally know and trust, because there are common values. Flexible, mobile, able to organize and manage processes, not afraid to take responsibility".

·       "I call this PEOPLE'S war, because if it weren't for this comprehensive volunteer movement, maybe everything would be much worse now".

The motivation of people with other citizenships among civilians in Ukraine to join the resistance to the Russian aggressor

According to the research participants, the motivation of citizens of other countries to join Ukraine's resistance to the Russian aggressor is as follows:

·       security of European countries;

·       empathy for Ukrainians who suffered from the war;

·       protection of democratic values;

·       personal contacts;

·       bad attitude towards the Russian Federation;

·       reaction to the consequences of the war;

·       good attitude towards Ukrainians.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "It is difficult to say whether the citizens of other countries understand that it is necessary to oppose the aggressor for the sake of their own security and that Ukraine is now acting as a shield".

·       "I will quote a Latvian woman who helped my children in Germany: "If Ukraine surrendered to Russia without a fight in two weeks, we would be next".

·       "My friends from other countries believe that such a thing cannot happen in the modern world! That is why they contribute as much as possible with donations and support humanitarian aid".

When asked about the motivation to help Ukrainian military and civilians, people with other (non-Ukrainian) citizenship answered as follows:

·       "To do at least something for people, to do something and stop crying, and not to be painfully ashamed later".

·       "To somehow help those who were attacked by my country".

·       "The reason is that I find this aggression intolerable. This is a key moment for the freedom of Ukrainians and a key moment in our common modern European history. This war changes everything, and I felt that I, like everyone else, have a responsibility and a personal choice".

·       "Because this is my life".

·       "First came guilt and shame, it hurt".

·       "It was a shame for the government of the Russian Federation. My part of the responsibility is that when I was in Russia, I did not do enough political opposition to propaganda and enlightenment. The rallies I went to were isolated, we covered political topics in the media only locally and without in-depth analysis".

·       "Blame for the deaths and pain caused by the Russian military. These people lived with me in Russia as neighbors, acquaintances, and readers. Then the anger of disagreement with this aggression, fear for the future of the two countries. Then I pulled myself together and asked what I could do to not go crazy and drown myself and my identity. And I went to help, there were many requests".

Among the research participants, there are many people with Russian citizenship who consider themselves Ukrainians by origin or by other characteristics and do everything possible to get a Ukrainian passport[19].

Peculiarities (characteristics) of Ukrainian society that unite Ukrainians in the struggle for their own independence

As we can see, the motivation to help the military, civilians and territories affected by the war is different: from quite mercantile to completely altruistic. Different motivations lead to different activities, but all these activities are aimed at resisting the enemy, helping military and civilians, animals affected by war, as well as restoring military and civilian infrastructure, beautifying cities affected by war. During the activity, interaction with other people appears. Interaction lasts as long as there is a common interest. In solving problems, people show their self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Leadership is situational and short-lived. People unite around a problem, not around a leader.

When asked whether research participants know the people they help, they answered: "yes", "no", "not always". At the end of the second year of the war, the number of people who said they "don't help strangers" or "help those who have a good reputation" or "help those who report correctly" was greater than at the beginning of the war. The study showed that the institution of reputation has strengthened in Ukraine. All volunteer activities are built on horizontal connections without reference to the organization, position or document. A person voluntarily undertakes obligations and receives a credit of trust from the community. Even under conditions of war, risk and uncertainty, a person must prove the ability to conduct his activities transparently, for example, to show photos and video reports of what was bought, made, delivered to those who need help. As many tools for coordinating volunteer aid emerged during the war, and as these tools linked volunteer communities together, the opportunities to confirm or disprove the reputation of an individual or organization increased.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "Yes and no. We often organize help at the request of someone from the unit, and then we learn that there are friends of friends, acquaintances, relatives of acquaintances in the same unit".

·       "I know those who collect, this is most often the case. And there are no "final" recipients of assistance".

·       "Most of them are strangers, because, unfortunately, wounded people are admitted to the hospital all the time".

The strategy of cooperation for Ukrainian society is dominant during the war[20]. At the same time, the grouping of Ukrainians is not around the leader, but around the problem. People are inferior to individuals for the sake of the collective, and this collective is not a small group, but a large nation. On the one hand, there is competition between volunteers and volunteer groups, but research has not shown that power is a goal or value for volunteers at any level.

From the point of view of social psychology, most volunteer associations that participated in the interviews can be described according to the following criteria:

·       by size: these are small groups (a small number of people with personal connections and relatively close relationships);

·       by purpose and functions: informal groups (teams) created on the basis of common interests, goals and unifying motives.

·       by structure: these groups are not structured, they lack hierarchy, there are no clear rules and predictability of the interaction of participants.

A social group of people has already formed in Ukraine, who have actively joined the work of protecting the country. This group can be defined taking into account the ultimate goal of the activity. Many respondents define this goal as "victory of Ukraine". Members of the group are engaged in various types of activities; specialization has arisen and is increasing in this group. But we can talk about a new social group that is united by such a characteristic as selflessness.

Quote from the interview:

·       "We are beginning to understand that here every person does a million times more than in normal times, or pre-war, or already post-war... We feel this difference now. But it is important to understand that it is not because someone alone is special, but because we are all so special now. Here, both left and right, people are doing a lot".

Many volunteers and volunteer groups faced inflated expectations. The impossible is expected from volunteers.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "They think that we are a service that will now take this package with a drone or a thermal imager and send it to them via Nova Poshta".

·       "R: You see, the military, who are now at the front, are sure that they have a rear. They are so sure that they asked to find and send a helicopter. I: I'm sorry, once again, what did you ask to get? R: Helicopter. I tell them: "Guys, I have nothing to do with aviation." They laugh: "Well, you are the Master! You can do anything!". You see, we gave underwear and socks to almost three crews. That's how much we sewed and put them together. They were all very good quality. The guys were very pleased. But that's not so important, what matters is the confidence they had, that they had the rear. So they knew what they were fighting for!".

An end-to-end analysis of the results of the study shows that the main emotion from the first day of the war is hatred (they talk about it in different words, including rage, anger, etc.). During the processing of the results of the research, a hypothesis arose that on the first day of the war, young Ukrainians received confirmation of what they had heard in their families about the crimes of the Russians in Ukraine for several hundred years, and therefore immediately took up arms and began to defend themselves[21].

The analysis and synthesis of the research results suggests that the unifying factor for the volunteer movement in Ukraine is the virtues (see above) - in Christianity, the main positive qualities of a person's character. At the same time, only 2 persons out of all those interviewed mentioned their affiliation to religion. Therefore, there are reasons to make the following assumptions[22]: 1) Christian values are the basis of the upbringing of the majority of Ukrainians, 2) Ukrainians are guided by Christian values both on a conscious and subconscious level.

The research gives reasons to say that the main values of Ukrainian society are national security; belonging to the people; care for others, independence and self-sufficiency; freedom.

When asked whether what you are currently doing (to help people and territories affected by the war, the military and the armed forces) can become your main activity/profession/business (especially after the war), more than a third of the research participants answered that it is already happened, or seriously thinking about it. It is important to say that this question was not included in the questionnaire at the first stage of the research. However, during the interviews, several interviewees said that volunteering to help people has already become a business. The following was meant: a person began to do what he had not done before for earning. For example, bake pies or knit socks. Over time, this person began to order these pies or socks not only for displaced persons or veterans, but also for themselves, for money. In this way, a person began to earn money. Usually, these people give part of the earned money to consumables in order to further help others, and part of the earnings remains for life. This practice also extends to services. During the evaluation of social projects in the period from 2015 to 2022, forced migrants said that if it were not for guilt, they would never have started a business, because work, family and usual life did not contribute to this. However, the change of place of residence and environment contributed to the fact that people dared to start a business. After February 24, 2022, it seems that the situation is a little different: volunteers began to do something in response to an urgent need, but over time came the understanding that it is possible not only to do, but also to organize resources, production, sales, reporting. Taking another step toward sales was not difficult for some, even at the end of the first year of full-scale war.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "Already a part of life".

·       "I thought about it more than once. But it's always not enough to think about it more".

·       "I would like to have this opportunity".

Research participants were given the opportunity to add something of their own, to say something that was not asked during the survey, but which they consider important. Among the answers, words of thanks for the research (respondents consider it important) and words of regret about how the government works stand out.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "It is very important that such studies and certain work are carried out. Let it be for the good!".

·       "Thank you for doing your research!".

·       "I want to thank you".

·       "In the hospital Kyiv City Clinical Hospital for War Veterans, which is located in Pushcha, money is being "laundered" by making repairs, the boys have a catastrophic lack of medicine, there is no kitchen, there is no drinking water".

·       "It is surprising that corruption and theft in power increased many times in times of danger. I don't understand how they are not afraid. I don't understand where traitors come from, I honestly don't. If Ukraine does not win, it is the government's fault".

·       "I want to say that civil society is disappointed with the government, corruption and the attitude towards citizens".

Most of the groups[23] around the research participants were formed spontaneously. These were informal short-term associations of people to achieve certain goals. Often, these groups were created from people who worked in the same organization to solve a specific task, or from representatives of different communities, but, again, to achieve a certain goal. Over time, long-term goals appeared in many groups, these groups became more stable and turned into long-term associations. These groups were initially latent (people who gathered informally to solve a specific task did not identify themselves as part of the group). Over time, many of these groups gained stability and became a kind of "framework" for the birth of a group identity. Members of such groups feel like they are part of something big, strong and right.

From the point of view of psychology, the grouping of people has a therapeutic value. People receive social support, regain internal stability, organize their lives, and increase vitality. In groups, the range of activities increases, elements of self-governance arise, the coherence of activities increases and the experience of cooperation appears, the need for planning arises. For a person who has experienced stress, all this is of fundamental importance. Planning, coordinating your activities with others, seeing the results of your activities is important to regain a sense of control over your life in a situation of uncertainty. A person receives dopamine of achievement, which is a powerful source of energy. A person goes from the status of the object of the situation to the status of the subject of the situation. Integration of a person into a group: 1) creates a sense of belonging, strength, confidence, 2) becomes the basis of the development of the group itself, expands the field of activity of the group, increases the number of members in the group. All this contributes to the preservation of the psychological stability of group members and is a factor in the development of the group itself. That is, the group gives a person the opportunity to individualize, to reveal his individual qualities, which are valuable for the group, contributing to the achievement of group goals.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "I'm not the center, I'm just some small part that helps people".

·       "We don't have any group".

·       "Each of our lessons begins (this is a new Ukrainian school) with the so-called "morning circle" (if this is the first lesson). In other lessons, we also wish Ukraine more weapons, the absence of air alarms, we wish that the war would finally end, that all displaced persons would return home"... If we don't wish, then we draw".

·       "Among them there are even pensioners who sit at home and cannot bring anything special. They help with what they find at home, for example, the same chintz, the same cans, fabric that can be cut. And I take it, because not every retired woman can bring these things to the park, not everyone has the time or opportunity".

Analyzing the interviews, we observe the phenomenon of group dynamics. Latent and spontaneously formed groups gradually become more cohesive with a division of roles and a leadership core. There is a mechanism and progressive process of group identity formation. The approximate scheme of group identity formation is as follows:

·       a state of uncertainty, a sense of disaster (memories of February 24, 2022) →

·       the motive of help (they are well described in every interview - to help the front, to bring victory closer, to overcome the enemy) →

·       spontaneous association with people who have the same motives →

·       birth a group that has a specific goal →

·       growing sense of unity →

·       awareness of the cause-and-effect relationship between invested efforts and activity results →

·       increasing confidence in oneself, in one's ideals →

·       development of personal characteristics important for achieving common goals →

·       increasing the degree of awareness of one's goals, values →

·       integration with the group based on a sense of community →

·       development of group identity.

The relationship between volunteer associations and the authorities is interesting. The results of the study indicate that the volunteers do not expect to receive help from the authorities, they strictly distinguish themselves from the authorities.

Quotes from the interview:

·       "The local authorities did not know. We didn't talk about it. But the authorities guessed, because at that time volunteers organized the collection of aid. There were various reception points where people brought food and clothes for refugees. This happened openly. People were grateful for the help. We also made camouflage nets. This was an initiative of the local authorities, as far as I know. The authorities knew about some things, many did not even guess."

·       "No, unfortunately, the local authorities do not support us in any way. This is not local government, it is something temporary. We do not interact with the authorities in any way, we do everything only on our own initiative".

·       "I want to say that we did not cooperate with the authorities in any way. We existed in parallel. I don't know what the government is doing. Volunteers do real work. The volunteers pulled out all this horror on themselves".

·       "We didn't really cooperate with the authorities. I asked the secretary of the city council several times if I could give an interview. I was told that I could on the condition that I speak the same way as the mayor speaks. I replied that I will say what I think is necessary".

During the research, we managed to record the willingness to cooperate with the authorities. For example, some interviewees talked about trust in the authorities and willingness to use administrative resources in their activities. This indicates an understanding of power as a force that the community creates in its interests (power as a tool for achieving common goals).

·       "I: The next question is about resources. Does the local government support your activity? If so, how exactly? R: President Zelensky presented us with an award. There was cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The government supports us. We are sponsored by the Center for Civil Public Liberties. They care about us. They say that the Ukrainian volunteer service is at a high level".

Research in the conditions of a natural experiment gave a new understanding of the peculiarities of Ukrainian society. During the war, features of society that are imperceptible in peacetime appeared. This study does not offer definitive conclusions because the war is not over. The results of the study require more in-depth study.

This study shows promising directions for further applied research. Among them, for example, research on the mechanisms of horizontal self-organization. They are the most important factor in the stability of not only Ukrainian society, but also the state. Horizontal self-organization can become a strong competitive advantage of Ukraine in the world system. Understanding the mechanisms of horizontal self-organization means taking the first step towards their strengthening and development.

Another important topic for further research is the boundaries of the authorities and civil society. They differ in different societies for historical and cultural reasons. It can be assumed that in Ukraine the expansion of the boundaries of power has no prospects, since self-organization of citizens is more effective than formal government.

It is also important to define the Ukrainian system of values, from which the ability of people to unite in crisis situations increases.

Research conclusions

The conclusions drawn during the study are not final. These conclusions are hypotheses that require further in-depth study both during and after the war.

The main emotion of Ukrainians during the war (from the first day of the war) is hatred. Research participants talk about hatred with different words, including rage, anger, etc.

The main values of Ukrainian society are: national security; belonging to the people; caring for others; independence and self-sufficiency; freedom.

The strategy of cooperation for Ukrainian society is dominant in the war situation.

A social group of people has formed in Ukraine, where people are united by the sign of "self-devotion".

Civil society groups come together spontaneously as a response to a problem or need. People's motivation is different. Activities are different. Tasks are different. The number of people in the groups varies. The duration of the interaction exists as long as there is a common interest.

Self-governance, coherence of actions and experience of cooperation appear in groups, the mechanism of planning and decision-making is launched.

Groups evolve. If necessary, public organizations and charitable foundations are registered.

Groups provide social and psychoemotional support to their people. Groups give rise to rituals and group identity. Members of such groups feel like they are part of something big, strong and right. People in groups during joint activities regain a sense of control over the situation, receive dopamine of achievement.

In solving problems, people show their self-sufficiency and self-reliance.

Leadership is situational and short-lived. People unite around a problem, not around a leader. People prefer collective interests over individual interests. Collective interests are the interests of the country, not a separate group.

Competition between volunteers and volunteer groups exists, but power is not a goal or value for volunteers at any level.

Expanding the boundaries of power in Ukraine has no prospects, since self-organization of citizens is more effective than formal government.

Civil society is willing to work with the authorities. There is a certain trust of volunteer associations in the authorities and willingness to use administrative resources in their activities. In some cases, civil society understands power as a tool for achieving common goals.

The problems that volunteers solve and the needs that they satisfy indicate what will be most in demand in the country for the next several decades, what types of activities and professions will be needed, what time, resources, and funds should be invested in.

The institution of reputation has strengthened in Ukraine:

·       All volunteer activities are built on horizontal connections without reference to the organization, position or document.

·       A person voluntarily undertakes obligations and receives a credit of trust from the community.

·       Even under the conditions of war, risk and uncertainty, a person must prove the ability to conduct his activities transparently, for example, show photos and video reports of what was bought, made, delivered to those who need help.

The study did not find people who withdrew from solving the problems caused by the war. The study revealed those people who do not consider what they do to be "volunteering", "helping", or something worthy of attention (the majority).

Volunteers help each other with resources and services. Horizontal ties were formed and strengthened in Ukraine.

As of 2024, the war has affected pretty much every family. Everyone tries to help those they know personally. That is why it seems that the scope of volunteer assistance is decreasing.

Appendices

Appendix 1. Research plan

	1 stage	2 stage	3 stage
Goal:	To create prerequisites for studying the phenomenon of self-organization and grouping of people for Ukraine's resistance to Russian aggression.	Identify the factors and motivations of the grouping and self-organization of people to overcome Russian aggression, protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, preserve independence, counter information warfare and propaganda in the media space, etc.	Summarize and publicize the research results.
1.       Tasks:	1.       Collect primary information about cases of self-organization and grouping of people for Ukraine's resistance to Russian aggression. 2.       Make a detailed description of events and reasons for which people unite. 3.       To restore the chain of events that unite people. 4.       Determine the cause-and-effect relationships that unite people.	1.       Carry out technical processing of the results of the 1st stage of the study: × prepare interview results for content analysis, compositional and content analysis of texts (interview results), event analysis, etc. 2.       To carry out an interdisciplinary study of the motivation of self-organization and grouping of Ukrainian society: × find out and record the scale (forms, types of activities, directions, spheres) of the grouping and self-organization of people during the war; × to reveal the motivation of Ukrainian society (people belonging to different ethnic, religious, political, professional groups) to confront the enemy in the way they choose; × reveal the relationship between the influence of power and self-awareness in confronting the enemy; × to reveal the features (characteristics) of Ukrainian society that unite Ukrainians in the struggle for their own independence. 3.       To improve the interview questionnaire 4.       Conduct an interview 5.       Carry out technical processing of the interview results 6.       To carry out an interdisciplinary study of the motivation of self-organization and grouping of Ukrainian society: × find out and record the scale (forms, types of activities, directions, spheres) of the grouping and self-organization of people during the war; × to reveal the motivation of Ukrainian society (people belonging to different ethnic, religious, political, professional groups) to confront the enemy in the way they choose; × reveal the relationship between the influence of power and self-awareness in confronting the enemy; × to reveal the features (characteristics) of Ukrainian society that unite Ukrainians in the struggle for their own independence.	1.       Summarize the research results. 2.       Prepare an analytical article. 3.       Review the analytical article. 4.       Present the results of the research. 5.       Publish and distribute an analytical article. 6.       Put the empirical base on a protected resource for further use.
Methodology:	Semi-structured in-depth interviews. Interviewers are students under the guidance of teachers who are members of the Ukrainian Assessment Association: × KNU named after Taras Shevchenko; × University of Customs and Finance (Dnipro). Respondents are selected from the social bubble of the interviewer. Interview requirements - see Appendix 1. Interview questionnaire - see appendix 2.	Semi-structured in-depth interviews. Interviewers: × members of the Ukrainian Evaluation Association; Respondents are selected from the base, which was formed from the beginning of the research through announcements on social networks, at events for representatives of non-governmental organizations and volunteers, as well as through personal communication with volunteers who help military personnel and people affected by the war in Ukraine and beyond. Interview requirements are formed based on the results of processing the results of the previous stage of the research. Questionnaire for interviews - formed based on the results of processing the results of the previous stage of the research.	Analytical article. The structure of the analytical article: × summary, × main part, × conclusions, × recommendations based on research results.
Compositional and content analysis of texts (interview transcripts) by domestic and foreign experts (sociologists, political scientists, social psychologists, evaluation specialists)
Event analysis of texts (interview transcripts) by domestic and foreign experts (sociologists, political scientists, social psychologists, evaluation specialists)
Content analysis of interview transcripts using special software
Products:	Audio recordings and transcripts of ≈ 300 interviews.	Research concept and methodology Experts' conclusions based on the results of the 1st stage of the study Updated questionnaire and interview requirements. Audio recordings and transcripts of ≈ 100 interviews. Experts' conclusions based on the results of the 2nd stage of the study Working version of the analytical article.	The final version of the analytical article. Research presentation program and list of participants.
Terms of implementation:	July 2022 - July 2023	August 23 - December 25, 2023	December 25, 2023 - January 31. Presentation of results - until February 29, 2024.
Results:	Preliminary findings of the study.	Hypotheses based on the results of the 1st stage of the research. Conclusions and recommendations based on the research results.	Conclusions and recommendations based on the research results.
Importantly:	Involvement of students in the research made it possible to go beyond the social bubbles in which one researcher lives.	Interview transcripts will be cleaned of "informational noise", slang, gibberish, parasitic words, etc. The personal data of the respondents will be removed from the transcripts. Project: "Initiative of Sectoral Support of Civil Society of Ukraine", implemented under the Agreement between the United States Agency for International Development and ISAR "Jednannia", agreement No. 23/08/23-11 dated 08/23/2023	Project: "Initiative of Sectoral Support of Civil Society of Ukraine", implemented under the Agreement between the United States Agency for International Development and ISAR "Jednannia", agreement No. 23/08/23-11 dated 08/23/2023

Appendix 2. Questionnaire for a semi-structured interview

Today (survey date) I am in the city/village (name), region (name). I start an interview with a person who is a volunteer/representative of a volunteer group.

Thank you for agreeing to give an interview. It is important to keep information about what you do, about your contribution to victory.

·       Name yourself, please: full name, city or village of residence and contact phone number.

·       Do you agree to the audio recording of the interview?

·       Do you consent to the use of this interview as part of the research?

·       What exactly do you do and for whom?

·       How many people are involved in this initiative and who are they? Who were these people before the war?

·       What are your results to date? What exactly did you do? How many? how did you do it

·       Who was the author of the idea? If it was you, why did you come up with this idea? What was your motivation? If it wasn't you, what do you think was the person's motivation?

·       How did the author of the idea involve other people in this initiative? Have you spoken to them personally? Posted an invitation on social networks?

·       Why do you think people agreed to participate? What was their motivation?

·       Where does your team get resources for your initiative (consumables, components, money, etc.)?

·       Are these resources being provided to you for free or are they being sold?

·       Does the local government support your activity? If so, how?

·       What do you see as your main achievement in this work?

·       Who helps your team and how?

·       What obstacles do you face?

·       What is the attitude of relatives, acquaintances, friends to what you do?

·       Has the mass media already talked about your activities?

·       What else is important to say?

Thank you for your work and for the time you devoted to this interview.

Appendix 3. Questions for the Google form "Self-organization and cohesion of Ukrainian society during Russian aggression"

I, Larysa Pylgun, am an independent policy, program and project evaluation specialist, a board member of the Ukrainian Evaluation Association.

The war caught me at home, in Vorzel, Kyiv region. From the beginning of the full-scale invasion until the de-occupation of the Kyiv region, I was at the epicenter of active hostilities. I saw with my own eyes how people stopped the enemy and tried to protect other people's property, other people's animals, helped each other survive in the hell of war. These people did not believe that there would be a war.

At the beginning of March 2022, I delivered humanitarian aid in the Kyiv region. Humanitarian aid was transferred to us from Europe. Many people who did not know each other collected and helped to bring this aid. I was impressed by people's ability to instantly solve any problem in those conditions. Since I was a participant in those events and solved any issue myself in a moment with the help of people I didn't know, I was interested in what became the factor of such grouping and self-organization of Ukrainian society during the war? Then I had a professional interest in recording not only my own experience, but also the experience of other participants in these events, to understand what is the motivation of not only Ukrainians, but also people who chose Ukraine for residence or professional activity, to the point of risking their own well-being and life?

From the first hours of the full-scale invasion of the Russian army into Ukraine, people inside and outside the country began to help both civilians, victims of the war, and the military with money, basic necessities, food, clothing for civilians and military, equipment, services, transport, etc. Such people are often called volunteers, but they themselves are not always called volunteers. These people help both individually, transferring a certain amount to the needs of the army or military, and collectively, joining groups and organizations to cover the needs of military personnel, forced migrants, people living in the zone of active hostilities. Among those who cover the needs of the army and civilians affected by the war every day are people with other citizenships. People unite in order to oppose the Russian aggressor. Cohesion is phenomenal both in terms of scale and in terms of the problems that are being solved by the hands of ordinary people through self-organization.

Ukrainian society did not prepare for war. Currently, Ukrainians manage to solve issues almost instantly, which the government, specialized and international organizations were not ready to solve. The events taking place in Ukraine arouse the interest of specialists, in particular sociologists, social psychologists, political scientists, etc. Experts believe that it is necessary:

·       record people's experiences of grouping and self-organization during a full-scale invasion,

·       to reveal the motivation to confront the enemy in exactly this way;

·       to find out the scale of cohesion and self-organization of people during the war;

·       to identify the relationship between the influence of power and self-awareness in any activity;

·       to reveal the differences of Ukrainian civil society (compared to neighboring ones) regarding self-organization in the conditions of crisis and war.

In addition, it is important to know:

·       What is the motivation of people with other citizenships among civilians in Ukraine to join the resistance to the Russian aggressor?

·       Are there any characteristics of Ukrainian civil society that can be cultivated in other countries?

"The study of the phenomenon of self-organization and cohesion of Ukrainian society during the war" began at the end of 2022. It should end in December 2023. The results of the research will be published in March 2024 on the following resources: https://www.evalinukraine.com/, https://www.ukreval.org/, https://ednannia.ua/.

I am asking you to answer a number of questions. Your personal data will not be disclosed or transferred to third parties. All interview results will be summarized. It is possible to quote individual stories, but in a form that makes it impossible to determine the author of the quote. The safety of the respondents during this study is a higher priority than the goal and task of the study.

I hope for your sincerity. For me and my colleagues, every story, every contribution to victory is important. I will be grateful if this survey will be distributed in your professional community or circle of your friends. All information about me and my contact details are available on the website https://www.evalinukraine.com/.

1. What did you do before the war (profession, occupation, lifestyle)?

2. How did you remember February 24, 2022?

3. How did the war in Ukraine change your life?

4. How do you help Ukraine (people and territories affected by the war, the military and the armed forces) after February 24, 2022? Please list everything you have done and/or are doing now.

5. What have you and/or your team managed to do so far? What are you most proud of? What do you regret the most?

6. Do you personally know the people you help?

Yes/ No/ Other

7. Why did you start helping people and/or territories affected by the war, the military, the Armed Forces?

8. Who came up with the idea of doing what you are doing for the people and territories affected by the war, the military and the Armed Forces? You can not mention the real names of these people, just indicate who they are for you (for example, friend, sister, acquaintance, etc.)

9. How many people around you help the people and territories affected by the war, the military and the armed forces? Who are these people?

10. In your opinion, what do people who help people and territories affected by the war, the military and the Armed Forces have in common?

11. Can what you do now become your main activity/ profession/ business (especially after the war)?

12. What emotions accompany your successes and/or failures of volunteering? What are the most common emotions?

13. Where do you and/or your team take time, money, equipment, consumables, fuel, transport, etc. to help people/territories affected by the war/military/Army?

14. Does the government support your activity?

Yes No

15. Do you know cases when the government supported volunteers?

Yes No

16. If you know of cases when the authorities supported volunteers, please tell us about the following:

17. What obstacles do you face?

18. What is the attitude of your relatives, acquaintances, friends, colleagues to what you do for the benefit of people/territories affected by the war/military/Army?

19. What is the ratio of the influence of the government and civil society (just people) in percentages on solving problems related to war? Please explain

20. What, in your opinion, are the main features of Ukrainian civil society that appeared in the conditions of crisis and war?

21. In your opinion, what is the motivation of citizens of other countries to join Ukraine's resistance to the Russian aggressor?

22. What important thing would you like to say?

23. What is your current citizenship?

24. What is your citizenship by origin?

25. In which country do you currently live?

26. Do you have the status of a refugee (or equivalent) or have you been granted asylum in the country in which you are currently staying?

Yes No

27. Do you have (had) IDP status in Ukraine?

Yes No

28. In which city do you live?

29. What is your field of activity:

Public Service

Local Government

non-governmental (public) organization or charitable foundation

international organization

volunteer community

budgetary organization

work in a private company

The owner of this business

Self-employed person

I'm learning

Retired

In the decree

On creative leave

I'm looking for a job

Other

30. Have you registered in the register of volunteers in Ukraine?

Yes No

31. Do you agree to the use of this interview for research purposes: further use of the results of the interview in a generalized form?

Yes No

32. Do you agree to quoting individual elements of the interview without indicating your name?

Yes No

33. Please give your name. If for security reasons it is not possible to give the real first and last name, then give a nickname or nickname.

34. If you wish, leave your contact details (phone and/or e-mail) in case you need to clarify any information:

[1] This was repeated many times by officials and experts from various European countries at closed events dedicated to the war in Ukraine.

[2] "Self-organization" is a grouping of people with subsequent creation of an organization that may or may not have legal registration.

[3] "Cohesion" is a one-time grouping of people to solve a problem, without creating an organization.

[4] AI was looking for answers to the question: What are the scales of grouping and self-organization of people during war? What is the motivation of Ukrainian society to confront the enemy in the way they choose? What is the ratio of the influence of power and self-awareness in confronting the enemy? What unites Ukrainians in the struggle for their own independence.

[5] Phenomenon: 1. Rare, unusual, exceptional occurrence. 2. occurrence, the only one of its kind 3. occurrence, understood by experience.

[6] A volunteer initiative is any activity aimed at solving problems and meeting the needs of military, civilians, prisoners, etc. (knitting socks, balaclavas or weaving camouflage nets; production of weapons or special equipment; providing people or animals with food, clothing, basic necessities; providing medical assistance or provision of medicines; provision of hairdressing or psychological services; assistance from businessmen and business organizations for the army, territorial defense, volunteers; provision of consulting, information or any other services). The sphere of a person's professional activity (state, public or business) does not matter for research.

[7] Monitoring and evaluation were carried out by L. Pylgun in 2023. The data obtained during the evaluation are interesting because of the number of respondents and the results of the survey.

[8] The project was implemented by the Association of Psychologists and Psychoanalysts "VZAYEMODIYA" with the support of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), as well as with the financial support of the European Union and the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany. Project implementation period: 05/01/2023 - 09/30/2023, Project geography: Chernihiv region, Dnipropetrovsk region, Kharkiv region, Lviv city, Mykolaiv region, Kherson region, Odesa region, Sumy region, Zaporizhzhia region, Luhansk region, Donetsk region.

[9] The project was implemented by the NGO "Institute of Analytics and Advocacy" with the financial support of the European Union. Project implementation period: 07/08/2022 - 07/07/2023. The project's activities are a response to the challenges faced by Ukrainians at the time of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. One of the directions of the project is to help the medical units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to provide high-quality and timely assistance to those who need it

[10] Volunteers are people who perform work free of charge and provide services free of charge to military and civilians, animals and territories affected during the war in any form and in any volume independently or with other people (see the Law of Ukraine "On Volunteering activity").

[11] In 2023, the researcher visited 10 countries, some several times.

[12] The list was compiled in accordance with the results of the interview (according to what the research participants said)

[13] Report on the results of the evaluation of the project "Re:silience. Re:covery. Re:construction. (Re:Ukraine_project)", implemented by the NGO "Institute of Analytics and Advocacy" (https://iaa.org.ua/en/) with the support of the EU in accordance with Grant Contract No. ENI/2022/434-822 dated July 8, 2022. Performer - L. Pylgun, permission to quote - S. Patoka.

[14] "We cannot help the Russians kill our people." What problems of the front pass by the command of the medical forces. Olga Kirylenko. August 14, 2023 - https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2023/08/14/7415379/.

[15] Danylo Dovbun, August 4, 2023, -  https://www.facebook.com/dovbun.

[16] Sofia Fedina, August 3, 2023, - https://www.facebook.com/sofiya.fedyna. 

[17] Public activist and volunteer Oksana Korchynska writes on August 7, 2023 on her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/korchynskaoksana

[18] Anastasia Leonova, volunteer paramedic of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, volunteer of the Center for Civil Liberties (https://www.facebook.com/anastasia.leonova.984).

[19] Currently, it is not possible to get rid of a Russian passport even by a court decision due to the internal policy of the migration service.

[20] Societies can act in war conditions in different ways. 2 main strategies dominate: 1) atomization, when people survive alone or in small groups (families), and social ties are minimized so as not to share resources; 2) cooperation, when people share resources, and social ties are activated.

[21] This hypothesis requires separate research, confirmation or refutation by specialists.

[22] This assumption is not a conclusion and needs more in-depth study.

[23] The development and dynamics of volunteer groups is of interest from the point of view of psychology.