The Influence of the Russian Aggression on the State of Development of Geography in Ukraine

At the current stage of the socio-economic development of Ukraine in the conditions of Russian aggression, the topical issue is the expansion of foreign economic relations with EU member countries. The purpose of the study is a spatial analysis of the features of regional differentiation of Ukraine’s commodity trade with the countries of the European Union in the context of expanding trade and economic relations after signing the Agreement on a free trade zone with the EU and granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership. Such research methods as structural and spatial analysis, statistical and correlation analysis, and typological analysis were used. The dynamics of commodity trade between Ukraine and the EU in 2001–2021 are analyzed and the main trends in interstate trade in goods were identified. It has been revealed that the general trend of bilateral trade relations with the countries of the European Union in the 21st century is generally similar to the trend of the turnover of foreign commodity trade between Ukraine and all countries of the world. It has been established that the spatial differentiation of Ukraine’s commodity trade with the EU clearly shows great variability and asymmetry of export and import indicators. The dependence between the level of economic development of Ukraine’s regions and the commodity trade volume with EU countries is traced. A characteristic feature is the spatial heterogeneity of the distribution of commodity trade in Ukraine’s regions according to the predominant directions of foreign commodity trade relations. The western regions of Ukraine have the highest level of connectivity of commodity trade with the countries of the European Union, which is explained by better transport accessibility to EU markets and the development of cross-border cooperation. According to the main directions of trade flows and on the basis of a comparison of the connectivity and balance coefficients of commodity trade with EU countries, six types of Ukraine’s regions are identified. The novelty of the research is the identification of the features of regional differentiation and significant asymmetry in the commodity trade of Ukraine’s regions with the countries of the European Union based on the criterion of connectivity and symmetry of trade flows using spatial analysis.

Spatial Differentiation of Commodity Trade Between Ukraine and the Eu

Maruniak¹,

Lazhnik²,

Puhach³

2023

The Image and Mission of Geographical Science in Ukraine

Dronova,

Maruniak,

Rudenko

et al. 2023

The image of Ukrainian geography is formed in the difficult conditions of the establishment of statehood, deep political and economic reforms, and geopolitical and military resistance to russian aggression. Geographical science still does not sufficiently respond to the contemporary demands of society for geographical information and geographical knowledge. The reformation of national science and education presents geographers with many new problems that need to be considered and solved. The latest information technology revolution, along with new technical capabilities, means more and deep complex requests for geographic information. The paper considers the mentioned issues. The authors focus attention on the features of the transformation of the functions of geographical science in the conditions of post-industrial society and new people’s interaction with natural systems. The technological findings created by modern society are a prospect for the implementation of many solutions in the sphere of sustainable economic, social, and ecological development, as well as the transition to new models of production and consumption, and adaptation to climate change. The paper mentioned that geography plays a significant role in the development of organizational plans and business models in EU countries in such areas as regional and local development, urban and community planning and development, emergency risk management, and transition to a circular economy. In Ukraine, unfortunately, geography, like other sciences such as mathematics and physics, is increasingly perceived as part of basic education. Public demand and the market for projects are practically not formed, which causes both gaps in the implementation of numerous EU directives and international standards, as well as the decline of the discipline. Currently, the war with Russia is definitely the one of the bitter phenomena that requires the involvement of geographers. The first reaction of scholars took place as early as 2014, which was reflected in the adjustment of several educational programs, including human geography, political geography, urban geography, landscape ecology, spatial planning and development, cartographic modeling and GIS, geography of transport systems, population settlement, etc. Simultaneously, today Ukrainian geographers talk about large-scale changes in research priorities, focusing on the assessment of losses and the potential for the restoration of territories, the sustainable development of cities and regions, and geostrategization.

Geoconflictological Approach in Research of Russian-Rkrainian War

Mozghovyi

2023

The article is devoted to possibilities of applying geographical approaches in the study of protracted multilevel conflicts. In particular, the research potential of such a new interdisciplinary field of science as geoconflictology was assessed. The purpose of this study is to show spatio-temporal parameterization of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and determination of the influence of geographical factors on its structure and dynamics. The main results of the research: the object and subject of the conflict are defined, its spatial and temporal boundaries are outlined, the evolution of the morphology of the participants in the conflict, possible points of maximum escalation and de-escalation are traced. The influence of geographical factors on the conflict was determined and analyzed. In particular, the influence of the geographical remoteness of metropolises and colonies on the subsequent frequency of conflicts and the risk of conflicts between them. The article emphasizes the determinism and inevitability of the emergence of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In particular, it is determined by the patterns of development and interaction of territorial systems. An attempt to extrapolate the duration and stages of previous protracted conflicts in Europe to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict was made. The possible influence of the potential of the geographical location on the course and resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is also determined. The article is one of the first attempts to interpret the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in a geographical dimension.