The spatial dimension of the war effects in Ukraine: An agenda for country recovery

Abstract

In the pre-war period, Ukraine faced significant development gaps, and a large part of its territory was in unfavourable social and environmental conditions. Despite some reforms, the overall imbalances of the spatial framework remained unchanged, and the processes of European integration were de facto rather slow. At the same time, Russia's geopolitical influence and the geo-economic impact of various global actors remained prominent. The outbreak of the war in 2022 led to large-scale changes in the structure of regional centres, significant social shifts, and further policy transformation at all levels. Communities and territories affected by the war consequences to varying degrees now demonstrate different patterns of development capacity and resilience, as well as its vision, which obviously leads to functional changes. The article aims to analyze the transformation processes caused by the hostilities, to reassess the guidelines for regional development, and to identify the priorities of post-war recovery.