Study traces researchers’ movement in Ukraine during conflict
A study using publication data examines how researchers moved within Ukraine and across international borders from 2009 through 2022. It finds that conflict-affected regions lost scholars, while other locations became increasingly important destinations, with shifts already emerging after Russia annexed Crimea and fighting began in the Donbas in 2014.
A study based on publication data traces the movement of researchers within Ukraine and across borders between 2009 and 2022.
The research found that conflict-affected regions lost scholars, while other areas became increasingly important destinations. These changes were already underway after Russia annexed Crimea and fighting began in the Donbas in 2014.
The findings indicate that scholarly mobility during armed conflict cannot be understood simply as a matter of free choice.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
How did researchers’ destinations differ between regions affected by conflict and those that received more scholars?
What institutional or personal constraints shaped researchers’ movements during the period studied?
How might the loss of scholars affect research capacity in conflict-affected regions?
Would the observed mobility patterns have been different without the 2014 annexation and fighting in the Donbas?
How should publication data account for researchers whose movements were not reflected in subsequent publications?
YOUR QUESTION
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GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · AUGUST 2026