Impact of the consequences of full-scale invasion on methodological aspects of conducting social research in Ukraine

Abstract

The article analyzes the transformational shifts in the methodology of social research in Ukraine under the conditions of the full-scale war that began in 2022. Special attention is paid to the impact of new challenges—digitalization, changes in the social structure, mass migration, and population traumatization—on the revision of classical approaches to data collection, analysis, and interpretation. The study examines how the extreme conditions of martial law reshape the subject, object, and tools of sociological inquiry, necessitating a rethinking of core principles such as representativeness, ethics, validity, and scientific relevance. Key challenges are identified, including restricted access to respondents due to safety risks, infrastructure damage, unstable communication, and constant emotional stress, all of which affect the quality of the research process. It is established that traditional field research methods are increasingly replaced by digital tools—online surveys, digital trace analysis, big data utilization, and mixed-method designs that ensure adaptability to new realities. The growing importance of interdisciplinary approaches is substantiated, as they enable researchers to consider not only social but also psychological, legal, and cultural dimensions. The expansion of research boundaries through visual and multimedia data is examined, highlighting the need for new methods of interpreting such content. The integration of participatory approaches is proposed as an effective means of interacting with respondents in contexts of trauma and declining institutional trust. It is emphasized that research in wartime performs not only a cognitive but also a socially therapeutic function, facilitating the rearticulation of personal experience and the restoration of social ties. The article captures the ongoing transition of Ukraine’s social research methodology from classical models to more flexible, context-sensitive, and ethically grounded approaches suited to the current state of Ukrainian society amidst wartime conditions.