Ukrainian Scholarly Publishing during the Russo-Ukrainian War: A Bibliometric Study

Abstract Book of the 19th International Conference on Humanities, Psychology and Social Sciences

Year: 2026

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Ukrainian Scholarly Publishing during the Russo-Ukrainian War: A Bibliometric Study

Maryna Kreslova

ABSTRACT:

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 profoundly disrupted the country’s scientific system. This study examines how the Russo-Ukrainian war has affected Ukrainian scholarly publishing and research directions. Using bibliometric data from the Web of Science Core Collection and InCites (1991–2024), we analyzed trends in Ukrainian research output and compared them with Croatia as a control case. The analysis covered publication volume, disciplinary composition, leading institutions, universities in occupied territories, and international collaborations. Interrupted time series (ITS) analysis was applied to assess changes following 2022. Ukraine’s publication growth rate slowed by an estimated 978 publications per year after 2022 (p = 0.102), resulting in a projected shortfall of roughly 600 papers between 2022 and 2024. From 1991 to 2021, output rose steadily, peaking at 12,475 articles in 2021, before declining by 14.6% to 10,649 in 2024. The sharpest declines occurred in the Physical and Social Sciences, while Engineering and Technology maintained modest growth. Institutions in occupied territories diverged: Donbas universities showed a gradual decline, whereas Crimea experienced a complete bibliometric replacement by Russian-affiliated outputs. Collaborations with Russia collapsed after 2022, while partnerships with Poland, the United States, and Germany expanded, indicating a pivot toward Western networks. Croatia’s stable output underscores the war’s impact on Ukraine’s decline. The invasion disrupted decades of scientific progress, particularly in infrastructure-dependent fields. Institutional relocation offered partial resilience, while international collaboration proved critical in sustaining Ukraine’s research capacity during wartime.

Keywords: Russo-Ukrainian War; Scientific Publishing; Stolen Universities