The work is dedicated to investigating the spatial patterns of internal migration processes in Ukraine, shaped by the impact of military actions, as a key factor in contemporary societal transformations. The research allows for the analysis of regional peculiarities, spatial trends, and motivational factors of internal population movements. The main results of the dissertation are based on a comprehensive six-stage study, utilizing methodological approaches and research methods. In the first chapter of the dissertation, it is determined that contemporary migrations, as a societal phenomenon, represent a complex system of migration movements of various durations, periodicities, implementation methods, and spatial directions, caused by various factors and conditions, differing in voluntariness and purposefulness.
A mass contemporary societal phenomenon in the context of forming new patterns of migration processes is the emergence and legislative definition of a category of internal migrants - internally displaced persons (IDPs). It is determined that in case of IDPs returning to their previous permanent place of residence, a special stage - the societal reintegration of IDPs - is added to the generally recognized stages of the migration process. Author's methodological approaches of socio-geographical research of internal migrations have been developed and tested, including a six-stage research program, in particular, conducting a sociological study of IDPs as a separate category of internal migrants. The research included mass surveys in two stages, totaling 1632 respondents, as well as in-depth interviews with 62 respondents.
The second chapter of the work characterizes complex societal processes and challenges caused by the war and occupation of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Spatial trends of IDP movements during this period to Kyiv (including the city of Kyiv), Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions have been analyzed. The scales, directions, and regional patterns of internal migration processes in Ukraine during the period of full-scale invasion since 2022 are also characterized. It is shown that the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and later Kherson regions became the main "donor" regions of IDPs. Conversely, the Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Lviv regions became the regions with the highest proportion of accepted IDPs. It is determined that the extraordinary variability of the geodemographic situation due to occupation, shelling of settlements, and critical infrastructure is a contemporary trend of new demographic patterns in Ukraine. In the third chapter, based on the analysis of the results of a sociological study of IDPs, it is established that the key reasons for internal displacement are increased danger in the native city, lack of employment opportunities, and deficit of social services. The choice of the region of displacement by IDPs is made considering the criteria of safety and financial capability. The survey results also showed that the greatest needs among IDPs are related to security, financial and humanitarian stability, and the opportunity for employment. The results of in-depth interviews demonstrated specific motivational factors, response models, and adaptation to the realities of large-scale invasion and occupation.
The scientific novelty of the obtained results lies in the fact that for the first time, from the standpoint of social geography, a comprehensive analysis of internal migration processes of Ukrainians in the 20th-21st centuries, including forced migrations caused by political, historical, and military factors, has been carried out in the dissertation. A socio-geographical study of motivational factors of internal migration processes, taking into account the societal needs of IDPs, employment opportunities, professional self-realization, and conditions of IDP adaptation (on the example of IDPs from Odesa), has been conducted. Motivational factors, response models, and adaptation of the population to the realities of large-scale invasion and occupation (using the example of the occupied and near-frontline territories of the Kherson region) have been characterized.
The practical significance of the obtained results lies in the fact that based on the socio-geographical analysis of regional patterns and motivational factors of internal migration processes during wartime in Ukraine, the components of successful adaptation strategies and societal reintegration of internal migrants due to the Russian-Ukrainian war have been substantiated. This allowed using the results of the dissertation research in the development of the project of the Regional Development Strategy and programs of comprehensive recovery of the territory of the Holoprystanska urban territorial community of the Kherson region.
