Peacebuilder perspectives: How has the war in Ukraine changed from 2014 to 2022?

Introduction

For Ukraine, 2024 has marked the third year of a full-fledged war and the 11th year in total of the ongoing conflict with Russia.

In November 2013, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the association agreement with the European Union. But in response, Ukrainian people expressed their wish for closer ties with the EU and their commitment to the values of freedom and democracy by organising a wave of demonstrations known as the Euromaidan or ‘Revolution of Dignity’. In February 2014, to punish Ukraine for this, the Kremlin unleashed its campaign of aggression, first with the occupation and annexation of Crimea, then with the war in the Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk regions).

Since 2014, the war in Donbas has not finished but rather was frozen with daily hostilities along the frontline. It continued despite the negotiations of the Minsk Agreement in 2014–2016, which called for a ceasefire, withdrawal of Russia-backed separatists and constitutional reform recognising the special status of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

On 24 February 2022, Russia’s invasion of additional territories in the east and south began the escalation of the Donbas war, forcing millions of Ukrainians to flee.

As of March 2024, 6.4 million refugees from Ukraine reside globally as a result of the war. This is the biggest movement in Europe since WWII, and has not been without its challenges of adaptation and integration for Ukrainians. Further, around 3.6 million Ukrainians are internally displaced.[1]

Since January 2023, Russia has occupied around 18% of Ukrainian territory.[2]

Burning tires near Dynamo Kyiv stadium at the Independence square during the Euromaidan or ‘Revolution of Dignity’. 23 January 2014, Kiev, Ukraine. By Alexander Ishchenko.

As Peace Insight’s Local Peacebuilding Expert in Ukraine, I spoke with Eugen Kaplin*, the head of all-Ukrainian NGO Proliska, to discuss the impact of the war in Ukraine, what has changed since 2014 and how to establish peace in Ukraine.

Olga Dolinina (OD): How have Proliska’s priorities and operations have changed after 2022?

Eugen Kaplin (EK): Since 2022, we work in 13 regions of Ukraine, including the centre, the east, the west and the areas with hostilities. Just for a comparison, before the escalation of war in 2022, we worked only in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. We provide psychosocial support; materials to repair houses after bombing; case management of war-affected people; evacuation of people from areas with active war actions and support for temporary housing of Internally Displaced People (IDPs); among others.

Proliska provides social buses to support people to go from small villages to big cities to get administrative and social services. Now social buses operate in 8 regions of Ukraine, covering over 500 villages and 200,000 people along the frontline and on deoccupied territories. Before 24 February 2022, social buses operated only in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 100 villages, covering 20,000 people.

At present, donors are decreasing their funding for western Ukraine, where there are a lot of IDPs, and prioritising funding for areas with hostilities. There are a lot of IDPs who lost their houses and will not be able to come back home. The more Russia uses bombs and missiles, the more people are displaced from the frontline territories.

OD: Do you think that funding of local peacebuilders is affected by other wars globally?

EK: Definitely. In 2022-2023 Ukraine was on the front pages all around the world. Now it is the third year of the full-fledge war and 11th of the war in the east of Ukraine, and Ukraine is less in the media. This is also linked to other wars in the world. People abroad are tired already of hearing about the war in Ukraine. But unfortunately, the war in Ukraine continues and humanitarian needs remain the same: in addition to IDPs, [some of whom are] displaced within the country several times, there are also Ukrainian migrants who return to Ukraine. They need support, including psychosocial support, support with documentation and non-food aid.

Young small local organisations face a lot of challenges to receive funding for the programmes due to the lack of capacities to prepare proposals, develop multiple internal policies, hire staff and to work not only with volunteers. Many organisations, like Proliska, made their way from a volunteer organisation in 2014 which evacuated people from the war areas to [become] strong organisations that implement numerous programsme, funded by international donors. But being a volunteer organisation, it is almost impossible to receive funding.

Irpin, Kyiv region, Ukraine - April 12, 2022: Residential buildings and car damaged by Russian bombardments.

OD: In your opinion, what is the principal difference between the war in 2014 and now?

EK: The needs and problems are very identical for the war-affected people then and now, as well as challenges that peacebuilders face, but the scale is different. In 2014, people’s displacement was happening within Ukraine. Western partners funded humanitarian support to avoid millions of Ukrainians fleeing to western Europe. Only part of eastern regions were partially occupied. So, there were a lot of safe spaces in Ukraine.

I remember well when we went to help people from the first explosions in 2014. There were the same processes as now but on the territory of only two regions in 2014.

2014 and now are similar as people are running away from the war without financial means and shelter. In 2014, local organisations and volunteers, including Proliska, evacuated people and supported people with humanitarian aid along the frontline. Then other peacebuilders, like Kharkiv Station met evacuated populations, fed them and found them shelter. Then the next stage was to help with the documentation if needed and finally, train and to support finding employment to help them adapt to a new place. After all of this, people worked, got salary and moved to rented apartments.

The only difference with 2014 is that Russia attacked Ukraine openly now and back than the Russian were saying that they were not in Donbas. In addition, unlike previous 8 years, in 2022 Russia used rockets and aviation. Out of 8 years of war in Donbas I almost lived 6 years along the frontline. I remember the small and big villages in the east of Ukraine back than that suffered from continuous shelling. This is the war of attrition. Then it was a smaller scale and now it is much bigger.

OD: From the operational point of view, how have local peacebuilders conducted activities for war-affected people then and now?

EK: The war in 2014 was local, only in two regions there were hostilities. We tried to cover all affected communities. At the moment, it is much bigger as the frontline goes through eight regions with daily shelling and missiles. Plus, there are needs in the regions where Ukrainians moved. To respond to the war in 2014, we had office in Kharkiv and two offices in Donbas. Now it is 13 regions of Ukraine and our team expanded in five times. Therefore, other budgets are needed. Now we can say that the war is in an active phase. In 2014 it was tanks, artillery, weapons with 20 km zone of impact. Now it is different as missiles are used everywhere.

Now peacebuilding activities are very important as many people moved to another cities in Ukraine. There are people who ran away from the war twice, local communities, deoccupied territories, returned from Europe. There are tensions at different levels, including in schools.

OD: For you, what does peace mean in the current context?

EK: Coming back to Ukrainian boarders of 1991,[3] and the withdrawal of the Russian army. I do not think that something can change in our context even if Russia’s President would change. It’s a state policy but not Putin’s policy. It is a policy of 90% of voters who voted for Putin.

OD: How can peacebuilders approach peace in Ukraine?

EK: We all already do this. We cannot stop the missiles and to make Russian’s army to withdraw from our territory. Only dialogue platforms and social cohesion cannot bring the peace. Peace will come only when Russia will go away.

But we can support Ukrainians that are suffering from the war on different levels in the frontline and in the displacement. And without our work there won’t be Ukrainian nation. We think how to support people at this hard time. Humanitarian, development programs, dialogues in the communities, psychosocial support are useful and have to continue.

[1] https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/107492

[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-forces-advance-ukraines-east-2024-04-29/

[3] On August, 24 1991 Ukraine proclaimed the independence, following the collapse of the USSR