Mapping Ukraine’s Democratic Space (2023-2026): Final Summary Report

Authors: Roksolana Nesterenko and Andrii Darkovich

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, local democratic practices have operated under conditions of prolonged uncertainty, institutional strain, and security constraints. While military developments and national-level governance naturally command immediate public attention, the nuanced, day-to-day functioning of democracy at the hromada level remains an important subject for detailed study. Although the resilience of Ukrainian local governance has been widely recognised in academic and policy discourse, there is a continued need for systematic, longitudinal evidence that tracks how this democratic space is adapting in the context of prolonged war. It is at this level that citizens interact with authorities, civic initiatives emerge, and decisions affecting daily life, security, and recovery are negotiated.

This report contributes to addressing this gap by examining how democratic space at the local level in Ukraine has evolved between 2023 and 2026. It draws on a unique three-wave longitudinal study of a key respondents network conducted during 2023-2026 by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) in partnership with the London School of Economics (LSE) within the framework of PeaceRep: The Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform. In line with PeaceRep’s broader remit for evidence-based conflict research the aim of the project was to study the interactions at the local level in order to strengthen democratic resilience, local democracy, and the early recovery process in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion.