46 
ABSTRACT
This study analyses the vital role and impact of the grassroots volunteering movement in Ukraine within the context of Russia’s ongoing armed aggression. It provides an overview of volunteering dynamics and the legal framework, combining quantitative and qualitative data to examine organisational forms, grassroots characteristics, and cooperation with authorities and the NGO sector. The research explores gender aspects and future prospects of grassroots efforts, including case studies of families of POWs, missing persons, and civilian hostages. It concludes with recommendations for key stakeholders on strengthening the movement for Ukraine’s comprehensive defence.
Keywords: volunteer movement, grassroots volunteering, volunteer initiatives, activism, individual volunteers, comprehensive defence, Russia’s war against Ukraine, Ukraine.
ABSTRACT
ACRONYMS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER 1. OVERVIEW OF THE VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT: LEGAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
1.1 Brief Overview and Analysis of the Legal Framework
1.2 Overview of Public Engagement in Volunteering and the Dynamics of the Volunteer Movement, Specifically Post-2022
1.3 Results of the Nationwide Survey on Volunteering Engagement in 2025
1.4 Summary of Section 1
CHAPTER 2. ORGANISATIONAL FORMS OF THE VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT
2.1 Typology of Volunteering: Legal Status and Areas of Activity
2.2 Challenges in Categorising Volunteering
2.3 Summary of Section 2
CHAPTER 3. CHARACTERISTICS OF GRASSROOTS VOLUNTEERING IN UKRAINE
3.1 Summary of Section 3
CHAPTER 4. INTERACTION WITH GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES, BUSINESS, AND THE CIVIL SOCIETY SECTOR
4.1 Summary of Chapter 4
CHAPTER 5. GENDER ASPECTS OF VOLUNTEERING
5.1 Summary of Chapter 5
CHAPTER 6. THE DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE OF GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS
6.1 Summary of Chapter 6
CHAPTER 7. CASE STUDIES: ASSOCIATIONS OF FAMILIES OF POWs, MISSING PERSONS, AND CIVILIAN HOSTAGES
7.1 Summary of Chapter 7
CONCLUSIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS
REFERENCES
“Until 2014, volunteers were perceived by society as some kind of freaks who had nothing better to do and were just making things up. After 2014, it became a trend, a mark of good manners. And after 2022, this trend intensified: the formula ‘you are either in the AFU or for the AFU’ became the truth. Therefore, every man and woman must make their contribution to victory.”
Individual female volunteer, Interview 15
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This study aims to outline how the grassroots volunteer movement complements and sustains Ukraine’s defence capabilities.
Context. In 2025, during the twelfth year of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the fourth year of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s grassroots volunteer movement continues to operate and evolve. In 2024, the share of the employed population involved in volunteer or charitable activities (at least once a month) was 57.7% for women and 54.4% for men. Volunteer initiatives operate across all spheres of society: from fundraising for diverse military and humanitarian needs to non-financial assistance to the Defence Forces, war victims, internally displaced persons (IDPs), veterans, and people in difficult life circumstances, as well as services in education, culture, environmental protection, and beyond. An active volunteer movement fosters greater resilience within Ukrainian society.
The research methodology is based on a mixed-methods approach, combining desk and field research. The latter involved both quantitative (a survey of 1,000 respondents via CATI based on random digit dialling) and qualitative (16 in-depth interviews) methods, partially conducted in parallel. Open-source intelligence (OSINT) and case studies were employed as supplementary methods.
Chapter 1. Overview of the Volunteer Movement: Legal and Temporal Perspectives.
This chapter provides a comprehensive review of the development of the volunteer movement in Ukraine through the prism of legal regulation and socio-historical transformations. Desk research findings indicate the gradual establishment of a volunteering culture in Ukraine: from episodic initiatives in the early 1990s to a large-scale movement integrated into various spheres today, from supporting the military to humanitarian aid during the full-scale invasion.
The legal analysis of the legislative framework underscored the importance of a clear distinction between the concepts of “volunteer” and “benefactor,” and identified the key regulatory changes that influenced the organisation and regulation of volunteer activities. Changes in the institutional structure of volunteer coordination, social guarantees for volunteers, and the legal challenges currently faced by male and female volunteers are examined separately.
The study analysed the dynamics of public engagement in volunteering, along with the results of sociological and academic research highlighting the transformation of the volunteer movement in Ukraine in recent years. Findings from the 2025 nationwide survey conducted as part of this study demonstrate steady public involvement: 41% of respondents are actively participating in volunteer initiatives, showing a relative gender balance.
Chapter 2. Forms of Organizing the Volunteer Movement.
This chapter presents various forms of volunteer organisation in Ukraine, classified based on empirical data by their legal status and spheres of activity. The primary functions of each form are analysed, and the intersections and distinctions between volunteer work and activism are explored. The overview demonstrates the diversity of the volunteer environment and reveals the specifics of its structuring and categorisation.
Chapter 3. Characteristics of Grassroots Volunteering in Ukraine.
Data from in-depth interviews provided an analysis of the specific features of grassroots volunteering in Ukraine, its horizontal structure, and social responsibility. The chapter examines the experiences of individual volunteers and volunteer initiative groups, both those formalised as civil society or charitable organisations and those remaining informal.
Chapter 4. Interaction with Authorities, Business, and the Civil Sector.
Volunteer initiatives that emerged as a response to the urgent challenges of war are gradually forming a powerful parallel system capable of performing functions traditionally belonging to the state. In-depth interview data indicate that the grassroots volunteer movement is open to cooperation with authorities, businesses, and non-profits, seeking ways to establish contacts despite perceived barriers. This chapter outlines the extent to which volunteer initiatives substitute for state functions and raises questions about the future interaction between civil society and the state.
Chapter 5. Gender Aspects of Volunteering.
This chapter examines gender dimensions and representations within Ukraine’s grassroots volunteerism. The analysis shows how the movement reflects, reproduces, and transforms traditional gender roles, influencing motivation, the nature of activities, and the division of labour. By utilising both quantitative survey data and qualitative testimonies from male and female volunteers, the study traces gender differences in tasks and sectors of involvement. Special attention is paid to the visibility of female leadership and its reflection in everyday practices and the public sphere, where gender asymmetry remains more pronounced.
Chapter 6. Development and the Future of Grassroots Movements.
This chapter analyses the evolution of Ukrainian grassroots volunteer initiatives amidst a protracted war, highlighting their needs and challenges during formalisation and professionalisation. It examines trends in the institutionalisation of volunteer hubs, reasons for maintaining the informal nature of certain initiatives, and the movement’s adaptation to emerging social needs. Based on quantitative and qualitative data, the study traces how activists redefine development strategies, strengthen horizontal ties, and enhance community resilience.
Chapter 7. Case Studies of Associations of Families of Prisoners of War, Missing Persons, and Civil Hostages.
This chapter outlines the development, characteristics, and needs of the civic movement formed by families of prisoners of war (POWs), missing persons, and civilian hostages, which has expanded rapidly in response to Russia’s aggression. It presents case study findings, analysing the composition of these associations, their geography, activities, and challenges, as well as their interaction with local authorities, government bodies, and international organisations. The focus is on civic activism and volunteer efforts aimed at advocating for the rights of victims and providing pro bono assistance to families.
Conclusions. The study summarises its key findings: the strength of the volunteer community, the fluid nature of categorisation, legal uncertainty, resource resilience, and issues of gender representation.
Recommendations. Recommendations are provided for key stakeholders on how to maintain sustainability and strengthen the grassroots volunteer movement for comprehensive defence.
The research was conducted by the CSO "Expert Resource Gender in Detail" as part of the project “Gender Mainstreaming in the Context of Comprehensive Defence”, funded by the grant “Best Practices of the Swedish Gender Approach as a Tool for Empowering Ukrainian Women to Implement Sustainable Reforms and Promote Ukraine’s European Integration”, with financial support from the Swedish Institute and in partnership with the Swedish International Liberal Centre.
The project draws on gender mainstreaming practices within Sweden’s comprehensive defence system and represents the first attempt in the Ukrainian context to explore the possibilities of implementing a Swedish-style comprehensive defence strategy in Ukraine while simultaneously integrating a gender perspective across key sectors, including the economy, care work, the armed forces, civil defence, governance, information policy, and the volunteer movement.
The project’s concept author and project lead is Tamara Zlobina, PhD in Philosophy and Head of the CSO "Expert Resource Gender in Detail".
Project mentors and reviewers of the analytical reports:
Olena Strelnyk, Doctor of Sociological Sciences
Hanna Hrytsenko, Gender Expert
Project managers: Alyona Hruzina, Halyna Repetska
