01/07/2026 09:00 - 11:10

HALL: Pola - A204

Contact: Kalenychenko T.

Chair: Brylov D., Kalenychenko T.

War is a challenge to human norms and religious freedom. It does not only destroy the existing social order, but also provides opportunities. The Russian-Ukrainian war, while remaining an existential threat to Ukraine, has revealed the internal potential of many Ukrainian religious organizations and actors. The humanitarian activities of churches during the war largely compensated (substituted) the state's inability to protect the most affected social groups (IDPs, refugees, veterans, etc.). At the same time, the external religious diplomacy by Ukrainian faith-based leaders faced a lot of challenges, as well as achieved results. Still, humanitarian activity and diplomacy are two key parts of raising actor's agency.
The growing importance and influence of religious actors led to a change in the attitude of the state authorities and the model of church-state relations. However, the increase in the influence of churches has also led to an increase in attempts to instrumentalize it. As a result, Ukrainian churches found themselves in a situation where great opportunities have opened up for them, but the threats have also become much greater than ever before. This panel is devoted to analyzing these opportunities and challenges, as well as the likely paths of development for the Ukrainian religious actors and their networks of cooperation.
This panel is part of the POLISMOD (2026-31, PI Kristina Stoeckl) project launch. By examining how Ukrainian religious actors navigate expanded agency, humanitarian responsibility, and risks of political instrumentalization under conditions of war, this panel speaks directly to POLISMOD's core interest in the role of religious actors in sustaining—or undermining—democratic resilience under conditions of crisis.