Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has been a great social shock. The war affects emotional states, everyday lives and routines, public opinion, interpersonal relationships, socioeconomic situations, employment, civil activity. The scale of these changes is unprecedented for both Ukraine and Europe in the perspective of decades. At the same time, these changes will affect the future of social institutions in postwar Ukraine and its further development in general. Capturing and conceptualizing these changes allows us to obtain data both for future research of Ukrainian society after the war and for planning transformative changes.

As a team of social researchers and analysts, we have been studying and analyzing the impact of war on Ukrainian society since the first weeks of the full-scale war. In March 2022, we conducted our first study to capture the thoughts, feelings and actions of people in Ukraine during the first two weeks after February 24, 2022. In order to record the dynamics of changes in emotional states, decision making, and adaptation of everyday life to the conditions of war, we conducted another wave of the study every three months during the first year of the full-scale war. Thus, the second wave of the study was conducted in May 2022, focusing on the first three months of the full-scale war; the third wave was conducted in August 2022, focusing on six months of the full-scale war; and in November 2022, we conducted the fourth wave, dedicated to nine months of the full-scale war. In February–March 2023, we conducted the fifth wave, dedicated to the first year of the full-scale war; in February–March 2024, we conducted the sixth wave, dedicated to the second year of the full-scale war. In February–April 2025, the seventh wave of the study was conducted to capture the impact of further developments during the third year of the full-scale war and the changes caused by them. The results of its analysis are presented in this report.

Methodology

The goal of the study was to capture (in progress, directly while the events were unfolding, rather than in retrospect), describe and generalize the experiences of war in Ukraine as well as the trends of changes in these experiences over time.

The subject of the study are experiences of war in Ukrainian society.

For the purposes of this study, we include everyone who identifies with Ukrainian society in the category of Ukrainian society. We do not exclude people who have no Ukrainian citizenship; people who have not lived in Ukraine for a while but who identify with Ukraine and Ukrainian society. We do not limit the subject of our research to civilians but also include combatants; however, we suppose that the latter have limited representation in the sample.

The focus of this study is the stage of the Russian-Ukrainian war known as the “full-scale war,” which began on February 24, 2022, as a result of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Even though the war began back in 2014, the scale of its impact on Ukrainian society changed and grew significantly as a result of the full-scale invasion, which was what motivated us to start working on this study.

The study is exploratory, meaning that its goal is primarily to describe reality rather than look for connections and explain causes. Since the goal of this study is to identify possible trends in experiences rather than assess them quantitatively, we chose a qualitative approach, just like for the previous waves. This allowed us to conduct a study with a similar methodology and to be able to compare the findings.

In order to collect the data, we used a self-report questionnaire designed in Google Forms. As the previous waves of the study showed, this option is simple and convenient for respondents because it has no temporal limitations, allows for non-mandatory answers, and allows the respondents to interrupt answering the questionnaire at any moment. Information about the study and the link to the form to be filled out was shared on Cedos social media pages (including via targeted advertising from the Cedos Facebook page), through the Cedos mailing list, on the personal pages of the researchers involved in the study, and in personal communication.

Since this study of the experiences of the full-scale war by Ukrainian society is the seventh such study, we call it the “seventh wave.” Despite this, the questionnaire did not completely overlap with the previous ones. In this wave, we reduced the number of questions and did not include the questions about changing social norms and unity in society, as well as about reconstruction. At the same time, some questions concerning everyday life and household matters, emotional experiences, and employment remained in the same or slightly modified form to preserve continuity. We also decided to add to the main report an analysis of the responses to the question about attitudes toward mobilization into the Defense Forces. Questions on this topic had already been included in the questionnaires of the previous two waves of the study; however, the analysis of the responses was not included in the main reports but was published in a separate report titled Attitudes Toward Mobilization During the Full-Scale War in Ukraine.

Overall, the questionnaire included questions corresponding to five dimensions related to different spheres of human life, through which we consider the experiences of living through the war within this study:

• bodily dimension: questions about everyday life and routines;
• psychological dimension: questions about emotional experiences and feelings;
• social dimension: questions about communication with different groups of people;
• economic dimension: questions about changes in work and its nature;
• public dimension: questions related to civic activities, including volunteering and donations, questions about thoughts on the course of the war, views on one’s own role in the war, as well as questions regarding attitudes toward mobilization into the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

In addition, the questionnaire contained final questions to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents.

The questionnaire opened with an explanation about the goal of the study and the confidentiality of the collected information, as well as a warning that it contained questions on sensitive topics. In addition, the questionnaire included information about the services and platforms providing free-of-charge mental health assistance and links to them. Most of the questions were open-ended, so the respondents were not limited to pre-set options. This way, we tried to encourage the respondents to describe their own experiences, motivations and feelings and to answer at more length.

Before the beginning of the survey, we conducted a pretest of the developed toolkit. The pretest was conducted among the acquaintances of the research team members. The main goal of the pretest was to find out whether the question formulations were clear, whether the question formulations and the process of filling out the questionnaire provoked any psychological discomfort, and to check the average time it took to fill out the questionnaire.

The survey was conducted on February 25–April 6, 2025. 262 respondents participated in the survey during that time.

Conclusions

The conducted study allows us to draw certain conclusions regarding experiences and feelings in Ukrainian society during the period from late February to early April 2025. The responses of the participants reflected the significant impact of the war on their lives. A condition typical for the participants in this wave was a sense of uncertainty and anxiety about the future.

• The respondents felt anxiety due to constant changes in the country and on the international stage, particularly regarding Ukraine’s diplomatic relations with the United States. A significant number of those surveyed felt uncertainty when thinking about the future course of the war. They were concerned about how the war would develop, the possibility of renewed offensives in their regions, the end of the war, the fear that Ukraine might lose, or that the war would last for a long time. Of all scenarios for the further development of the full-scale war, the ones that caused the greatest anxiety among the respondents were the possibility of an unjust peace treaty, the risk of temporary occupation of more Ukrainian territories, and the cessation of the war only for a certain period. The risk of occupation and renewed offensives often worried those respondents who were living in hromadas near the frontline at the time of the survey.
• In the context of the war, a significant share of the respondents were concerned about their own safety and the safety of their families.

• A significant portion of the study participants were troubled by uncertainty and difficulties in planning for the future, raising questions about whether to remain living in Ukraine and what to do next.
• When talking about work, some respondents indicated that they felt fear of losing their jobs and the ability to provide for themselves and their families. Some respondents were concerned about the economic consequences of the war

Instability and uncertainty negatively affected the respondents’ emotional state. They spoke about an unstable emotional condition and experiences of apathy and emotional detachment. Another group of the respondents expressed faith and hope for a better turn of events and wrote about some improvements in their emotional state in recent times. However, despite these improvements, they described their overall emotional state as rather unsatisfactory and mentioned experiencing negative emotions.

The respondents spoke about the deterioration of their financial situation, difficulties in finding work, a decrease in income levels, and other work-related difficulties. This also negatively affected the quality of life and the emotional state of the surveyed people.

• For some of the study participants, the situation with work remained unchanged: they either had stable employment or were unable to find employment for a long time. Some of them found it difficult to get a job, particularly one that would match their education and ensure a sufficient standard of living.
• In contrast, other respondents lost their jobs over the past year, in some cases due to the suspension of international funding. Some said that they did not have full-time employment, and therefore had to rely on irregular gigs or project-based work.
• Working conditions and productivity were negatively affected by external factors such as air raid alerts, the need to go to bomb shelters and interrupt work.

• The respondents frequently mentioned an increase in workload, particularly the rising complexity or greater number of tasks, and the need to work more in order to provide for themselves and their families. Some people were forced to seek additional employment due to the deterioration of their financial situation.
• Excessive workload negatively affected their productivity and well-being. In some cases, the study participants spoke about losing the sense of boundaries between work, household duties, and free time. For some respondents, this was related to the fact that in their free time they provided professional services free of charge as volunteers.

In addition, the participants’ responses revealed a trend that could also be observed in previous waves: the acceptance of the full-scale war as a prolonged period of life and the adaptation to living in wartime. This also caused the blurring of boundaries between work, daily routines, and leisure.

The need to work more and the reduced amount of time available for rest and recovery, as well as the financial situation, were also connected to how the study participants saw their role in the war and the extent to which they contributed to supporting the Defense Forces.

• Some of the respondents noted that their role had become smaller than before, explaining this by exhaustion and burnout. The study participants who were not engaged in volunteering often also explained this by a lack of time, a difficult emotional state, and exhaustion. Other reasons included caring for loved ones and difficult life circumstances.
• Some respondents who indicated that their role had become smaller associated this with a lack of money. Most study participants said that the amount and frequency of their donations had decreased due to the deterioration of their financial situation. Some participants compensated for the decrease in donations by engaging in other types of volunteer activity (for example, physical work, making items for the Defense Forces, etc.).

Some respondents assessed certain aspects of the mobilization process negatively to varying degrees. They spoke about violence and human rights violations, a poorly organized process of examination by Military Medical Commissions, an ineffective information component of the mobilization, unfairness and selectivity of the process, and unsatisfactory conditions of service in the Defense Forces, in particular the absence of a demobilization mechanism and clear service terms. Some respondents indicated that all this negatively affected the reputation of the Defense Forces and the success of mobilization, as well as the mental state of military personnel and society. At the same time, some of them noted that the mobilization process was required and necessary. Many respondents wrote about their negative view of those who evade service in the Defense Forces and about the need to introduce harsher punishments for such people.

The constant feeling of anxiety, experiences of stress, and excessive workloads negatively affected the health of the surveyed people. At the same time, they did not always have time to rest and take care of their health, or finances for necessary medical services, which further worsened their condition. Burnout, stress, and mental health issues negatively affected the productivity of the study participants.

An unstable emotional state, fatigue, uncertainty about the future, and life during the war in general also affected the communication between the study participants and other people.

• The respondents often indicated that communication with friends and relatives helped them cope with their feelings. When talking about their emotional state and daily life, the study participants often mentioned the need for interactions with family and friends and support from them. Inability to see loved ones due to their service in the Defense Forces or being abroad negatively affected the participants’ emotional state. The distance from loved ones also caused difficulties in managing household chores for some of the surveyed people.
• For a certain share of the respondents, their circle of communication had narrowed over the past year, and it became more difficult for them to interact with certain people. Most often, this concerned people who had different views on the development of the war and the toleration of Russian culture—for example, those who expressed indifference about the further course of the war or consumed Russian informational content. Some of the study participants noted that it was difficult for them to find common ground with people who did not share similar life experiences. For instance, those who had lived through occupation said they might feel separated from people who had not had such experiences. Some study participants avoided communication with certain people due to fatigue if it worsened their emotional state.
• For some of the study participants, it was easier to communicate with people who shared their values or who had similar experiences. They were ready to support them emotionally.

Trust and shared values also influenced how people chose whom to donate to. One of the main criteria for this choice was trust in the foundations and volunteers who organized charitable activities. Some study participants said that their priority was donations to volunteers and military personnel whom they knew personally.

Some participants of the survey spoke about positive changes or events in their lives during the third year of the full-scale war. In particular, they mentioned the following:

• Work. Those who worked remotely felt greater job security due to the established flexibility of the work process. Some of the study participants found jobs that better matched their professional interests and offered a better team and working conditions.

• Perception of their own role in the war. A number of study participants mentioned emotional support for loved ones as their role in the war. Some people also spoke about actual service in the military or preparation for it. Several participants of the study reported that their role had increased. They felt needed because of their own contribution, and some were considering the option of mobilization into the Defense Forces.
• Involvement in supporting the Defense Forces and people affected by the war. Despite emotional and financial difficulties, a significant share of the study participants contributed to supporting the Defense Forces and those affected by the war. Most often, the surveyed people described their role through home front support: donations, volunteering. The respondents engaged in volunteering provided physical assistance: weaving camouflage nets, making trench candles, knitting socks, cooking food, packing deliveries to the frontline, helping clear rubble after shelling. Some respondents also organized and spread fundraising campaigns and handled the purchase of necessary items for the military. Some study participants provided their professional services free of charge—for example, offering consultations; conducting trainings; holding events in support of veterans, military personnel and their families; and providing emotional support to people affected by the war. Several respondents were already serving in the Defense Forces, preparing for military service, or changing their job to one that, in their view, brought greater social benefit.
• Thoughts about how the war would develop. Some respondents maintained faith in a positive turn of events on the frontline and in Ukraine’s victory in the war, particularly due to the successes that Ukraine had achieved thanks to its diplomatic and military efforts.
• Positive assessment of certain initiatives related to mobilization into the Defense Forces. Some study participants positively evaluated the initiatives and changes in the mobilization process, specifically those aimed at protecting the rights of recruits and encouraging voluntary enlistment into the Defense Forces: the introduction and development of recruitment into the Defense Forces, the introduction of a contractual form of service for young people aged 18 to 24, and the creation of the institution of a military ombudsman.