This publication examines the key changes in the identity of Ukrainian youth during the war. According to the Law of Ukraine “On the Basic Principles of Youth Policy,” the category of “youth” includes residents of Ukraine aged 14–35. The national and civic identity of young people is considered a prerequisite for their resilience and their ability to plan for the future. In a broader context, the concept of “youth” was discussed in a previous analytical publication by experts of the National Institute for Strategic Studies (NISS), “Who Are Youth? Age Ranges in the International Context.”

The term “youth” is widely used in public policy and social research and is important in determining who may benefit from state and public support and participate in programmes, events, initiatives, and so on. Young people are distinguished on the basis of a combination of characteristics, including age, specific features of their social status, socio-psychological qualities, and others. According to the Law of Ukraine “On the Basic Principles of Youth Policy” [1], youth are “persons aged 14 to 35 inclusive who are citizens of Ukraine, foreigners, or stateless persons legally residing in Ukraine.” University and college students constitute the largest group of Ukrainian youth.

It is during youth that a person moves from following the example of older generations towards independent activity and seeks to create something new, sometimes entirely unlike what their parents had. This innovative quality of youth is an exceptionally important factor in the renewal of society. Compared with other social groups, the younger generation demonstrates a greater readiness and desire for change. These characteristics are shaped by several factors, including:

• instability of social status and social mobility, as young people move from one form of activity to another;
• economic dependence;
• limited autonomy in decision-making;
• instability in the performance of roles, functions, and activities that young people assume and relinquish as they mature physically and psychologically and develop greater competence.

Youth identity is a complex process of self-determination and the formation of a unique sense of self through various roles – including family, professional, gender, and ethnic roles – and value orientations that help young people understand their place and role in society.

Transformation of Identity

The Russian-Ukrainian war has transformed youth identity, shifting it from a predominantly cultural and ethnic identity towards a national and civic one. National and civic identity unites young people around the values of freedom, unity, volunteering, active defence of the country, a strong emotional connection with their nation, and an awareness of a shared future despite regional differences. In other words, young people increasingly identify themselves as Ukrainians precisely because they live in Ukraine, regardless of their origin, and extend this civic self-identification to a sense of unity that was traditionally understood in ethnic terms.

This process significantly strengthens the internal resilience of young people, mobilises them to act, and defines a new and more powerful role for youth in society. Contemporary Ukrainian youth are not simply “adapting to war” but are developing their own model of citizenship based on Ukrainian values. This is also confirmed by the results of a nationwide sociological study of the identity of Ukraine’s population (Table).

Table. Percentage of young people in different age groups in relation to the strengthening of Ukrainian national identity and civic resilience, %

Source: compiled by the author based on [2].

Ukraine vs Abroad

According to the results of a 2025 survey conducted as part of the “Voices of the Future” project, 64.3% of young people aged 14–35 consciously choose to remain in Ukraine; 31.4% are abroad in search of their own path; and only 4.3% of respondents see their future abroad.

For young people, migration is ceasing to symbolise a “better future” and is instead becoming a means of professional development followed by a return home. Young people perceive leaving Ukraine as an investment in their skills rather than an escape from responsibility. Abroad, young professionals feel that they are “valuable specialists,” but in Ukraine they see themselves as agents of change. This sense of agency becomes a decisive motivation for returning. In Ukraine, young people not only feel that they are needed but also see opportunities to participate in decision-making and direct action. Knowledge and experience acquired abroad return home in the form of projects, volunteering, management decisions, and institutional leadership [3].

Ukrainian Youth’s National Identity as a Resource for Survival

Young people report numerous losses experienced since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, including:

• reduced or lost income;
• the death of friends or family members;
• deterioration in mental health;
• the breakdown of relationships with friends and family members, among others.

Psychologists point to growing war fatigue. According to research findings, 91% of young people in Ukraine are on the verge of emotional burnout [4]. Among the major threats they face, young people regard the war as one of the greatest risks, rating it 4.39 out of a possible 5 points. Respondents assessed other risks as follows: economic instability – 4.31 points; ineffective governance – 4.07; corruption – 3.86. Young people also emphasise that war is not merely a risk of death but makes planning for the future virtually impossible [3].

At the same time, in wartime national identity emerges not merely as cultural or emotional belonging to a particular community, but as a practical resource for survival, solidarity, and psychological support. For young people, it serves as an internal compass that helps them withstand the pressure of uncertainty, loss, and constant threat. Amid military aggression, large-scale disinformation, loss, displacement, and the destruction of social ties, national identity becomes an inner source of support for young people and one of the most important factors in preserving personal integrity.

What Strengthens the Resilience of Ukrainian Youth During the War and Beyond

The war has intensified volunteering among young people, strengthened patriotic attitudes, and united society around the common goals of Ukraine’s victory and reconstruction. Youth initiatives supporting the military and internally displaced persons, as well as those contributing to the development of local communities, demonstrate a high degree of social resilience, civic engagement, and readiness to participate actively in the country’s recovery.

Notably, 57% of respondents believe that resilience during wartime means, first and foremost, maintaining everyday activities; 53% believe that personal motivation and the determination to achieve goals set after the full-scale invasion are important; 71% emphasised the importance of maintaining their emotional well-being during the war through communication with family and friends; and 35% pointed to involvement in positive change through volunteering and participation in civic projects [5].

The Council on Youth Affairs under the President of Ukraine can play an important role in strengthening communication between the authorities, young people, and civil society. Its strategic session was held in Kyiv on 9–10 January 2026, during which participants discussed the current state of the youth sector, the State Target Programme “Youth of Ukraine: Generation of Resilience – 2030,” and other strategic documents. Particular attention was devoted to developing a shared vision for youth policy and defining the Council’s role in this process. The Council on Youth Affairs under the President of Ukraine has the potential to become an institution that sets the direction of youth policy for the coming years.

Youth centres are another important institutional source of youth engagement during wartime. Effective areas of their work include:

• volunteering initiatives, including fundraising and assistance for military personnel, evacuees, and children;
• interactive patriotic activities, including themed flash mobs, art exhibitions, and theatrical performances;
• dialogues with veterans, military personnel, and volunteers that help young people personally engage with the national experience;
• psychological practices, including war diaries and reflective essays, combining emotional adaptation with national self-awareness;
• competitions for essays, posters, video projects, and other works on patriotic themes.

Conclusions

Contemporary Ukrainian youth are no longer an “object of policy.” Above all, they are its agents, already shaping Ukraine today. As demonstrated by the 2025 nationwide youth activity survey “Voices of the Future” [3], the time has come for a new institutional agreement with the state – one that young people need. Through such an arrangement, young people would gain mechanisms for action, the state would gain results, and communities would gain a stronger foundation for effective governance.

The war has demonstrated that the value of Ukrainian youth lies not in their “future potential” but in their present-day leadership. Today’s young generation did not grow up believing that “things will get better someday.” It has been shaped by the experience of having to fight for the future with its own hands. Young people do not ask permission to become agents of change – they become such agents through their everyday actions.

Ukrainian youth are not simply “dreaming up a vision of the state” – they are designing it, drawing its plans, assembling it, rebuilding it, repairing it, defending it, and filling it with life. While other nations may speak of youth as a “resource for tomorrow,” Ukraine must recognise that today’s young generation is the foundation of the country today [5].

War, as an extreme form of social crisis, has intensified fundamental challenges to young people’s consciousness and value orientations. It has accelerated the rejection of Soviet and Russian models of identification and reinforced the Ukrainian language, culture, and historical memory as key markers of national identity.

Moreover, under wartime conditions, Ukrainian identity performs not only a unifying function for young people, but also psychological and adaptive ones, serving as an internal resource for overcoming the threats and challenges of war. This awareness helps young people understand what they have experienced not as a chaotic trauma, but as part of a broader national effort aimed at defending Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and unity.

1. On the Basic Principles of Youth Policy: Law of Ukraine No. 1414-IX of 27 April 2021.
2. Ukrainians Are Proud of Their State: Results of a Nationwide Study on Identity. 17 October 2025.
3. Voices of the Future: Results of the Nationwide Youth Survey in 2025. 4 January 2026.
4. Veremieieva, T. Stress as the Norm: 91% of Young People in Ukraine Are on the Verge of Emotional Burnout. 10 February 2026.
5. Youth Resilience During the War.

Source: niss.gov.ua