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Enhancing social cohesion in wartime

From a Ukrainian perspective, civil preparedness extends beyond basic functions like food and energy security. Psychological resilience, spiritual support

The term “spiritual support” refers to moral and emotional support, including religious observance or participation in religious practices. It encompasses inner strength, empathy, and understanding provided to others in challenging life circumstances.In Ukrainian, the word “spiritual” (ukr. «духовний») has a broader meaning than the English “spiritual.” It includes not only religious or faith-related aspects but also moral, ethical, intellectual, and emotional dimensions of human life. “Spiritual support” therefore denotes assistance that nurtures a person’s inner world – values, emotions, empathy, and sense of purpose. This concept may involve religious elements but extends further to humanistic and moral encouragement.

and cultural practices all contribute to increased social cohesion in wartime. Music, theatre, art, sports and traditional forms of communal activities not only boost morale, but also foster an environment of trust and mutual support.

Constant air raids, missile and drone attacks, and the systematic bombing of residential areas and critical infrastructure create an atmosphere of chronic anxiety in the Ukrainian population. This leads to disturbed sleep, exhaustion, increased irritability and a persistent sense of danger. Under these conditions, building psychological resilience is not only a personal responsibility, but also a priority for government policy and local civil preparedness programmes.

Ukraine has responded to these challenges by drawing on international experience and adapting it to develop its own mental health practices. A crucial approach has been implementing programmes to detect and treat mental health problems earlier, at the primary care level. This adds a new dimension to civil preparedness, in which mental health care is seen as an integral component of social resilience.

Numerous rehabilitation programmes have been set up to aid recovery, promote psychological resilience and enhance social cohesion. These include:

• Spiritual and moral support programmes. The Center of Military Chaplaincy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) in Lviv conducts religious services and organises pilgrimages for military personnel and their families, which bolster spiritual resilience, religious unity and social cohesion (62).

• Veterans’ recovery and resilience retreats. Hero’s Compass is an eight-day retreat for veterans, held in the Carpathian mountains. It combines adventure therapy, art therapy, group psychological support and ten weeks of online support. The aim is to promote psycho-emotional recovery (63). Ukrainian Action Heroes offers veterans two-week rehabilitation programmes in winter resorts in the Carpathians, involving group therapy and mindfulness activities such as meditation, yoga and saunas. This has improved psychological well-being significantly (64). The Tepla Gora Kolo Programme, also in the Carpathians, offers creative workshops, emotional sharing circles, art therapy and communal gardening, to help restore emotional balance, especially among displaced people and volunteers (65).

• Art and creative therapy initiatives. The Blue Sky Ukraine project operates in three regions of Western Ukraine. It combines humanitarian aid with art therapy, which restores children’s emotional resilience through drawing, music, movement and storytelling. The programme has already reached tens of thousands of children, and hundreds of professionals have been trained in its methods (66). The Art Therapy Force project provides art therapy for children, IDPs, and veterans in hospitals and universities, and brings together specialists to create psycho-emotional balance through creative practices (67). The International Medical Corps organises art sessions for displaced children, in which they make a floral map of Ukraine. This serves as a non-verbal form of therapy that strengthens their national identity and offers hope (68). The Peace of Mind Foundation sponsors 12 art and movement therapy workshops at the War Childhood Museum, where adults and children can create together and explore themes of trauma and recovery (69).

• Music therapy and cultural resilience projects. The Music Therapy Project (Middlesex University) uses music to help displaced persons, especially children and mothers. It offers a series of 12-week courses that have proved effective in reducing depression and post-traumatic stress (70). Victory Beats is a charitable project that brings together musicians and DJs to provide music therapy in rehabilitation centres for veterans. These sessions, which can last up to 36 weeks, represent a new approach to cultural support in a crisis (71). The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, which was founded by Keri-Lynn Wilson and consists of Ukrainian refugees and diaspora musicians, tours internationally under the motto “culture is our soul”, symbolising resistance through music (72). After the rocket attack on Kyiv on 28 August 2025, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, frontman of the world-famous Ukrainian band Okean Elzy, gave a spontaneous performance at Olimpiyska metro station. He sang the song Obijmy (73), which became a symbol of hope for the residents of the capital, who faced severe shock and loss (74). A group of classical musicians (three violinists, a cellist and a double-bassist) held a concert in the Kharkiv metro for residents forced to shelter there. They performed the Ukrainian national anthem, works by Bach and Dvorak, and folk melodies, giving the listeners a momentary sense of peace and solidarity (75Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Regarding Improving Access to Medical and Rehabilitation Care During Martial Law”.).

• Community mental health and primary care training. The World Health Organization programme mhGAP has been introduced at the primary health care level in Ukraine. It gives family doctors specialised training to diagnose and treat common mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, which increases civilian access to quality psychological care in rural and urban settings. As part of the National Programme for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, established the course “Management of common mental disorders at the primary health care level using the mhGAP guidelines”. This online course was developed with support from the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (76). The programme trains primary care physicians to recognise and treat depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis and other common mental health conditions. It seeks to close the gap between society’s mental health needs and the limited resources available in non-specialised healthcare settings (77). Training healthcare professionals expands qualified care access, helps reduce stigma and encourages a culture of self-help and psychological resilience – which is regarded as both an individual quality and a vital civil preparedness resource for communities.

These examples prove that the Ukrainian civil preparedness model effectively combines aspects of spiritual support, psycho-emotional recovery and cultural expression. Religion, retreats, occupational therapy, and art and music programmes foster a combination of physical, psychological and spiritual resilience. Together, these initiatives comprise a multifaceted system, based on material and institutional support, that enables communities to survive and preserve identity, communal trust and personal integrity under the most challenging conditions.

Maintaining unity and hope through Toloka

The Ukrainian cultural tradition of Toloka describes a form of collective responsibility and community preparedness. It is both a historical practice of mutual support and a contemporary social mechanism that helps sustain solidarity and psychological resilience within society.

Toloka is a unique cultural and social phenomenon with deep roots in the historical memory and practices of the Ukrainian people. In essence, it involves community members voluntarily coming together to tackle problems that are beyond the capabilities of any single person or family. This form of collective mutual assistance has evolved over centuries in rural Ukrainian communities.

Toloka emerged from the need to survive and overcome challenges as a group. In traditional Ukrainian culture, this involved working together to solve a specific problem, such as building a hut or defensive fortifications, harvesting crops, or helping a neighbour after a fire or other calamity. Every community member offered their labour, time and resources for free. This practice symbolised trust, solidarity and a recognition that dangers and challenges can only be overcome by working together.

Toloka was informal, yet morally obligatory. Participation in Toloka exemplified humanity, solidarity and a willingness to support one another. The Ukrainian phrase “together for peace” is an expression of this phenomenon.

Unlike many other global cultural traditions, Toloka carries no religious or legal obligations. It is a voluntary act of solidarity, born of a profound awareness of the community’s shared destiny. It combines material aspects, such as sharing work and resources, with immaterial elements, like trust, communality and mutual respect.

Today, Toloka has seen a notable resurgence in the wake of Russia’s invasion. Communities have rallied to set up shelters, weave camouflage nets for the Armed Forces, collect and distribute humanitarian aid and restore destroyed houses. As in former times, participation is voluntary, but morally obligatory. People help one another because they understand that their survival depends on it.

As a social phenomenon, Toloka is an example of Ukrainian resilience. It shows that communal connections within society can be just as effective as top-down management decisions. It represents a unique contribution to global efforts aimed at building capable communities, as it demonstrates that even under the most challenging circumstances, collective efforts, mutual trust and solidarity are essential for survival and growth.

The Ukrainian experience proves that civil preparedness cannot be reduced to mere material or infrastructural factors. Spiritual support, psycho-emotional initiatives and access to basic psychological care are critical elements that strengthen community resilience. They humanise the security system, which makes it more adaptable, interactive and culturally relevant to Ukrainian society. These approaches help to build trust, heal trauma and strengthen social bonds, just as in the Toloka tradition.