Since the onset of the war, it has been essential to ensure comprehensive and inclusive communication with the population. From the beginning, state messages used straightforward language – e.g. “What to do now” and “Where to get help”. This approach is in line with Risk Communication & Community Engagement models designed to reduce anxiety and prevent the spread of panic.
Launched shortly after the invasion, the Air Alert mobile app is a key communication tool. It delivers alerts for various threats, e.g. air strikes, shelling and chemical hazards, along with brief, clear instructions for action (78, 79, 80). In addition, the application provides psychological support and fosters emotional wellbeing through Ukraine’s mental health programme How Are You? (81, 82).
The government and UNDP Ukraine have adopted a wide range of accessibility measures. These include sign language, subtitles and simplified texts, as well as “hotlines” that offer video communication with an interpreter, all of which are important accommodations for people with disabilities.
The How Are You? platform, developed by UNICEF, WHO and other partners, offers self-help resources, answers children’s questions about anxiety, and provides contacts for psychological support. It aims to avoid the spread of panic and to support families in challenging times (83).
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), through youth support projects such as the Mentalochka podcast, Energy of Your Future camps and the Bank of Ideas programme, promotes emotional support for adolescents and develops psychosocial resilience in communities (84, 85). Thanks to these initiatives, communication with young people has become more direct, more focused and more supportive.
Gender considerations are addressed through UNFPA information campaigns Break the Circle and 4 Hands Happiness, which challenge male and female stereotypes. Several inspirational individuals from various fields participated in the campaigns to boost trust among vulnerable groups (86).
Regarding people with disabilities, the emphasis is on making shelters physically accessible and tailoring communications and local access routes. Many communities provide large-print materials and posters at shelter entrances to assist individuals who do not use the internet, in accordance with humanitarian communication principles. An online platform and a hotline give IDPs access to a “single window” of information. Local IDP councils (e.g. in Lviv) have evolved into platforms that promote dialogue and encourage participation in decision-making, which reduces levels of dislocation among the displaced (84).
Respected members of the community, including doctors, psychologists, chaplains and athletes, have participated in communication campaigns that include both scripted messages and Q&A formats. These have helped to create a “network of trust” within society.
The Centre for Countering Disinformation offers guidance on how to recognise propaganda and false information spread by bots, and how to check if information is trustworthy without causing panic (87).
Many cities, including Kyiv, have embraced digital technologies. The Kyiv Digital app offers directions to shelters, pharmacies and shops. It also provides airstrike alerts and functions as a Wi-Fi hotspot in shelters, making communication versatile and reliable (88).
AlarmMap, along with other websites that show a real-time airstrike map, reaches 89.5% of mobile device users, which helps people react quickly. On 2 March 2022, the Lviv Siren bot, which reports airstrikes in Lviv, was launched on Twitter. The concept of monitoring and visualising alerts on a map was then extended to the entire country (89).
Today, communication in Ukraine spans a variety of platforms, from apps to social media, from printed materials to live video calls. It is tailored to the needs of young people, women, people with disabilities and IDPs. The messaging remains clear and easy to understand, which helps to avoid panic. The various strategies successfully combine information resilience and inclusion.