The Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam and its implication on the Kherson oblast : An investigation on civil society with a focus on resilience, adaptation and recovery amid Russia's full-scale invasion

Sammanfattning

Throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian strikes have frequently targeted crucial infrastructure. One such example is the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, a disaster that caused infrastructural damages across many oblasts in Southern Ukraine. The disaster left civilians homeless, destabilised agriculture and affected the overall ecology in the Kherson oblast. In turn, many small-scale businesses and farmers experienced harsh setbacks where many faced bankruptcies or became internally displaced due to the ongoing war. While past research on civil society in the post-Soviet space has described it as weak and passive, contemporary research indicates that civil society in Ukraine is active and a crucial participant in the country’s development. This case study incorporated interviews with people who were on site during the disaster as well as government and EU reports to investigate the different roles of the government, the EU and civil society. By analysing the data through resilience theory, the results indicate that civil society had a crucial role in increasing the country’s resilience during evacuation and recovery initiatives. Civil society mobilised resources and flood mitigation material, supported the government as the main emergency hotline centre, ensured that exposed citizens could receive food and guidance to shelters, rescued animals and evacuated exposed people. However, all three actors were just as crucial in mitigating the flood, where Ukraine’s government and the EU provided significant support during rescue and recovery initiatives.