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Email this article Internationalization of Higher Education in Ukraine Amidst Mass Migration (2022–2026)
Abstract
In the article, a comprehensive analysis of the transformation of internationalization strategies in Ukrainian higher education amidst mass forced migration during 2022–2026 is provided. The transition from traditional market-oriented models to the concept of forced internationalization, where humanitarian and security determinants emerge as priorities, is examined. Based on a systems approach, the role of digitalization as the ontological foundation for the functioning of a university without borders, ensuring institutional stability and the preservation of national educational agency amidst the transborder dispersal of human capital, is substantiated within the study. Special attention is devoted to the phenomenon of educational diplomacy and the implementation of a smart protectionism policy aimed at defending intellectual sovereignty and preventing the irreversible loss of scientific potential. In the work, the experience of implementing the innovative DigiUni project and the DigiPlatform as tools for creating a unified digital space for inclusive practices and the remote accreditation of educational programs is analyzed. Furthermore, the risks of dual enrollment, deskilling, and the psychological traumatization of students and scholars affected by intersectional disadvantage are highlighted. The concept of transnational educational identity is conceptualized, with the Ukrainian case being defined as a unique precedent for combining digital resilience (agility) with soft power instruments. It is argued that the strategic combination of integration into the European Higher Education Area with mechanisms for equitable intellectual exchange allows for the transformation of forced migration into a resource for post-war recovery and the modernization of the national educational system.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/j.2026.39.2.185-195
Date of publication: 2026-08-07 08:48:05
Date of submission: 2026-04-18 10:45:08
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