Digital communication strategies of higher education institutions in Times of War (the Ukrainian experience)

Abstract

This study analyses the digital communication strategies of leading Ukrainian higher education institutions (HEIs) during the period of full-scale war from January 2023 to November 2025. It examines how universities adapted their communication practices in response to prolonged crises, shifting their focus from managing temporary disruptions to achieving long-term operational resilience. The research identifies communication models that maintain institutional transparency and facilitate stakeholder responsiveness in environments of persistent external threat. A mixed-methods design was employed, integrating quantitative digital analytics with qualitative content analysis across nine leading Ukrainian HEIs. Data from websites and social media platforms were evaluated using six criteria – regularity of presence, content typology, crisis communication and digital innovation – and subsequently grouped into models using an exploratory Python-based iterative cluster analysis; given the limited sample size of nine institutions, this classification should be interpreted as exploratory rather than statistically definitive. Three exploratory resilience models were identified: integrated resilience, operational continuity and value-driven niche adaptation. The study demonstrates that institutions employing systemic, multi-channel integration and diverse content typologies achieved stronger engagement metrics. Conversely, the absence of structured crisis protocols was identified as a general weakness across the sample, with crisis communication remaining largely event-driven rather than system-based. The findings challenge standard crisis communication paradigms by highlighting that, in protracted conflicts, “transparency” is used more as an operational tool for maintaining continuity than for repairing traditional reputations. The study conceptualizes digital communication as critical infrastructure for institutional resilience. Building on existing communication research, it demonstrates how situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) can be applied in situations where “crisis” is a permanent state rather than an acute event.