Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has catastrophically exacerbated the socio-demographic problems in Ukraine and its regions. Powerful wave of forced resettlement has, on the one hand, put enormous pressure on the economic and social spheres of internally displaced persons (IDP) donor regions and, on the other hand, radically changed the demographic group in all regions of the country. The population of socially vulnerable categories has significantly increased: children, youth, the elderly, the disabled, and the lonely. Further military escalation leads to the transition of many people to the categories of vulnerable groups, while they did not belong there before the Russian invasion. It is due to the death of relatives, including loss of a breadwinner, injury, poor health, loss of housing, all property, or significant parts of it, loss of employment or business, other economic losses, inability to study, emotional and psychological disorders, etc. The majority of the population in these categories is not in a state of social maladaptation but does not have limited resources for livelihoods and social competitiveness. Timely and sufficient provision of social assistance to these socially vulnerable groups can significantly reduce the severity of socio-economic problems and provide them with a normal life quality. As of early 2022, the demographic situation in the Carpathian region of Ukraine can be described as relatively unfavorable: falling birth rate, irreversible process of demographic aging, reducing share of youth, and a high proportion of people with special needs. In addition, the Carpathian region has a much higher average household size than other macro-regions of the country, a higher share of households with children, and a higher level of employment of household members. Analysis of socio-demographic statistics in previous years and current demographic processes shows a likely acceleration in the growth of the share of socially vulnerable groups and the number of IDPs and residents of the region. The main tasks of regional and local authorities are to solve urgent problems of IDPs, expand social infrastructure, and ensure effective employment in the region, socialization of IDPs and their integration into society, and development and implementation of regional programs to improve demographic reproduction. 

socio-economic vulnerability, Carpathian region of Ukraine, internally displaced persons, socially vulnerable groups, migrants, demography 

The 1932–1933 Holodomor genocide caused a significant reduction of the population and distorted the main parameters of the country’s demographic stability. To analyze the changes in the population by the longitudinal analysis method, the survival rates are calculated for age groups of the population in the intercensal periods. Calculations based on the data of 1926 and 1939 censuses show substantial inconsistencies in the survival rate for five female age groups within the range of 33-57 years old. Despite the 1932–1933 demographic catastrophe and taking into account the natural mortality before and after the Holodomor, the number of people in these age categories changed slightly and even increased for the 43-47 category. The authors prove that migration in the intercensal period couldn’t have caused such growth, and the calculated coefficients confirm the questionable quality of the 1939 census. The paper reveals that the first stage of demographic transition should have been in 1932–1933, yet historical-political and socio-economic conditions of demographic reproduction aggravated considerably in early 1930. The recovery of the high birth rate in 1937–1938 shows that the first stage of demographic transition wasn’t finalized. Calculation of the number of women in the most active childbirth age and analysis of birth rate for 1924–1929 shows that in 1930–1933, the birth rate should have increased. The calculated indirect demographic losses account 310,000-430,000 annually for 1930, 1931, 1937, and 1938, and from 630,000 to 1 million for 1932–1936. Such insignificant volume of indirect losses substantially reduced demographic stability, in the first place of Ukrainian village. The incomplete and questionable nature of demographic data after 1932 does not allow complete reconstruction of the demographic reproduction processes in the USSR in the 1930s. Archive data on the natural movement of the population on lover administrative-territorial levels, current statistical recordings, and recordings of the civil status acts on birth and mortality, etc. can be the perspective sources of demographic information. 

demographic reproduction, 1920–1930, USSR, gender and age structure of the population,1932–1933 Holodomor genocide, longitudinal analysis method, demographic stability 

The military conflict in Eastern Ukraine and occupation of Crimea led to significant changes in dynamics and vectors of migration flows, brought about new trends in migration processes. They primarily concern the recently increased internal migration. Another trend refers to Ukrainian external labour migration, the intensity of which can be considered as a reflection of the economic position of the state. The main peculiarity of the current migration situation in Ukraine is a combination of the two mentioned tendencies. As a result, an intense pressure is put on regional labour markets and, especially, on the social sphere of regions accepting internally displaced persons. This accelerates the existing international migration processes, forms migration orientations (aspirations) among local people and does not contribute to re-emigration. Main features and trends in current Ukrainian migration in terms of self-organization of migrant communities are defined in two focuses – external labour migration and forced internal displacement. 1. Recent events led to a significant transformation of external migration vectors. By 2014, the international migration processes in the Western region of Ukraine were much more intensive than in the East. Furthermore, the Western region tended to both the European and Russian vectors of migration, but the Eastern region – mostly to the Russian one. As a result of a significant deterioration of economic conditions and the war in the Donbas, the trend has distinctly changed – the number of Ukrainian migrants in Russian Federation substantially declined, although still making up more than 1 million people. 2. In previous years the topical issues were concerning the labour migrants’ return, their reintegration and self-organization. There were certain organizations of labour migrants-returnees which were building up strong cultural and socio-economic ties in the homeland. However, since the beginning of military aggression of Russia, the tendency to return has vanished completely. There is only a permanent trend for emigration under any conditions. 3. Formation of internal centres of self-organization of the displaced persons’ communities is currently taking place. In the west of the country, there are much less displaced people, although at the beginning of hostilities in the Donbas the Western region was actually the focus for IDP. The region was considered to be not as much the place for permanent settlement, as to be a sort of a transition point to the West. 4. The core trend in the labour market is the labour force cheapening, which causes serious anxiety and tense relations with the local population. It mostly refers to Kyiv, Odesa and Vinnytsya regions. The conflicts between internally displaced persons and local people force an application of new approaches and methods of analysis of integration processes in the recipient regions or in any countries. 5. In general, the processes of self-organization of migrant communities can occur at different levels: at the level of small organizations (micro-communities); territorial communities; at the macro-level of the state. The main reasons for differences in the processes of self-organization of migrant communities are: the character of migration (the «voluntary» migration with the purpose of earnings or the forced one to preserve life and health); orientation on the paternalism among most of the IDP, whereas the external labour migrants are used to rely on their own strength or help from relatives or friends; the host society (predetermines the necessity or inexpediency of formation of such communities, presence or absence of the corresponding legislative norms). Further practical decisions for the solution of the mentioned problems lie in the search for optimal mechanisms of self-organization of migrant communities in terms of their employment and decent living standards provision.