"In Times of Peace and War – A Historical Perspective on Moldova-Ukraine Cross-Border Connections": Article by Svetlana Suveica

New article by Svetlana Suveica (IOS) in Moldovan Analytical Digest: “In Times of Peace and War:  A Historical Perspective on Moldova-Ukraine Cross-Border Connections”.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 marked a turning point in Moldova-Ukraine relations, prompting strong political support and an extensive societal response, largely organized by local actors and informal networks in support of the refugees. This paper argues that these responses were rooted in long-standing patterns of regional cross-border mobility and social interaction, which took multiple forms over the past two centuries. Across changing regimes, in times of peace and war, mobility was enforced by the state as a means of control, and was also a survival strategy, in which social interaction and mutual exchange played a crucial role. Connections, shaped by family ties, labour migration, and everyday exchanges created a shared social space based on proximity and familiarity. Russia’s war against Ukraine reactivated historically embedded networks and practices in the Moldovan-Ukrainian borderland.

Svetlana Suveica: In Times of Peace and War: A Historical Perspective on Moldova-Ukraine Cross-Border Connections. In: Moldovan Analytical Digest, Centre for Security Studies (CSS), University of Zurich. 2026, P. 2–8. DOI: 10.3929/ethz-c-000798354.