http://hdl.handle.net/11089/55674 2026-04-04T08:43:21Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/55683 Ukraine’s Air Defence in the Russian-Ukrainian War (2022–2024): Progress in Regression Kharuk, Andrij Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, posed serious challenges to the Ukrainian air defence system. Its traditional instruments – long- and medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems (S-300, Buk-M1) and fighter aircraft (MiG-29, Su-27) – did not always prove effective in the new conditions. It was necessary to repel mass attacks from cruise missiles which were characterised by having a small deflection area and the ability to fly at lowaltitude targets. In September 2022, the Russians started to use numerous attack drones called Shaheds, which meant that the Ukrainian air defence had to adapt quickly to the new threat. In order to combat these missiles, mobile fire groups with machine guns and MANPADS on pickup trucks began to be used, which quickly advanced towards the enemy attack. The equipment used by these mobile fire groups was gradually improved. One example was from the Czech Republic, where Viktor sets were created. These consisted of twin-barrelled machine guns from the 1940s combined with thermal imaging cameras and mounted on pick-up trucks. German FlakPz Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns transferred by partner countries also proved very effective. In NATO countries, this equipment was considered obsolete in the 1990s, but between 2022–2024 in Ukraine, it effectively destroyed UAVs and cruise missiles. Light training and sports aircraft, provisionally armed with machine guns and using tactics from World War I, have been successfully used to fight unmanned aerial vehicles. These examples show that even in regression, as highlighted by a return to air defence measures from previous decades, progress can be made to adapt to new threats from the air. This article aims to present the unconventional air defence measures used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to eliminate the threat posed by Russian aerial attack assets. 2024-12-31T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/55681 Community Resilience Dimensions of Agency and Human Values in the Response of Polish Border Communities to the Refugee Crisis Caused by the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Bełdyga, Natalia This research aims to explore the role of community resilience in response to the refugee crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 by specifically studying two core dimensions of community resilience, namely agency and human values, to see if they helped to build and enhance community resilience to crisis and uncertainty. In this respect, two cases of responses to the refugee crisis made by two Polish border communities in two corners of Poland, one in the northeast, in Suwałki, in the borderland area often referred to as Suwałki Gap, and the second one in the southeast, in Biecz, known as ‘Little Kraków,’ have been analysed by conducting qualitative interviews with research participants in three interview groups of volunteers, community members, and municipality who privately or professionally provided help for Ukrainian refugees arriving to Poland. Qualitative results of the analysis reveal that deep awareness of members of both Polish border communities about who the aggressor is and who the defender is in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was the main motivation to activate distinct values of, among others, compassion or mutuality that influenced the response to the arrival of Ukrainian citizens fleeing their invaded homeland and seeking safety and security in Poland – which was mainly a demonstration of sympathy and solidarity with Ukrainian refugees. The findings also reveal that one of the core community resilience dimensions – agency – was exercised collectively and individually, both bottom-up and top-down. Although the decisions were mostly spontaneously dictated by the needs of the heart, the decisions to act were made purposefully. In light of the current refugee crisis, of which the Italian island of Lampedusa is the centre, and with which EU countries have been attempting to cope, it is crucial to continue further research about the cases of responses to such crises, specifically the reactions of the most affected responders. The results of the empirical research on the analysed cases of responses to the refugee crisis and uncertainty caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 made by Polish border communities may contribute to the existing research and discourse on the role and impact of citizens’ and communities’ resilience potential in disaster response and preparedness. 2024-12-31T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/55682 Conveying the Tragedy of War Through Unconventional Photography Methods Ivashko, Yulia; Pawłowska, Aneta; Belinskyi, Serhii; Dmytrenko, Andrii This article analyses the specificity of conveying the tragedy of war through artistic photography. Comparing photos from the Vietnam War and the contemporary Russian-Ukrainian war illustrates how the range of figurative means has expanded. Photography of the Vietnam War had a narrow range of topics and limited methods of conveying content. In contrast, Ukrainian frontline photography is more diverse, with unconventional techniques emerging in military artistic photography. Many romantic photographs depicting landscapes and animals have surfaced, and the role of symbolism in photographic images has increased. This article aims to highlight the differences between past and present frontline photography while emphasising the greater symbolism and hidden meaning present in contemporary photography, as the tragedy of war resonates with the viewer through indirect allusions. 2024-12-31T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/55680 Regional Office for Aid to the Victims of War in Prague (1919–1938) Hubený, David; Kruglova, Nadezda The killings and mutilations brought about by World War I left a significant mark on society: missing husbands and fathers, surviving war veterans, widows and orphans. The newly formed Czechoslovakia had to deal with this tragic legacy and care for the 600,000 men, women, and children affected by the war. To do this, it was necessary to strengthen the relevant public administration apparatus, as the existing social security was not prepared for such a burden. The new state could not fail where the Habsburg monarchy had already failed, ceasing to perform its basic social and economic functions for its population.The Czechoslovak Republic, consisting of several higher-level administrative-territorial units called ‘lands’ (země), began to create regional offices and authorities to provide care for disabled soldiers or men who had fallen ill as a result of military service, widows of deceased soldiers, widows of disabled veterans of the war and post-war years, as well as parents of deceased or disabled victims of the war and from the post-war years.This paper will describe the legislative framework of the authorities using the example of the Regional Office for Aid to the Victims of War in Prague, its functioning and organisation of personnel, as well as the types of cases handled by the authorities and their reception by society. 2024-12-31T00:00:00Z