Most crises look similar – regardless of being born from nature or man-made. Earthquakes, tsunami, floods and wars destroy water and food supply, agricultural lands, critical infrastructure and economy, people’s lives and societies. They destroy the past, but they bring opportunities for the future. As we live in the times of multiple crises (environmental, resource, climate, political) they lead to a spectrum of consequences evolving from barely visible through moderate and suddenly becoming catastrophic that we are often not prepared for or prepared only with delay. 

When the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, we also were mostly not prepared for this big war, its scales and consequences. It shows us how crises act and look like, what their consequences are, highlights the weaknesses and potentials of our systems. While learning the lessons of this war, we can conclude how to become more resilient and develop sustainability, and how to avoid future crises. 

In this paper we will be looking for lessons of the war and for immediate crisis response actions which will compose a base for post-war sustainable recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.