Research Centre for War Studies, Law and Social Sciences

Head of the Research Centre for War Studies, Law and Social Sciences
PhD of Military Sciences, Senior ResearcherColonel
Talaur Serhii Yevhenovych

Research Centre for War Studies, Law and Social Sciences is a successor of the Research Centre for Military History established in accordance with the Directive of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine dated August 30, 2014 No D-322/1/30, as a specialized structural unit of the University for conducting professional military-historical researches.

In accordance with the directive of the Minister of Defence of Ukraine and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine dated August 14, 2023 No D-321/80/FOUO, from September 2023 the Centre was included in the newly established Educational and Scientific Institute of Military History. In accordance with the directive of the Minister of Defence of Ukraine and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine dated June 18, 2025 No D-321/82/FOUO, the Educational and Scientific Institute of Military History was reorganized into the Educational and Scientific Institute of Military History, Law And Social Sciences from August 2025, and the Centre was reorganized into Research Centre for War Studies, Law and Social Sciences.

The Centre conducts research in the field of military history, social and humanitarian support in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and international criminal justice. Particular attention is paid to studying the combat experience of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in defending state from Russian aggression, implementing it in the educational process of training of military personnel, as well as the practical activities of military command bodies, commanders and chiefs of all levels.

THE MAIN TASKS OF THE CENTRE:

• Conducting research of the security environment at the global, regional and national levels in the field military history: the history of wars, military art, military development, the development of weapons and military equipment;
• Conducting research on current problems related to the development of social and humanitarian support in the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• Conducting research on current problems of international criminal justice;
• Scientific support of the educational process at the University in the field of military history, social and humanitarian support in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and international criminal justice;
• Training of highly qualified scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel – Doctors of Philosophy, Doctors of Sciences for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations;
• Ensuring the publication of the University collection of scientific works “Military Historical Bulletin” (a specialized publication on Historical Sciences);
• Participation in the creation (improvement) of the regulatory and legal framework to ensure educational activities at the University;
• Participation in the development and implementation of expertise of projects of legislative and other regulatory legal acts in the field of the center’s activities;
• Ensuring the cultural and spiritual development of the individual, educating personnel in the spirit of patriotism and respect for the Constitution of Ukraine.

The Centre includes the Research Department for the study and documentation of war; the Research Laboratory for the problems of the philosophy of war, the history of military pedagogy and culture; and the Research Laboratory for the problems of international criminal justice.

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS:

Over the years, the Centre has completed 12 research works, published 11 monographs, more than ten popular science publications and other scientific works in the field of military history. A multi-volume publication on the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, as well as on the repelling the Russian Federation's large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, is in progress.

Adjuncts, Doctoral Students, candidates for a scientific degree and personnel of the Centre defended 9 theses for obtaining the scientific degree of Philosophy Doctors of Sciences (Doctor of Philosophy), 1 thesis – Doctor of Sciences.

Personnel of the Centre participate in the Specialized Scientific Councils for the defense of theses in the field of Historical Sciences.

The results of scientific research by the Centre’s personnel are regularly published in journals included in the international scientometric databases Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection.

Every year the Centre organizes and conducts the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Ukrainian Army: Modernity and Historical Retrospective”.

As part of the project “Contested Ukraine Ukraine: military patriotism, russian influence and consequences for European security”, the Centre cooperates with the College of Defence of Norwegian University.

MAIN PUBLICATIONS OF THE CENTER

The collection of scientific works "Military Historical Bulletin"

is included in the List of scientific specialized publications of Ukraine under category "B" in the field of Historical Sciences, specialty 032.

The main thematic directions of the magazine: development of the methodology of Military-Historical Science; studying the history of wars, individual military campaigns and operations; research on the experience of construction, combat, organizational and mobilization training, military management, comprehensive provision of military (combat) operations and combat use of the Armed Forces, their services and branches of troops; studying the principles, forms and methods of armed struggle and others.

"The White Book of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Eastern Ukraine" at the NATO headquarters

As part of the NATO DEEP program, the center prepared and presented the publication (in Ukrainian and English)

"Experience and lessons of military actions to unblock the Donetsk airport (May 26-31, 2014)"

Together with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as part of the work on the project to study and generalize the combat experience during the first stage (April - June 2014) of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, a training manual (in English).

In the monograph "The Year of Invincibility: The Collapse of Operation Z"

a military-historical analysis of the latest period of armed aggression of the russian federation was carried out, the main flaws of the russian army were highlighted, and through the prism of heroism and sacrifice of the defenders of Ukraine, the main events of the russian-Ukrainian war were outlined, as well as a proposed historical periodization of armed aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine.

The Collections of Materials of the International Scientific and Practical Conference "Ukrainian Army: Modernity and Historical Retrospective"

contain materials on military construction on the territory of Ukraine from ancient times to the present, the struggle of Ukrainians for statehood in different historical periods, the role and place of Ukraine in the whirlwind of events of the Second World War, a number of aspects of repelling the large-scale armed aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine and the experience of training specialists for the military formations of Ukraine are analyzed.

"A collection of documents on the organization and conduct of military history work in the Armed Forces of Ukraine"

The collection contains current regulations and military publications on the organization and conduct of military history work in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Formalized documents on the organization of military history work in the operation "

The manual describes the responsibilities and general procedure of the work of officials of the military history work group, provides samples of forms of formalized documents on military history work, as well as the content and requirements for their execution. The manual was developed in accordance with NATO standards.