Foreign Affairs
English
Submit an article
Back to Issue: No.4, 2026

The role of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the system of international cooperation for ensuring regional and global security

Volodymyr Chernenko*

Volod.Chernenko30@outlook.com

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the institutional and security role of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) within the system of international cooperation in the conditions of the wartime transformation of the national and international security. The methodology of the study included the use of the institutional-functional, legal, case-analytical and analytical-synthetic approaches in the investigation of the transformation of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and its integration into the international security mechanisms. The analysis of the transformation of the SESU revealed the transformation of its activities from the classical forms of emergency response into the role of one of the components of the national security. Data analysis revealed an increased Service workload due to systemic threats facing Ukraine. During 2025, the SESU responded to nearly 490,000 incidents related to the consequences of shelling, extinguished more than 92,000 fires in civilian infrastructure facilities affected by shelling, and rescued approximately 7,800 individuals. The incorporation of the SESU into the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism enabled to determine the transformation of the Service from a passive to an active participant in the resolution of the emergency situations. The participation of the SESU in various joint operations made possible the integration of the requirements of the European Union crisis response standards into the national framework of emergency response. As a result of the study, it became possible to determine that the SESU has transformed into one of the main institutions of the national security and a subject of international security. During the research some of the limitations of the SESU, related to its dependency on resources and the need for the adaptation of the regulatory framework of the Service to the requirements of international cooperation were also established

Keywords

resilience; humanitarian law; partnership; crisis response; civil protection

References

  1. A delegation of representatives of the Ukrainian Red Cross and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine met with German state agencies on civil protection issues. (2025). Retrieved from https://redcross.org.ua/news/2025/11/131967/.
  2. Atkinson, A., Grandi, M., & Vaklinova, G. (2022). Resilience, human security, and the protection of civilians. Washington, DC: Stimson Center.
  3. Autioniemi, J., & Jalonen, H. (2025). Resilience through collaboration? Emerging tensions and paradoxes in crisis management. Public Performance & Management Review, 48(3), 705-733. doi: 10.1080/15309576.2025.2466213.
  4. Budraitis, D. (2025). Policy innovations amid crisis: How the war in Ukraine is shaping humanitarian aid strategies. (Master’s thesis, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden).
  5. Buriachenko, O., Somak, O., Golubytskyi, S., Kravchenko, N., & Kravchenko, O. (2025). International support for Ukraine: Evaluating the impact of military, economic, and diplomatic aid. Review of Research and Social Intervention, 88, 151-168.
  6. Casimir, C.C. (2024). Outsourcing the Leviathan. Causes for and Consequences of the arrival of public-private partnerships in the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). (Master’s thesis, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden).
  7. Chachko, E., & Linos, K. (2022). Ukraine and the emergency powers of international institutions. American Journal of International Law, 116(4), 775-787. doi: 10.1017/ajil.2022.57.
  8. Civil Protection Code of Ukraine. (2025, September). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/5403-17#Text.
  9. Constantinescu, M., Dumitrache, V.I., & Popa, B.M. (2024). Human security and resilience, from a defence perspective. Defense Resources Management in the 21st Century, 1(1), 76-85.
  10. Development of the civil protection system: A joint responsibility of the state and civil society. (2025). Retrieved from https://redcross.org.ua/en/news/2025/06/115634/.
  11. EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). (2001). Retrieved from https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en.
  12. Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nato.int/en/about-us/organization/nato-structure/euro-atlantic-disaster-response-coordination-centre--eadrcc-.
  13. Feltynowski, M. (2025). Union Civil Protection Mechanism as an international policy tool supporting Ukraine. Polish Political Science Yearbook, 54(1), 165-179. doi: 10.15804/ppsy202304.
  14. French, M., Duray, R., & Fan, Y. (2020). Impact of disasters on routine emergency service response performance. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 29(3), 321-335. doi: 10.1111/1468-5973.12343.
  15. Gana, I.M., & Evuti, S.M. (2025). Paradiplomacy and democratic resilience in the Sahel: Subnational strategies against democratic reversals. Journal of Paradiplomacy and City Networks, 4(2), 138-148. doi: 10.18196/jpcn.v4i2.122.
  16. Haas, E.B. (1964). Beyond the nation-state: Functionalism and international organization. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
  17. Home – applied knowledge for action. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://civil-protection-knowledge-network.europa.eu/.
  18. Hryn, D. (2025). State policy for ensuring public safety in Ukraine: Economic mechanisms and insurance systems development in modern conditions. Public Administration and State Security Aspects, 1, 211-220. doi: 10.52363/passa-2025.1-23.
  19. In 2025, the number of fires in Ukraine increased by 34%, the number of deaths increased by 10% – State Emergency Service. (2025). Retrieved from https://mediacenter.org.ua/uk/u-2025-rotsi-kilkist-pozhezh-v-ukrayini-zbilshilas-na-34-kilkist-zagiblih-zrosla-na-10-dsns/.
  20. International Committee of the Red Cross. (2023). Fundamental provisions of the Geneva conventions and their additional protocols. Kyiv: ICRC.
  21. International Committee of the Red Cross. (2024). Civil defence in international humanitarian law. Geneva: ICRC.
  22. Kaldor, M., & Radice, H. (2022). Introduction: Civicness in conflict. Journal of Civil Society, 18(2), 125-141. doi: 10.1080/17448689.2022.2121295.
  23. Kasian, O. (2024). Legal status of elements of the unified state system of civil protection as security management entities in emergency situations. Public Administration and State Security Aspects, 2, 158-163. doi: 10.52363/passa-2024.2-24.
  24. Khytra, O.L. (2022). Peculiarities of the activities of the state emergency service in the implementation of state policy in the field of civil protection of the population. Scientific Notes of Lviv University of Business and Law, 32, 212-219. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.6641300.
  25. Kustov, M.V., Andronov, V.A., & Buscham, C. (2025). Modification of emergency management systems based on experiences of Germany and Ukraine. International Journal of Safety & Security Engineering, 15(1), article number 21.
  26. Law of Ukraine No. 1550-III “On the Legal Regime of the State of Emergency”. (2024, May). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1550-14#Text.
  27. Markuts, Y., & Roberto, F. (2025). Emergency budgeting for resilience during the war. The case of Ukraine. Public Money & Management, 45(3), 195-205. doi: 10.1080/09540962.2024.2407842.
  28. Mayar, K., Carmichael, D.G., & Shen, X. (2022). Resilience and systems – a review. Sustainability, 14(14), article number 8327. doi: 10.3390/su14148327.
  29. Mykytyn, Y., Kośmider, T., & Snopek, M. (2023). Civil protection services in Ukraine in emergency during the legal regime of martial law. Journal of Security & Sustainability Issues, 13(1), 239-250. doi: 10.47459/jssi.2023.13.26.
  30. OSCE Extrabudgetary Support Programme for Ukraine. (2023). Retrieved from https://www.osce.org/uk/support-programme-for-ukraine.
  31. Over 61,000 combat engagements and nearly 2 million shelling incidents in 2025 – Ministry of Defense. (2026). Retrieved from https://armyinform.com.ua/en/2026/01/05/over-61000-combat-engagements-and-nearly-2-million-shelling-incidents-in-2025-ministry-of-defense/.
  32. Persaud, R.B. (2022). Human security. In A. Collins (Ed.), Contemporary security studies (pp. 144-158). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  33. Poroka, S.G. (2025). European integration impact on the reform of the State Emergency Service: Prospects for adaptation to EU civil protection standards. Bulletin of the National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine. Series: State Administration, 1(22), 397-406. doi: 10.52363/2414-5866-2025-1-43.
  34. Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1052 “On Approval of the Regulations on the State Emergency Service of Ukraine”. (2025, December). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1052-2015-п#Text.
  35. Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 368 “On Approval of the Procedure for Classifying Emergency Situations by Their Levels”. (2021, December). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/368-2004-%D0%BF#Text.
  36. Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 409 “On Approval of the Model Regulation on the Regional and Local Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergency Situations”. (2025, February). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/409-2015-%D0%BF#Text.
  37. Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 733 “On Approval of the Regulation on the Organization of Notification of the Threat of the Emergence or Occurrence of Emergency Situations and the Organization of Communication in the Field of Civil Protection”. (2025, July). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/733-2017-%D0%BF#Text.
  38. Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 775 “On Approval of the Procedure for the Creation and Use of Material Reserves (Except State) to Prevent the Occurrence of Emergencies and Eliminate Their Consequences”. (2025, November). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/775-2015-%D0%BF#Text.
  39. Stępka, M., Mazurkiewicz, A., & Krüger, M. (2025). Emerging varieties of resilience: Experiences from Germany, Poland and Ukraine. London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003503255.
  40. The government authorized the State Emergency Service of Ukraine to perform the functions of the national coordinator of Ukraine’s participation in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. (2024). Retrieved from https://dsns.gov.ua/news/ostanni-novini/uriad-upovnovaziv-dsns-na-vikonannia-funkcii-nacionalnogo-koordinatora-ucasti-ukrayini-v-mexanizmi-civilnogo-zaxistu-jes.
  41. Ukraine – European civil protection and humanitarian aid operations. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/europe/ukraine_en.
  42. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service had nearly 500,000 deployments to scenes of strikes in 2025. (2026). Retrieved from https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/01/01/8014243/.
  43. Ukrainian rescuers took part in a 5-day international exercise on the elimination of the consequences of the earthquake and nuclear accident in Romania. (2025). Retrieved from https://mvs.gov.ua/news/ukrayinski-riatuvalniki-vziali-ucast-u-5-dennix-miznarodnix-navcanniax-z-likvidaciyi-naslidkiv-zemletrusu-ta-iadernoyi-avariyi-v-rumuniyi.
  44. Vysotsky, I.S. (2023). Peculiarities of public administration in the field of civil protection in a special period. (Master`s thesis, Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University, Mykolaiv, Ukraine).
  45. War in Ukraine triggered largest UCPM operation ever. (2025). Retrieved from https://civil-protection-knowledge-network.europa.eu/news/war-ukraine-triggered-largest-ucpm-operation-ever.
  46. Yefimenko, I., Sakovskyi, A., & Bilozorov, Y. (2023). Protection of critical infrastructure as a component of Ukraine’s national security. Law Journal of the National Academy of Internal Affairs, 13(2), 74-85. doi: 10.56215/naia-chasopis/2.2023.74.
  47. Yevtukh, S. (2025). The security service of Ukraine: Key operations and challenges during a full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. Military Science, 2(4), 135-145. doi: 10.62524/msj.2024.2.4.12.
  48. Zemlyansky, O. & Kryshtal, T. (2025). Organizational principles of international cooperation of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in conducting search and rescue operations in urban conditions. Bulletin of the Humanities and Social Sciences Society, 25, 186-191.
  49. Zwęgliński, T., & Smolarkiewicz, M. (2023). The Union Civil Protection Mechanism and disaster risk reduction in shaping national security. In P. Gromek, M. Feltynowski & M. Wojakowska (Eds.), Shaping national security: International emergency mechanisms and disaster risk reduction (pp. 90-114). New York: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003402626.

Suggested citation

Chernenko, V. (2026). The role of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the system of international cooperation for ensuring regional and global security. Foreign Affairs, 36(4), 46-56. https://doi.org/10.59214/ua.fa/4.2026.46
English
Submit an article