Communication‐Related Vulnerability of War Refugees: The Case of Ukrainians Escaping Russia's Invasion

When war refugees arrive in a host country, they may find themselves in a vulnerable condition and struggle to cope in a foreign setting. This article presents a systematic approach to identifying important communication‐related challenges that should be addressed by policymakers at the national level of the host country to reduce the vulnerability of refugees. Building upon the theoretical framework of “communication‐related vulnerability to disasters,” a case study of Ukrainian refugees fleeing to Estonia to escape Russia's invasion in 2022 is used to map out the ways in which displaced individuals may become more vulnerable due to various individual, social‐structural, and situational factors that impede access to, understanding of, or responding to risk and crisis information. The data from 15 semi‐structured interviews with key crisis managers show how access to vital information may be disrupted by a digitized communication environment unfamiliar to the refugees and the authorities' lack of experience in dealing with mass immigration. It also reveals how barriers to understanding arise from limited language skills and exposure to disinformation, and how crisis managers cannot provide adequate support if they experience information overload and poor interagency cooperation.