Role of higher education institutions in Ukraine in developing students’ soft skills under martial law conditions

The full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine placed higher education institutions (HEIs) under unprecedented and immense challenges, demanding adaptive responses across all dimensions of academic life. This study aimed to explore how Ukrainian higher education institutions have contributed to the development of students’ soft skills during the dual crises of war and the pandemic. To achieve this aim, the research employed a multi-method qualitative design that combined document analysis, NVivo-assisted content coding, and comparative case study methodology. Data sources included institutional policies, national guidelines, international frameworks, and scholarly publications. This triangulated approach enabled an in-depth understanding of how Ukrainian universities conceptualised and implemented soft skills development in response to systemic crisis. Among the major demands, wartime education requires the enhancement of students’ soft skills  non technical transferable abilities such as emotional resilience, adaptability, communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and self-management. The article sought to trace the changing role of Ukrainian HEIs in fostering such competencies under conditions of war, forced migration, psychological distress, and digitalised education. Drawing on theoretical insights from 2020 to 2025 regarding institutional strategies that support students’ socio-emotional development in online and hybrid learning environments through community engagement and integrative curricular design, the study also pays special attention to psychological services related to inclusion and peer mentoring for student well-being, as well as civic responsibility. It analyses the correlation between wartime academic persistence and the development of soft skills, placing particular emphasis on institutional resilience and innovative leadership. By reviewing these emerging practices in Ukrainian universities, including case examples from several national HEIs, the article offers practical recommendations for integrating soft skills training into the core mission of universities in times of crisis