Communicative capacity of territorial communities of Ukraine in conditions of hybrid war

Abstract

In this article, a comprehensive analysis of the communicative capacity of territorial communities of Ukraine under the conditions of hybrid war is carried out as an integral characteristic of their social resilience, democratic subjectivity, and information security. It is substantiated that in the context of wartime threats, local communication ceases to be an auxiliary managerial tool and acquires strategic significance as an element of local information defense. It is shown that decentralization processes have strengthened the role of territorial communities as independent actors of the communicative space, while simultaneously intensifying the need for institutionally structured and secure forms of interaction between authorities, citizens, and civil society institutions. The methodological framework of the study is based on systemic, institutional, and structural-functional approaches, as well as comparative-typological analysis, which made it possible to distinguish reactive, preventive, and hybrid models of communicative behavior of territorial communities. It is proven that the hybrid model is the most effective under conditions of hybrid war, as it combines anticipatory formation of informational frameworks with a high speed of response to crisis events. An updated interpretation of the concept of "communicative capacity of a community" is proposed, defined as the ability of a local community to organize information processes in an operational, transparent, and reliable manner, ensure data verification, maintain local digital security, and preserve trust among communication actors. The role of digital tools—official websites, chatbots, local channels, and CRM systems — is identified as key components of the community's communicative architecture, provided they are institutionally enshrined through regulations, policies, and formalized roles. It is concluded that the communicative capacity of territorial communities in wartime is not only an informational but also a defensive category, which determines the community’s ability to maintain cohesion, governance, and subjectivity, and creates prerequisites for sustainable post-war recovery.