The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has fundamentally reshaped the context in which higher education institutions operate and cooperate internationally. While internationalisation has long been promoted as a strategic enhancement associated with mobility, visibility, and global competitiveness, the war has exposed the fragility of these assumptions. For Ukrainian universities, international engagement has rapidly shifted from an aspirational objective to one of the crucial conditions for institutional survival. This transformation calls for a broader reconsideration of what internationalisation means in times of prolonged geopolitical instability and rupture, and why responsibility must become its organising principle.

What is now increasingly acknowledged at the global level has long been experienced by Ukrainian universities: internationalisation that is treated as neutral, transactional, or primarily mobility-driven collapses under conditions of enforcement, insecurity, and war. Practices that appeared strong in times of stability, such as exchange agreements, shortterm mobility frameworks, and largely symbolic partnerships, become insufficient when campuses are targeted and destroyed, academic staff and students are displaced or forced to work under constant security threats, and research infrastructure operates amid electricity cuts and prolonged blackouts. In this context, the war functions as a stress test, revealing that not all forms of internationalisation contribute equally to institutional resilience.

Traditional models of internationalisation, mostly reliant on physical mobility and quantitative indicators, demonstrate clear limitations under wartime conditions. In the Ukrainian context, academic mobility is constrained not only by security risks and infrastructure disruption, but also by legal and administrative restrictions introduced under Martial Law, including limitations on the international travel of male Master’s and PhD students, researchers, and academic staff. At the same time, most international partners are unable to travel to Ukraine due to institutional and governmental security regulations in their home countries. These dual constraints render this mobilitycentric approaches largely unviable.

As a result, Ukrainian universities are compelled to adopt hybrid and project-based modes of international cooperation, combining remote engagement, flexible mobility formats, and intensified coordination efforts. This shift significantly increases the demands on institutional project management capacity, requiring careful risk assessment, scenario planning, adaptive coordination across borders, and contextual awareness and flexibility on the part of international partners. Partnerships motivated primarily by visibility, rankings, or convenience often lack the depth and commitment required to operate under such conditions. In contrast, institutions that have cultivated longterm, trust-based relationships are better positioned to sustain teaching, protect research capacity, retain human capital, and mobilise international support for institutional recovery and reconstruction.

Beyond their original academic scope, such responsible collaborations also become channels of humanitarian and material support, including the provision of equipment, IT devices, digital infrastructure, and furniture essential for maintaining educational and research activities during the war.

In this context, the war forces Ukrainian universities, together with their partners in democratic countries, to critically reconsider with whom and for what purpose they internationalise under conditions of profound uncertainty and risk. Collaborations that align with ethical standards and demonstrate genuine solidarity prove essential, while others reveal structural asymmetries or disengage when conditions become challenging. This shift underscores that selectivity in partnerships is not a restriction of internationalisation, but a condition of its responsibility. From this perspective, responsible internationalisation can be understood as a form of international engagement grounded in shared democratic values, academic integrity, and long-term commitment. Instead of maximising international exposure, it emphasises resilience, reciprocity, and the capacity to maintain core academic functions during periods of prolonged turbulence.

Responsibility in internationalisation thus becomes inseparable from resilience as the capacity to continue fulfilling academic missions without compromising core values. Responsible internationalisation does not imply isolation or withdrawal from the global academic community but enables continuity and renewal. Through diversified and values-aligned partnerships, universities maintain access to international research networks, continue joint teaching initiatives, support displaced scholars, and participate in global knowledge exchange despite extreme constraints. Internationalisation, redefined responsibly, functions as a pathway to remain forward-looking and globally connected even under circumstances of destruction.

Importantly, the lessons emerging from Ukrainian universities are not limited to conflict settings. In an era characterised by geopolitical instability, contested norms, and increasing uncertainty, higher education institutions worldwide face similar questions about dependency, vulnerability, and ethical engagement. The Ukrainian case illustrates that resilience is not achieved through volume or visibility, but through intentional, principled, and adaptive internationalisation strategies. As geopolitical instability increasingly shapes the global higher education landscape, this perspective offers timely insights into how universities can remain engaged internationally without compromising their mission, autonomy, or responsibility.

This article was written in contribution to IAU Horizons Volume 31, No.1. The ‘In Focus’ section of this edition was dedicated to Repositioning Internationalization in a New Geopolitical Era. This edition was published in June 2026. Read the full edition and more IAU Horizons here.