An initiative of the Ukrainian astronomical community
Saving Astronomy in Ukraine
Two hundred years of astronomy, still working under fire. This is where partners, researchers, and friends of Ukrainian science find a way in.
What this is
Not a request for aid, and not a list of problems waiting for someone else to solve them. Ukrainian astronomy knows its strengths, sees its limits clearly, and is offering a partnership.
Despite full-scale war, the community has kept its scientific, educational, and international potential alive. Observations continue at partially restored facilities. Students defend theses from bomb shelters. Papers keep appearing in the leading journals.
The recovery plan behind this page sets out where the field stands and what it needs next, structured around four interdependent directions. This site is the front door: a single place for partners and colleagues to understand the initiative and reach the people running it.
The framework
Four directions,
one system
Not ranked by importance. They form a system in which a break in any one link undermines the whole.
Science cannot exist without people. Keep the researchers, connect the diaspora, and turn scattered contacts into partnerships that last.
Rebuild better, not just back. Define the science first, then the instruments, from radio arrays to a national astronomical data centre.
Wi-Fi, CCD sensors, and remote sensing all trace back to astronomy. It is a driver of recovery, not a peacetime luxury.
From kindergarten to doctorate, astronomy is the portal into STEM, and the way a new generation of scientists is reproduced.
How to help
Five simple actions to start.
The most valuable support is not the kind that decides for Ukraine, but the kind that reinforces decisions Ukraine makes itself. Partnerships, not philanthropy. Long-term agreements, not one-off gestures.
- Fund open access to journals and databases for Ukrainian institutions.
- Include Ukrainian groups in mission consortia and telescope networks: CTAO, LOFAR, EVN, LSST.
- Support joint PhD and postdoctoral programmes that give young scientists a real path home.
- Co-organise training schools and educational programmes on proven formats.
- Advocate for Ukraine at ESA and Horizon Europe.
First point of contact
Start a conversation
Ukrainian astronomy is offering a partnership built on real competencies and shared scientific questions. If you can open one of the doors on this page, reach out.
Email the teamThe sky above Ukraine is the same sky as above Leiden, Paris, or Chile. The answers have no borders.Prospective Recovery Plan for Ukrainian Astronomy