TRANSFORMATION OF RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY OF UKRAINE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF WAR

Abstract

The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the transformation of the role and practices of religion in Ukraine under the influence of full-scale war and the logic of the information society. The study proceeds from the thesis that the military conflict acts as a catalyst, accelerating and revealing a fundamental shift in religious institutions from traditional hierarchies to a model of dynamic network actors. The influence of these actors is determined by their ability to program public communication flows, produce cultural codes, and form meaningful narratives in the digital environment, which has become the main field of ideological confrontation. The theoretical basis of the research synthesizes Manuel Castells' theory of the network society, Heidi Campbell's concept of digital religion, as well as the approaches of desecularization (Peter Berger) and post-secularity (Jürgen Habermas). The methodology combines quantitative analysis of sociological survey data (Razumkov Centre, KIIS) with qualitative discourse analysis of denominational content on social networks and the study of digital chaplaincy practices. The results reveal three vectors of transformation. First, there is a structural shift “from hierarchy to network”: a decentralized system of digital “sacral nodes” is being formed, where religious authority increasingly depends on media charisma. Second, religion becomes an active participant in “information and narrative warfare”, programming meanings and counterposing the Ukrainian narrative of “spiritual defense” to the Russian myth of “holy war”. Third, new forms of “digital community” are emerging, which simultaneously exacerbate the problem of the “digital divide” and the risks of marginalization for vulnerable groups. In conclusion, it is predicted that the contours of "network religion" will determine the religious landscape in the post-war period. The sustainability of this model depends on the ability of denominations to transform the logic of war mobilization into projects of digital rehabilitation and dialogue, as well as on overcoming digital inequality. The Ukrainian case is considered a representative laboratory for studying the formation of new, network forms of religiosity in the information age