Understanding Ukraine’s immunization supply chain resilience in the face of war: a mixed-method study

Conflict and Health

卷:20

Research

Stanislav Gaievskyi^1,2  Yevgenii Grechukha¹  Oleg Khomenko¹  Oleksandra Karkishechenko¹  Denys Deineha¹  Oleg Benes³  Sharif Ismail⁴  Jarno Habicht¹ 

[1] London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

[2] World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark

[3] World Health Organization Country Office in Ukraine, 9B, Hrushevskoho Street, 01021, Kyiv, Ukraine

[4] Center for Research and Training in Disaster Medicine, Humanitarian Aid and Global Health, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy

关键词: Cold chain;    Ukraine;    Immunization programme;    vaccines;    Supply chain;    War;    Resilience;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13031-026-00806-0

 received in 2026-03-30, accepted in 2026-05-14,  发布年份 2026

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 created unprecedented pressures on the national immunization supply chain (ISC). Despite large-scale energy disruptions, population displacement, and insecurity, vaccine availability and storage conditions were largely maintained. This study aimed to examine how Ukraine’s ISC has adapted to war-related disruptions and to identify key enablers, barriers, and priorities for strengthening its resilience.MethodsA mixed-methods approach combined 15 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from national, oblast, and facility levels, a review of literature, regulatory documents, and programme data. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and interpreted using the Blanchet et al. health system resilience framework.ResultsAnalysis found that the digitalization of the vaccine stock management system and the wide availability of training strengthened the knowledge capacity of the ISC. Large-scale investments by international partners in WHO-prequalified cold chain equipment during the COVID-19, complemented by the deployment of backup power solutions, significantly improved the system’s ability to manage uncertainty related to electricity outages. The centralization of ISC function enhanced governance and coordination, contributing to legitimacy capacity. Strong collaboration across government institutions and with international partners also helped sustain ISC in the face of the war disruptions, demonstrating the importance of interdependence capacity. However, several barriers persist, including gaps in population data for forecasting vaccine needs and coverage monitoring, unequal distribution of new cold chain equipment, and continued reliance on donor support.ConclusionsDespite repeated attacks, Ukraine’s ISC has continued to function. The findings highlight key enablers of resilience and remaining bottlenecks and provide actionable recommendations. Ukraine’s experience offers transferable lessons for strengthening ISC resilience in other conflict settings.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-ND   
© The Author(s) 2026

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