Authors

Discussion

Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine poses significant challenges for researchers from diverse academic traditions. On one hand, the reactions of various societies to the unfolding events require immediate consideration and conceptualisation. On the other, the conflict poses significant ethical and methodological difficulties due to its sensitivity and the positionality of researchers interested in studying it. Nevertheless, producing up-to-date knowledge about the conflict is critical for keeping the world informed, deliberating possible war outcomes, and rebuilding Ukraine.

Based on our experiences conducting research in an about Ukraine since 24 February 2022, we aim to present our critical reflections on ethical production and dissemination of authoritative knowledge about the war. Being ‘insiders’ in our positionalities when researching the war, we echo the ideas of Fujii (2012) and von Unger (2021) reflecting on researchers’ sensitivities around the conflict, and practicing reflexivity as a research tool. We will outline key methodological deliberations around ad hoc research designs and data collection necessary for speaking sensitively, transparently, and rigorously about the conflict. We will also highlight the need to tackle epistemic inequalities and Western-dominated orderings in knowledge production, and the value of remaining silent in situations when ethics should be elevated above research outputs to protect our participants, ourselves, and larger communities. At its core, this paper thus underscores that ethical knowledge production may sometimes require certain scholars to remain silent.