Razom project: Seeds for cultivating resilience and cooperation in Ukraine and the Baltic Sea Region

Razom project: Seeds for cultivating resilience and cooperation in Ukraine and the Baltic Sea Region

The two-year Razom project has successfully concluded in February 2026, contributing to strengthening societal security studies, skills and development in Ukraine and the Baltic Sea Region.

This transnational collaborative project was able to enhance knowledge and capacity in the field of societal security, including identifying areas for improvement, sharing experiences and good practices, discussing common challenges, and providing strategy and policy recommendations that support European cohesion and Ukraine's ambitions to widen its network and work more closely with European institutions.

The Razom project team consisted of Swedish Defence University, the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and Lviv State University of Life Safety with support from two external experts from the Riga Technical University and the Union of Baltic Cities.

Razom means "together" in Ukrainian, and togetherness has been the core of the project with the aim to bring together adult students and early career professionals with educators, experts and professionals from Ukraine and the Baltic Sea Region to share their perspectives, knowledge, experiences, challenges, and best practices.

Concretely, these exchanges and insights were shared throughout the project and Razom's two-part Pilot Intensive Study Program (ISP). The Razom project team started with the Erasmus+ NEEDS online course and then further developed it by drawing upon Ukraine's real-life experiences of crisis, risk, and war. Then the revised NEEDS self-study course was transformed into the Razom Intensive Study Program which is more learner-centred and interactive and where students actively contribute and learn from each other.

The first part of the Razom Pilot Intensive Study Program (ISP) combined self-studies with interactive online course sessions over the course of four months, utilising the "flipped classroom" methodology. So, despite the fact that the students came from different academic programs, countries and professions, a common foundation in societal security was created and this enabled constructive discussions.

The second part was a one-week on-site summer university in Warsaw, where the focus was putting the theories from ISP1 into practice. This interactive and hybrid approach extended over several months enabled students to engage with societal security concepts over a longer duration of time, allowing for layered learning, deeper reflections, and a stronger impact than short-term exchanges alone. This collaborative learning exposed students to broader perspectives on societal security and strengthened their ability in international cooperation.

The project partners emphasised that international cooperation starts with sharing experiences, perspectives, interests, concerns, challenges and best practices - and these conversations require time and patience. Through Razom and the Intensive Study Programme, students and educators were able to learn from each other, broaden their understanding of societal security, and build interpersonal connections that form the foundation for stronger cooperation in the future.

The Razom students underlined the value of these efforts and how the project further developed and strengthened their knowledge and understanding in societal security as well as their professional skills, which they said they will be able to draw upon in their current/future work endeavours.

Nikolai Andresen (participant, Germany) reflected:

"Expanding the conversation for a common societal security approach to include more fields of study has brought much more expertise and ideas for a unified solution. It has broadened my personal scope on how to solve civil defence problems and enriched my understanding of intergovernmental working and intersystem operation. This experience was very important for improving my conversational skills as well as motivating me to boost Germany's share for international crisis management through my career.

There is only one way we will overcome the challenges of the 21st century: Together (Razom)."

Olivia Perry (student, Sweden) shared how Razom strengthened regional understanding and cooperation:

"I learnt so much and got a much better understanding of the Baltic Sea region - previously I haven't understood how much in common we have in this region, but we really do! I also learnt a lot about Ukraine. Before I got the chance to talk to people during the course and learn about Ukrainian culture, most things I knew about Ukraine were only about the war. Now I know we share so many customs and traditions, and I know that Ukraine belongs in and is a part of Europe!

It was such a cool project to be a part of! The online course (ISP1) was really interesting and it was cool to get to know people during the online course sessions, and then we finally got to see each other in real life during the summer university in Warsaw! Some things you have to really meet people in real life and talk about to understand, and as we spoke about creating a common security culture I learnt a lot from the discussions in the classrooms and the exchange of ideas."

Hanna Borovytska (student, Ukraine) highlighted the importance of the programme for strengthening academic capacity and international connection:

"I am extremely grateful for this course! For me, the opportunity to communicate directly with native speakers was an extremely important and interesting aspect. Live dialogue, discussions on professional topics, and informal conversations allowed me not only to improve my language skills, but also to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural context, approaches, and values of my partners.

I would like to note separately that the in-depth study of public safety - its current challenges, response mechanisms, principles of resilience and international coordination - was extremely valuable. The knowledge I gained is practical and will contribute to my further professional development in the field of civil protection and international cooperation."

Oleksandr Synelnikov (teacher, Ukraine) highlighted the importance of the programme for strengthening academic capacity and international connection:

"The participation of Lviv State University of Life Safety in the 'RAZOM' project has become a strategic step toward strengthening academic capacity and expanding international connections in the field of civil security. Through cooperation with the Swedish Defence University and other partners in the Baltic region, we have gained a unique opportunity to integrate Ukraine's practical experience, acquired during the full-scale invasion, into modern European educational standards. The development and testing of the updated online course and the pilot intensive training program not only improve the quality of training for future specialists but also lay a solid foundation for long-term scientific partnership and collective resilience against global security challenges."

By creating a common educational foundation, drawing upon interactive and learner-centred pedagogical approaches, and utilizing diverse and transnational networks, Razom has contributed to building capacity in societal security and international cooperation in Ukraine and the Baltic Sea Region.

In addition to the main project results (in particular, the two-part Razom Intensive Study Programme), the project also contributed to the following:

• The RTU-Razom International Student Conference Proceedings
• The "Razom Blueprint" which provides a description of the main components of the Intensive Study Program and the best practices for organizing a similar event. The main target group for this blueprint includes: educational institutes that organise training and educational activities on societal security for diverse groups of adult participants. If you feel that your organisation falls within this target group and that your organisation would like to have a copy of the Razom blueprint, please send your request to [email protected]