Introduction

Regional conflicts in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), including the Belarusian political crisis in 2020 and the full-scale Russian war in Ukraine in 2022, have exposed the new potential of digital technology use for the engagement of society in all forms of service production, resistance, and mobilization. Against the background of digitalization reforms and increased general digital literacy of the population, the West's support for civic education in the region has contributed to the formation of a new generation of activists familiar with digital tools and platforms and, in general, to the creation of a favourable environment for the development of civic initiatives using digital technologies. This can be seen in the emergence of online platforms and digital tools which facilitate civic engagement and allow a wider audience to participate in the democratic process. For example, online petitions, social media campaigns, and digital activism have become increasingly prevalent, particularly among young people, in Belarus (see Astapova et al, 2022; Titarenko, 2022) and in Ukraine (Diuk, 2012; Bohdanova, 2014). Specifically, as Pospieszna and Galus (2020) note, the evaluation of a long-term civic education programme for young people from post-Soviet countries suggests that training experiences can lead to changes in line with democratic values and practices. Investment in social and human capital by Western donors, particularly in Belarus and Ukraine (Pospieszna and Galus, 2020; Pospieszna et al, 2023), has been of particular importance for fostering a vibrant civil society as a key element in promoting democratic change (see Chapter 2, this volume)