Areas and tools for regulating spatial and structural changes in the economy of Ukraine’s regions in the process of post-war recovery

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the fact that the large-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine caused significant imbalances and spatial and structural shifts in the economy of regions, especially front-line ones, which will require the search for effective tools for their regulation in the post-war perspective. The purpose of the study was to investigate the main areas and tools of geographically oriented regulation, which are aimed at stimulating and creating favourable conditions for the post-war modernisation of the structure of the economy of the regions of Ukraine. A number of research methods was used, namely, structural and statistical analysis, and the graphical method. The study focused on the differences in the priorities of post-war economic recovery in the regions of Ukraine, considering the damage caused to them due to military operations. Key problems and priority tasks for regulating the structural and spatial transformation of the post-war economy of Ukraine were identified. In particular, attention was focused on the need to: intensify the use of mineral resource potential of regions; stimulate investment activity and measures to ensure capital investment; increase innovation activity of regions, and develop centres of innovative entrepreneurship. The paper analysed the losses of the resource potential of the regions of Ukraine caused by the war. The main obstacles to the activation of investment activity in Ukraine, both before the large-scale invasion and in 2022-2024, were highlighted. The paper analysed a number of legislative documents developed since the beginning of Russia’s large-scale military invasion of Ukraine, aimed at stimulating investment activity, restoration of industrial production, and filling of local budgets. The study focused on the need to improve and expand the innovation infrastructure. In particular, the role and place of start-ups in enhancing the innovative development of regions was analysed; regional centres of start-ups’ activities were identified in terms of their key areas of application; the role and place of digitalisation in the post-war economic recovery of Ukraine’s regions was determined. The practical significance of the highlighted trends in spatial and structural changes in the Ukrainian economy and proposals for regulating these processes lies in the possibility of considering them in the development of strategic documents on the post-war reconstruction of the country