The twists and turns of mobility capital formation: a multi-level analysis of factors impacting capital building among Ukrainian forced migrants in Poland

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 caused the abrupt and unplanned migration of Ukrainian women from all social strata, forcing them to lose some of their capital which they then needed to rebuild in a new socio-political context. This article aims to address these issues by applying Joëlle Moret’s concept of ‘mobility capital’ to Ukrainian forced migrants in Poland. We delve deeper into this theoretical framework by identifying factors impacting the process by which Ukrainian women mobilise different forms of capital – cultural, social, psychological, economic and legal – which they convert into mobility capital and prepare for various post-migration mobility scenarios including international migration, transnational living, return, or remaining in the host country. To achieve this, we use a multi-level analytical framework, examining factors at the micro-individual, meso-network, and macro-structural levels. Through implemented qualitative research design – combining interviews with migrants and focus groups with experts – the article shows how personal experiences intertwine with broader socio-political contexts and how access to different forms of capital mediates (im)mobility decisions. The findings highlight the complex interplay between these factors, which may have supportive, hindering, or ambivalent effects. Their intersection can either intensify vulnerability or help mitigate structural disadvantages.