Denys Brylov

It is important that religious communities and their infrastructures are influential actors in this process; they are opinion leaders, sources of spiritual and psychological support, effective communicators, and humanitarian hubs not only for their communities but also for entire regions. Their state and their ability to resist conflicts directly affect the moods in the communities, the level of credibility of churches and religious leaders, and the stability of the communities in war.
In this situation, there is a great need for a systematic, comprehensive collection and analysis of information about events, narratives, cases of cooperation and mutual assistance in religious communities at the community and regional levels. This analysis will help us to understand the specifics of these networks, their role and participation in the current processes, and thereby identify the emergence or support of links between religious initiatives and aid groups.
We also plan to use the data and analysis of this network to capture potential and existing conflict cases for the further transformation of those conflicts and violence with the involvement of religious leaders. This will help to form an alternative vision of interfaith relations with more constructive potential (i.e., to move from renunciation of physical or psychological violence to joint solutions and support of the cooperation network).