This is a Comparison of Russia and Ukraine's Democracy Indices Throughout the War

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released the 2022 Democracy Index scores for countries worldwide. This research focuses on the context of the Russia-Ukraine war and its implications for the future of global democracy. The war reached its one-year mark on Friday, February 24, 2023.

Ukraine received a total democracy index score of 5.42, ranking 87th globally, down one place from the 2021 index. The EIU categorized Ukraine as a "hybrid regime," reflecting an incomplete transition from an authoritarian to a democratic regime.

Ukraine scored relatively high in political participation and electoral processes and pluralism. However, its government functioning was rated low, achieving only 2.71 points.

Russia, on the other hand, received an overall score of 2.28, ranking 146th globally—a 22-point drop from the previous year. Russia's scores across all categories were low, with the highest being its developing political culture (3.75 points) and the lowest being electoral processes and pluralism (0.92 points). Russia is classified as an authoritarian regime.

The EIU views the Ukrainian people's commitment to fighting for their self-determination as inspiring, demonstrating the power of ideals and principles in uniting a nation and its people in the pursuit of democracy. Conversely, Russia is described by the EIU as the biggest loser in 2022.

The EIU argues that while Ukraine's fight to defend its borders is a demonstration of democracy in action, Russia's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty stems from imperial ambitions. "Vladimir Putin's dream of restoring Russia's position as an imperial power has foundered," the EIU wrote in its report.

After a year of fighting in Ukraine, the EIU observed at the end of 2022 that Russia had not only lost on the battlefield but also struggled to win the propaganda war at home and abroad. Its reckless military campaign, according to the EIU, provoked condemnation from even hardline nationalists, while the high death toll and other consequences of the war have unsettled the population.

(See also: One Year of the Russia-Ukraine War: 8,000 Civilians Killed)

The EIU notes that the war has only intensified repressive attitudes towards dissent and the personalization of power in countries, further pushing Russia towards dictatorship. "Russia recorded the largest annual decline in its index score of any country in the world in 2022 and fell further down the global rankings," the EIU stated.

The EIU Democracy Index uses 60 indicators in its research, measured on a scale of 0 to 10. These indicators are grouped into five categories: electoral processes and pluralism; civil liberties; government functioning; political participation; and political culture. Category scores are also calculated on the same scale. The total index score is the average of the five category indices.

Several factors should be considered if a country scores less than 1 point in a category:

1. Whether national elections are free and fair.
2. Voter security.
3. The influence of foreign powers on the government.
4. The ability of government officials to implement policies.

The index score is used to classify countries into regime types:

1. Full democracy: score greater than 8
2. Flawed democracy: score greater than 6 and less than or equal to 8
3. Hybrid regime: score greater than 4 and less than or equal to 6
4. Authoritarian regime: score less than or equal to 4

(See also: Majority of ASEAN Countries are Flawed Democracies, the Rest are Authoritarian)