Professionalization of volunteer activities

The article analyzes the legal regulation of volunteer activities in the context of supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine as an “informal” type of professional employment and economic activity. Particular attention is paid to the problems of legal regulation of this type of employment and its development, which arose as a result of the Russian armed aggression that began in 2014. The signs of «professionalization» of volunteer activities are identified, which include social insurance, income generation, and the inclusion of such activities in professional experience. The basic regulatory and legal acts in this area, in particular the Law of Ukraine «On Volunteer Activity» are considered, and it is found that despite the existence of regulations, there is an urgent need to improve them. Given the growing needs of wartime, it has been established that the state is introducing active legal regulation of support for volunteer activities. Such regulation largely implements foreign experience in this area of legal regulation and has many branches in various types of regulatory acts. In addition, there is a de facto perception of volunteering as a profession not only by citizens, but also by local self-government bodies and state authorities. The main challenges are related to the lack of specialised literature for volunteers that would provide explanations regarding the specifics of legal regulation of this type of activity, particularly in view of its “professional” characteristics.