In view of increasing geopolitical tensions, supply chains are more than ever exposed to the risk of disruption due to war. Until today, however, wars have not been at the center of supply chain management theory. This research aims to fill this gap by defining the construct of war-related disruptions and exploring how armed conflicts impact supply chains on a local, regional, and global scale. Drawing on unique case data collected at the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 , a quantity and price constraint have been identified to have a dual impact on global supply chains during wars, highlighting the ripple effect of the disruption. Based on these findings, a grounded model on war-related disruptions has been developed. Building on supply chain complexity theory, we argue that the extent of the ripple effect in supply chains disrupted by war is contingent upon the supply chain’s structural and dynamic complexity which is dependent on the supply chain configuration and war context.
