7 examples of how the war in Ukraine is being talked about on social media

war in Ukraine

At the beginning of this year, the yellow kitchen was circulating on social networks: Russian rocket attacks had torn a hole in the wall of a residential building. An intact kitchen with yellow cupboards was revealed. Since a picture is known to say more than a thousand words, just one look at the mobile phone display showed Internet users how war was entering the family idyll.

The yellow kitchen rose to prominence earlier this year.Image: Reuters/Stringer

The yellow kitchen is an example of how the war in Ukraine is also a media battle. Ultimately, both warring parties try to determine the narrative – and social media plays a crucial role in this. Thereby can Russia rely on his troll factories that spread fake news, but beyond that, Putin’s propaganda machine seems about as sluggish and outdated as a daily newspaper compared to the mobile phone app.

In contrast, the white Ukraine to use the power of images and the stories that war writes for themselves in the media in social networks – or to benefit from the corresponding online content. We at watson are also open Instagram picked up a lot of content of this kind.

On the occasion of the anniversary of the Russian invasion, we want to commemorate some social media phenomena that went viral at the time and use them to illustrate how social networks are reporting about and about the war.

1. Tractors tow tanks

From a moral point of view, the roles are clearly divided: the Ukrainians are “the good guys”, the Russians are “the bad guys”. As long as your name isn’t Sahra Wagenknecht, there shouldn’t really be any doubt as to who is the victim and the perpetrator. The image of the underdog fits in seamlessly here.

At the beginning of the war, videos appeared of Ukrainian farmers using their tractors to tow broken-down Russian tanks. The tanks were left behind due to fuel shortages due to lack of logistics. And since such a vehicle is worth about two million dollars and consists of around 40 tons of metal, it’s not a bad street find.

The scene conveyed the classic symbolism of the fight David against Goliath. The “small” Ukraine against the huge Russia with its powerful military apparatus. It doesn’t even need the (supposedly inferior) Ukrainian army; it was the peasants – the historical foundation of every state, so to speak – that an overbearing Russian army put in their place.

2. Zelenskyj stays in Kyiv

Also shortly after the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj showed himself to everyone’s surprise in a selfie from Kiev. The message was clear: be courageous, don’t back down, stand up to the enemy on the ground. Zelenskyj showed himself over time at the front with soldiers, could be connected via video in universities or at film festivals and received heads of state from all over the world. Despite the difficult situation, do not curl up!

Opponent Putin, on the other hand, maintains the staging of the unapproachable despot. When he receives Western heads of state at his metre-long conference table, the symbolic and personal distancing can no longer be concealed. front visits? None! The fact that rumors are currently circulating that he lives in a special armored train that travels around the country on secret routes adds to the overall impression.

3. Green, green, green are all my clothes

Selenskyj’s olive-green sweater now has a similar iconographic recognition value as Charlie Chaplin’s outfit. Zelenskyj presents himself as a man of the people who stands out in contrast to the bureaucratic, tie-wearing heads of government France or Germany can tackle and wants to see results (e.g. EU accession or arms deliveries).

4. Official Social Media Content

Of course, the official channels also launch certain reports and information. These include, for example, the official social media accounts of Zelenskyj or the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

With seemingly succinct messages such as the mine detection dog, which is awarded a medal, content is created that is likeable and shareable, touches on an emotional level, generates sympathy and brings the war closer in a tolerable way. So that what should not be ignored is not ignored.

The Ministry of Defense in particular knows how to cleverly use social media campaigns. For example, last year a video was produced showing the horrors of Russian air raids and promoting the delivery of related defense technology.

A remake of the well-known “Supergeil” commercial was even aimed specifically at Germany Edeka produced, which was used to ask for arms deliveries. Not a high-gloss look, but deliberate social media aesthetics.

Such clips may not be aimed at the political decision-makers, but rather try to influence the mood of the population.

5. Selfies from the front

But it is not only state institutions or journalistic media that spread pictures and news from the war – in the age of social media, soldiers post directly from the front. This makes the war more approachable and immediate without filters through authorities or journalists – for better or for worse.

Similar to the tractors, we perceive these as stories of bravery and heroism. The Russian front-line reports, such as those circulated on Telegram or through intercepted phone calls, tell of a “shit show.” The apparently superior opponent is exposed by his own incompetence.

6. The brave populace

The Ukrainian population continues to share her Life on social media – only with the difference that their everyday life is now shaped by the war.

Videos of a young Ukrainian filming herself during the bombing in Kiev, or of the seven-year-old girl singing “Let It Go” in the bunker, have gone viral around the world. Similar to the posts from the front, these are stories of everyday heroes and the will to persevere.

One searches in vain for the like on the Russian side. The aggressor cannot be the hero. Similar to the soldiers who report on the “shit show”, the heroic stories from Russia are directed against the repressive regime: The brave people on the home front who protest against Putin and the war are celebrated online.

7. Memes from around the world

Social media users not directly affected by this war also contribute to its media portrayal. Like everything in real life, the war is processed and commented on in the form of memes. In this way, the picture of the Ukraine war is shaped in a way that is sometimes more, sometimes less entertaining, but above all in an easily accessible way.

For journalists and average users, it is important to be vigilant about which sources and stories one can believe in this cacophony of images and news.

And Russia? Russia had its “Z” which became something of a meme in real life rather than online. Like Putin’s imperial striving for power, his propaganda also seems like a relic of bygone days: the great dictator delivering speeches about blood and honor in front of crowds. Pictures of huge tables as well as thick rockets and long armored pipes forcibly entering Ukraine – Phallic symbols of a chauvinist wishing for yesterday.