Ukraine at War

Research Project Field: Ukrainian and Ukrainian-Canadian Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences (2024-2025).

Research Project Support: This project is supported by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies / CIUS. CIUS is an internationally recognized leader of Ukrainian studies outside of Ukraine and a research institute housed in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta (Canada). The Institute is dedicated to producing, preserving, and disseminating expert knowledge about Ukraine and Ukrainians in Canada and worldwide. CIUS facilitates sustained scholarly engagement and cooperation between Canada and Ukraine, partner institutions and researchers around the globe, and between diverse ethnic and cultural groups in Canada.

CIUS Webpage: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/canadian-institute-of-ukrainian-studies/about/index.html

Research Project Aim: The purpose of the research project is to analyse the visual and graphic means of countering Russian propaganda and the spread of anti-Ukrainian narratives for the formation and affirmation of the image of Russia as the aggressor during the full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine, which began in 2022. The task of the research project is to analyse the Canadian online publications in 2022-2024 to identify and categorise visual and graphic means, to study their semantic features concerning the realisation of cognitive and communicative goals in the context of countering Russian propaganda and the spread of anti-Ukrainian narratives for the formation and affirmation of an image aggressor Russia; determination of changes in the semantic features of visual and graphic means of countering Russian propaganda in different periods of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

Research Project Summary: In the context of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, effective countering of Russian propaganda is critical. The analysis of the image of Russia as the aggressor, created by visual and graphic means, has the potential to significantly contribute to forming a positive perception of Ukraine with the aim of maximum support and consolidation of the world community. The study adds important data to the understanding of how visual and graphic means help to focus the attention of the Canadian community on the image of the aggressor country and influence the change of mood in Canadian society during the war between Russia and Ukraine in 2022-2024. The determination of effective visual and graphic means of countering Russian propaganda provides theoretical foundations for further research on the topic of anti-propaganda. The results of the research project will be reflected in publications and will be the subject of discussion at international scientific conferences, will contribute to the awareness of the importance of visual and graphic means in the fight for the spread of true information and the formation of support for Ukraine in the world.

Research Project Duration: September 2024 – October 2025.

Research Project Coordinator: Iryna Kalynovska, Associate Professor of English Language Practice Department, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University.

Research Project Team: Elina Koliada, Professor, Head of English Language Practice Department; Nataliia Odarchuk, Associate Professor of English Language Practice Department, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University.