Мемы военного времени в украинском и российском медиадискурсе : сравнительный анализ
Wartime Memes in Ukrainian and Pro-Russian Media Discourse: A Comparative Analysis

Summary/Abstract: This article examines wartime internet memes in Ukrainian and pro-Russian media discourse, focusing on their functions, semantics, and communicative roles in digital environments after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The study is based on a qualitative analysis of widely circulated and recognizable meme units, selected from social media and online communication. The paper distinguishes between internet memes, precedent utterances, and memetic formulas, defining the latter as reproducible textual patterns that function as condensed carriers of meaning. The analysis demonstrates that memes in the pro-Russian discourse tend to reproduce stable interpretative models and serve as tools of argumentation and legitimization, whereas Ukrainian memes are characterized by higher variability, creative transformation, and orientation toward symbolic resistance and collective identity formation. The findings suggest that wartime memes function not only as elements of digital culture but also as significant instruments of meaning-making, emotional expression, and discursive construction of social reality.

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