Hope in the Headlines?: Truth and Decolonization in the Ukrainian Media Landscape

The Nanovic Institute for European Studies

Available on-demand

In an era of state-sponsored disinformation, media serves as both a kinetic weapon and a vessel for national healing. Join us for a high-level dialogue on Ukraine’s struggle to decolonize its information space, offering a critical case study in neutralizing transnational authoritarian narratives and building systemic democratic resilience in a post-truth world.

Speakers include:

Katerina Sirinyok-Dolgaryova (Michigan): “Values-based Journalism in Ukraine: Fighting a Suppressive Past and Paving an Independent Future”
Urszula Soler (KUL): “Russian Disinformation and the War in Ukraine: A Legacy of Propaganda”
Olha Tkachenko (Polish Academy of Sciences): “Decolonization Processes in Ukrainian YouTube: New Hope to Deconstruct Imperial Myths”

Revolutions of Hope: Resilience and Recovery in Ukraine is a collaboration between Notre Dame’s Nanovic Institute, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs, and Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU). The conference, hosted at the University of Notre Dame in March 2025, focused on the positive and corrective response to this destruction, exploring reasons for hope, sources of hope, and the politics and ethics of hope in Ukraine. How is hope powerful or even revolutionary? How does it encourage resilience and recovery? And, above all, how can we build and promote the integral development of hope in Ukraine? The conference explored the concept, dynamics, and practices of hope through keynote addresses, panel discussions, the arts, and liturgical observances. For more information visit the event website.

Co-sponsors included:

The Nanovic Institute’s recent panel offered a sophisticated examination of the Ukrainian information space, framed not merely as a theater of war, but as a primary site for the construction of national identity. The central conflict lies in the friction between the Kremlin’s doctrine of “perpetual mobilization” and the Ukrainian effort to establish a values-based, decolonized media ecosystem. This is a clash of fundamental paradigms: the Russian use of information to dismantle human dignity versus the Ukrainian effort to utilize media as a tool for resilience and democratic consolidation.

2.1. The Historical Arc of Ukrainian Journalism Ukrainian journalism has historically functioned as a vehicle for survival against a cycle of imperial suppression. From the 18th-century Gazette de Léopol to the 1848 publication of Zoria Halytska (The Galician Star), media was the frontline of independence. Dr. Kateryna Sirinyok-Dolgarova highlighted how this growth was systematically obstructed by the Russian Empire through the Valuev Circular (1863) and the Ems Ukaz (1876), which banned Ukrainian literature and education. Despite the Soviet era’s ideological entrenchment, the “Sixtiers” (dissident movement) preserved the intellectual foundations that re-emerged during glasnost. The post-independence era initially struggled with “jeansa” (paid-for coverage) and oligarchic control, but the tragic 2000 murder of investigative journalist Georgiy Gongadze served as a definitive catalyst. His death galvanized a professional shift toward investigative rigor and public service, laying the groundwork for contemporary pillars like the public broadcaster Suspilna and the solutions-oriented outlet Rubryka.

2.2. Deconstructing the Russian Disinformation Machine Dr. Urszula Soler analyzed the “historical obsession” driving Russian hybrid warfare. This doctrine views the Soviet collapse not as an internal failure, but as the result of a Western informational siege. Crucially, the Russian strategic lexicon redefines “peace” not as an absence of conflict, but as a “preparation for future military confrontation.” Within this framework of perpetual ideological struggle, the Russian state utilizes the Popadantsy (interlopers/time-travelers) literary genre to provide a psychological “re-do” of the 20th century. By subsidizing these revisionist novels to maintain a tactical $1 price point, the state facilitates a low-cost, high-saturation mechanism for mass brainwashing, preparing the domestic public for active aggression.

2.3. Digital Decolonization and YouTube Resistance The battlefield of identity has migrated to digital platforms, where Ukrainian YouTube is currently a site of sophisticated “narrative decolonization.” Olga Tkachenko’s research evaluates the dismantling of the Odinnarod (One People) myth. Content creators such as Tetiana Mykytenko (Ragulivna) and Vitalii Gordiienko (Zahinnia Maniv) utilize a “Star Wars” analogy—framing the struggle as an Empire versus a dominated periphery—to expose how Russian-funded show business previously blurred cultural boundaries. By deconstructing “Little Russianism” and the “Sister Nations” trope in pop culture, these creators are reclaiming a distinct cultural sovereignty from the “invisible” colonial power of shared Soviet nostalgia.

2.4. Countermeasures and the Future of Hope The panel concluded that countering transnational authoritarianism requires an asymmetric, multi-layered strategy. “Solutions journalism,” as practiced by Rubryka, maintains public morale by focusing on success stories and volunteer initiatives without sacrificing professional ethics. However, systemic resilience requires addressing the power imbalance between US-based tech platforms and state-sponsored trolls. While bottom-up media literacy from kindergarten onward is essential, panelists emphasized the need for top-down legal frameworks, such as the EU’s Digital Services Act, to ensure platform accountability and protect national information integrity.

The Redefinition of Peace: Russian strategic doctrine views peace merely as a non-violent phase of perpetual ideological and psychological struggle. Information war, therefore, is never an “inter-war” activity but a constant state of engagement.
Solutions Journalism as a Wartime Tool: The outlet Rubryka demonstrates that focusing on “success stories” and actionable community solutions can effectively counter the “negativity bias” of war, sustaining social cohesion and national hope.
Pop Culture as a Colonial Anchor: Russian influence was historically maintained through “invisible” colonial power in entertainment, using shared Soviet nostalgia (such as New Year’s Eve films like The Irony of Fate) to blur mental boundaries and reinforce the “one nation” myth.
Revisionist Literature as State Policy: The Popadantsy genre is a state-subsidized tactical tool. By offering $1 novels about “fixing” history, the Kremlin provides a low-cost delivery mechanism for revisionist grievances.
The Dual-Pronged Counter-Strategy: Democratic resilience requires a “sandwich” approach: bottom-up media literacy to build a discerning citizenry and top-down legal regulation (e.g., the Digital Services Act) to manage platform accountability.

The following quotes reflect the high-stakes transition of the Ukrainian media landscape from a colonial subject to a sovereign voice.

“When editors and reporters make choices that improve the prospects of peace—how to frame stories and carefully choosing which words to use without compromising the basic principle of good journalism.” — Katerina Sirinyok-Dolgaryova (quoting Steven Youngblood)
“Peace… contains overt and covert elements of preparation for the future military confrontation.” — Urszula Soler (referencing the Russian dictionary)
“It seems to us that all these people are ours… we understood the context of every joke… and now it’s been deconstructed by Ukrainian YouTubers.” — Olha Tkachenko (quoting Vitalii Gordiienko of Zahinnia Maniv)
“Ukrainian YouTube began to confidently substitute the pro-Russian channels… decolonization in the sense of revealing and dismantling colonialist power in all its forms.” — Olha Tkachenko
“Educating public, educating people from a very young age is crucial… this is the way to survive.” — Katerina Sirinyok-Dolgaryova