The Memory Platform «Memorial» as a Model for Shaping a New Culture of Honoring the Fallen during the Russian-Ukrainian War

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to identify emerging trends in the formation of a new culture of memory in Ukraine through the case of the Memory Platform «Memorial» within the contemporary Ukrainian social communication landscape.

Research methodology. To achieve this objective, the study employs a comprehensive combination of general scientific and specialized research methods. Analysis and synthesis were applied to systematize theoretical approaches to the concepts of collective memory, historical memory, and mediatization. Qualitative content analysis of the platform, examination of editorial documents and methodological guidelines, interpretation through the theoretical frameworks of collective memory studies and the digital turn, and the comparative method were used to analyze and compare various forms of representing the memory of the fallen on the Memorial website. The descriptive method was employed to document contemporary media memory practices, while modeling was applied to conceptualize the structural mechanisms of memory mediatization. The empirical basis of the study consists of media products identified through systematic monitoring and created by journalists of the Memory Platform during the period of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as the results of an online Facebook survey involving 91 respondents, aimed at identifying the interconnections between media practices and the formation of collective historical memory.

Results. The findings demonstrate that the Memory Platform «Memorial» functions as a multilayered social communication system integrating digital archiving, memory journalism, media partnerships, and civic commemorative practices. The study establishes that the mediatization of memory of the Russian-Ukrainian war is realized through the transformation of individual stories of the fallen into structured digital narratives which, through platformization, multimedia formats, and networked circulation, shape historical memory. The analysis reveals that the key trends in the transformation of commemorative culture, as exemplified by Memorial, include the humanization of war statistics through the personalization of loss, the integration of journalistic standards with memorial practices, the expansion of traditional sites of memory into digital space, and the combination of online and offline forms of commemoration, including national campaigns, interactive projects, and educational programs. Memorial not only documents wartime losses but also promotes a new culture of memory in Ukraine grounded in ethical responsibility, credibility, human-centeredness, and public participation, functioning as a significant agent in the national information space in shaping collective memory of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Novelty. The study’s original contribution lies in the systematic analysis of the commemorative media practices of the Memory Platform «Memorial» within the Ukrainian social communication sphere. It demonstrates the processes of historical memory mediatization and highlights the conditions through which digital media practices contribute to the formation of collective historical memory of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Practical significance. The results of the study deepen understanding of the media’s potential in shaping historical memory and provide practical insights for journalists seeking to better comprehend their professional responsibility in constructing historical memory through media practices during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Key words: mediatization of memory, historical memory, collective memory, commemoration, digital memorialization.