The Phenomenon of Ukrainian Wartime Humour in Digital Media: Cognitive Mechanisms, Strategic Narratives, and Gender Representations (2022–2024)

Abstract

The article analyses the phenomenon of Ukrainian wartime humour as a complex media communication phenomenon that is shaped by traumatic triggers of war (stress, loss, uncertainty) and at the same time performs adaptive and strategic functions in the digital environment. At the intersection of cognitive linguistics, media studies, and social communications, approaches to explaining the comic effect in wartime are generalised: the mechanism of incongruity, accessibility heuristics, narrative reframing, ‘negative thinking’ as a way of rationalising the threat, and the effects of superiority/symbolic humiliation of the enemy. It is shown that in a military context, humour goes beyond individual psychological ‘unloading’: it constructs collective interpretative frameworks, supports solidarity, ensures informational stability, and can act as soft counter-propaganda. The empirical basis is a synthesis of a corpus of peer-reviewed scientific publications from 2022–2025 on Ukrainian wartime humour and memetic practices, as well as a qualitative study of open digital artefacts (jokes, memes, short videos, stories) that were distributed on X/Twitter, Telegram, TikTok, and online media between 2022 and 2024. An analytical matrix of categories (triggers — cognitive mechanisms — media form — dissemination — effects) and a conceptual model of the functioning of wartime humour are proposed, reflecting the cyclical transition from military events to their humorous recoding and subsequent social consequences. The study includes an analysis of data from the global platform Know Your Meme and a comparative content analysis of the official pages of the Ukrainian Air Force, which made it possible to verify the effectiveness of humour as a tool of soft power. It is shown that the integration of memetic elements into strategic communications significantly increases audience engagement and contributes to the formation of a positive image of the military. Special attention is paid to gender representations in wartime humour: it is shown that female memetic narratives more often emphasise daily ‘rear’ work, emotional self-regulation and role transformation, while masculine narratives are more often associated with military subculture, heroisation, and group identity rituals. It is concluded that Ukrainian wartime humour in digital media is a hybrid resource of psychological resilience and informational resistance that requires systematic interdisciplinary study. It has been proven that the integration of humour into strategic communications acts as a tool of “soft power”, increasing reach and shaping a positive image of the military.