“Writing to You. Miss You”: The Image of 2022 Wartime Kharkiv in Residents’ Social Media Posts

Abstract

The article examines the representation of wartime Kharkiv on social media during 2022. In total, 87 posts under the general heading “letters to Kharkiv,” posted on the Telegram and Instagram platforms, were analyzed. All the posts are tagged with the hashtags #листхаркову and #письмохарькову. The first “letter” is dated March 20, 2022 and posted on the Instagram social network. 18 Instagram posts were analyzed for this study. On March 24, the Telegram channel “Where in Kharkiv” created a rubric called “Letter to Kharkiv,” which continued until April 5, 2022. In total, 69 posts were published under this title. The study involved keeping track of city landmarks mentioned in the “letters,” in order to pinpoint locations iconic for Kharkiv residents and characteristics attributed to the city by its residents. The most often mentioned locations were the T. H. Shevchenko City Garden, M. Gorky Central Park of Culture and Recreation, M. V. Lysenko Kharkiv National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet, Kharkiv Zoo, and Sarzhyn Ravine. The Kharkiv subway often appeared in posts, particularly in its new status as a bomb shelter. Words such as “destruction” and “explosions” occur often, but at the same time in their “letters” Kharkiv residents repeatedly refer to the fighting as a “disease” plaguing the city, and call destruction and other damage caused by shelling “wounds.” In addition, most of the posters believe in victory and state that the city will definitely be rebuilt. Overall, these posts contribute to the image of wartime Kharkiv as an “unbreakable city.” The epithets “unbreakable,” “unconquered,” “staunch,” and the like acquire special significance in the “letters” as they describe life in Kharkiv in 2022. The posters are proud of the city, its courage and perseverance. The analyzed social media posts help better understand the transformation in the perception of the city by its residents since the beginning of the fullscale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The posters see soldiers, utility workers, volunteers, doctors, first responders, and all residents of Kharkiv in general as the city’s modern-day heroes.