The invasion of Ukraine is not the first war to be documented on social media, but it is uniquely positioned to be the most viral. One year after the Russian invasion began, keeping the conflict in global consciousness is crucial for Ukraine to ensure financial support. The war for our attention is being fought with memes, viral tweets, and video clips.
Within a day of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, the war in Ukraine had already produced one of its most-viral online moments. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – widely believed to be a target for imminent Russian assassination attempts – posted a selfie-style video filmed on the nighttime streets of Kyiv, proving that he had not fled the city.
